Pola Island
A towering rock.
NPS — Public domain · Eddy23 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · NPS Natural Resources — Public domain · Peter Craig, National Park Service — Public domain
The National Park of American Samoa is a nature reserve spread across three islands, Tutuila, Ofu and Taʻū, with its main section on the northern ridges of Tutuila, about 2.5 km in a straight line north-east of Pago Pago. It is the only US national park south of the equator. The park protects tropical rainforest, coral reefs and large fruit bats, as well as traditional Samoan culture. It covers about 3,341 hectares, around a thousand of them reef and ocean. It was created in 1988, and its land is leased from village councils on a long lease, because land in Samoa is owned communally by families. On Tutuila, hiking trails climb through dense forest to the ridgetops, with views over the village of Vatia, its bay and the towering rock of Pola Island rising from the sea. White beaches and reefs line the coast, and fruit bats can be seen gliding over the valleys late in the day. Entry is free. A visitor centre in Pago Pago provides maps and information; trails are slippery after rain, and respect the villages and their customs as you pass through.
A towering rock.
Hiking trails.
Over the valleys.
Tutuila, American Samoa
Yes.
In Pago Pago.
