My words cannot fully describe it.. so experience it.. Did some research and wrote to Tim. He got back pretty fast and I booked the tour(The Pristine Waters of Upolu). Being the first guest on his tour, I really have no idea what I will get but i was pretty excited thou.. Tim came on time to pick me with another guest on the tour.. We started off with Piula Cave pool, followed by Sauniatu Waterfall, Lalomanu Beach, To Sua Ocean Trench, Togitogiga Waterfall, Papapapatai fall.. and we decided to do the Coastal lava Cliff walk since we have some spare time. We took a dip in the cave pool early first thing in the morning.. it was really refreshing. The water was crystal clear under the clear bright sky.. I really love the serene environment. The impromtu picnic lunch at To Sua Ocent Trench was great! we get to enjoy our late lunch with a wonderful sea view. It was a pity that we couldn't see the Papapapatai Fall clearly due to the fog. The coastal lava cliff walk can be quite challenging but the view is worth the walk. Last, we wrapped up the tour with a little bonus - a magnificent sunset view at Baha’i Temple on our way back.. TIm is really funny and chatty, and we shared a lot of wonderful life experience together.. To me.. this is not just a tour.. it's an experience I will never forget!!
At very short notice we decided to take the Crater Lake hike and swim. Response from Samoan Highland Adventures was immediate and really helpful. Our guide Chris sent us the Google map pin for where to meet him the next morning. (As an aside, getting a Samoan data SIM card for your phone makes everything much easier when contacting businesses and people in Samoa. We got BlueSky at the airport when we landed. Best decision!) We met with Chris and he briefed us on what safety equipment he was carrying and what the tour would entail. Very reassuring and professional. Normally lunch would be included but we gave him no time to organise that so we brought our own snacks for a discounted tour price. After briefing we transferred to his truck to navigate the really rough road. The walk starts as a lovely meander through flat grassland with lots of beautiful plants to photo. Then the walk starts to gently go uphill. The track is pretty good but in wet conditions would be quite slippery. There is a short steep section as you get to the crest of the crater and then you see the lake. Beautiful! Nobody else around. Hubby went in for swim as did Chris. I sat on the timber jetty to soak up the scenery. After swim and snacks we retraced our steps back to the beginning. Would highly recommend this tour and it's not too steep. Don't try it in jandals! We wore training shoes and it was all good.
I had an amazing time during this tour, with an awesome guide. Chris was very helpful, informative and friendly, we had so much fun together ! The spots we visited were incredible, the food very good, the experience unique ! Must do tour !