Si'u Point Trail

Experience a place sacred in Samoan culture and important to archaeology, then continue along the jungled coast to a deserted beach at the tip of Ta’u Island.

Hiking Moderate

Distance: 5.2 km
Ascent: 93 m
Descent: 93 m
Duration: 1-2 hrs

Low Point: 5 m
High Point: 32 m
Gradient: 5˚

Ta’u Island actually has the largest national park area of any American Samoa islands, though its trails are fewer and less maintained than those on Tutuila. Si’u Point Trail is one of the more accessible due to its location at the end of the town road. It’s also one of the most significant because it passes a sacred historic site called Saua. According to Samoan mythology, this is where civilization first began, and archaeologists have uncovered artifacts dating back thousands of years.

Si'u Point Photo: US Department of the Interior

Description

Fiti’uta village is where you’ll land when flying to Ta’u, and the town road continues south from the airport. After passing the last houses, the road becomes dirt and continues to the Saua site. That’s where the trail begins, though if you can’t get a ride all the way to Saua, you may have to walk from farther away.

The trail is an old 4WD track at the edge of the jungle and along the coast, leading eventually to the southeast corner of the island, called Tufu Point. It becomes a narrower, brushier path and continues a bit farther to a smaller promontory called Si’u point. That is the extent of the route mapped here, but faint trails continue farther, both along the coast and up into the jungle toward a waterfall. The way to get the most out of this hike would be to arrange a local guide, who can tell you about the history and perhaps lead you all the way to Laufuti Falls high on the mountainside.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/npsa/planyourvisit/upload/Day-Hikes-SBNPSAhigh-res.pdf