Upolu is the second largest island in Samoa with a land area of 1,115 sq kilometers (433 sq miles). The capital of Samoa (APIA) is located here as well as the main International Airport of Faleolo which is some 32 kilometers west (26 miles) of the capital town of Apia.
Also on Upolu is Fagalii Airport, near Apia Town, which services island of Savaii and American Samoa. Upolu has a lush tropical and rugged interior and its highest point is Mt Fito at 1,158 metres (over 3,600 feet). Numerous waterfalls and rivers that flow from the interior to the sea, grace this island.
O Le Pupu-Pue National Park was Samoa's first National Park, created in 1978 and runs from the top of Mt Fito to the sea on the southern coast and is a major South Pacific rainforest protectorate. There is much wildlife in the park - mainly birds, (of which thirty five species of land birds and twenty one sea and shore birds have been recorded for Samoa), and flying foxes. There are no poisonous animals in Samoa. Robert Louis Stevenson (world-famous author of "Treasure Island", "Jekyll and Hyde", and other works) known to the Samoans as 'Tusitala' or teller of tales, spent the last four years of his life on the island of Upolu, and is buried on the summit of Mount Vaea which overlooks the town of Apia and its harbour.
His former home in Vailima, at the foot of the mountain, was the official residence of the Head of State, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II and is now the Robert Louis Steven- son Museum. A visit of Upolu is incomplete without a tour of this famous landmark and museum.
Numerous tours are on offer ranging from the leisurely scenic to rugged, adventurous ecotours. These are hikes across the ranges, star mound visits, 4-wheel drive safari ecotours, 2-3 nights sea-kayaking exploratory tours, massage fa'aSamoa, deep sea fishing, mangrove tours, Lake Lanuto'o hikes, coastal and mountain hikes. There are around 700 rooms on Upolu, ranging from 4 star to open beach fales - US$350 per night to just US$15.
The majority of these rooms are found in Apia, therefore the visitor is never far from the pulse of the country - the exciting and bustling town of Apia.
There are more than 40 different restaurants scattered around the vicinity of Apia, and an even more interesting array of side-walk eateries and barbaque 'stop-buys' dotted all over the streets of Apia.
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