American Samoa

American Samoa is really a vastly underrated tropical destination which will delight you with its magnificent mountain ridges, wonderfully peaceful bays, soporific villages, and some of the world's most remote, uncluttered and utterly beautiful reefs and beaches. When you state on the principal island, Tutuila, it takes quite smaller effort to appear beyond the imported Americana of its primary settlement, Pago Pago, towards the shadows cast by the spectacular peaks crowding within the deepwater harbour, the forest-lined roads switchbacking over isolated mountain passes, and palm-shaded beaches that paradoxically empty the mind but fill the imagination. The locals also allow you to to acclimatise to this relaxing habitat by encouraging you to sing along to their favourite tunes on a crowded island buses, welcoming you repeatedly within the streets, and spinning out conventional stories on long, humid evenings.

Setting foot on one on the almost untouched strips of sand within the outlying Manu'a Islands will additional seduce your senses. Few experiences compare to the feeling you get whenever you emerge from the superb, coral-filled waters off Ofu Beach and seem up to see practically nothing but turquoise waters, sea birds crisscrossing the faces of enormous cliffs, and the hulking silhouette of Ta'u way off in the oceanic distance. Hardly some thing disturbs the peace and quiet here except for the occasional barking dog and passing pick-up truck - otherwise, there's only the movement of wind and water to ruffle the calm.

Whether you might be a hiker keen on checking out some of the greatest sea cliffs in the world on Ta'u, a history buff wanting to see your very first star mound, or a leisure-seeker using a deep appreciation of beach life, you will be glad you visited this unsung paradise.