The Islands of Ofu and Olosega

Perhaps most of us have at least once in our lives dreamed about escaping to a desert island. To find our very own garden of paradise, where fruit abounds, where strange and heavenly beautiful flowers bloom, with clear seas, amazing waterfalls and many other earthly wonders. Who wouldn't like to spend some time in such an unreal place? Throughout history, people always searched for such places that aroused their imagination and maybe reminded them of the lost Garden of Eden.

There are plenty of such islands spread all around the world, some of them yet unknown and therefore uninhabited. So, who knows...maybe there still is a chance of being shipwrecked on such a gorgeous place?

At any rate, such examples of amazing beauty are the islands of Ofu and Olosega, part of the Manu'a islands in the Pacific Ocean. Ofu and Olosega are a volcanic doublet within the archipelago of the American Samoa. So they belong to the U.S., as opposed to the Western Samoa, which has gained its independence from New Zealand and any other outside domination.

Ofu and Olosega are one of the prettiest and most spectacular American National Parks. The most amazing combination of extinct volcanoes and ocean, the gorgeous vegetation and the friendly climate make it remind us of the lost paradise. They also have a very low population, which lives in the village part of the two islands. Thus, there were about 289 people in the village of Ofu in 2000. In the same year there were 216 persons living on the island of Olosega. The islands' people are notorious for their kind and friendly nature.

To be more exact, the two islands are included in the archipelago of Manu'a. Thus, we have Ofu which has 7 square km, Olosega, having 5 square km and Tau, the largest island, having 46 square km. These three islands have the most amazing landscapes in all Samoa. The southern part of the Ofu Island seems to be the most beautiful in all the Pacific Ocean. There are some mountains on these islands: in Ofu there is mount Tumutumu, the highest peak, which is 491 meters high; in Olosega there is Piumafua Mountain, which is 629 meters high. The two islands are surrounded by a common reef and connected by a bridge. On the island of Tau there is the highest peak in the American Samoa, namely Lata (995 meters.) The islands are reachable by plane, since there are two airports, one in Ofu and the other in Tau. Nonetheless, the only place for tourists to stay in Ofu is the so-called Va'oto Lodge.

The beauty of these paradises is rendered by the green mountains, filled with rain forests and palm trees, combined with long beaches covered in white sand, plus the clear, transparent water of the ocean. In the ocean one can find beautiful coral reefs, strange fish and other exotic creatures. So they possess a unique charm that makes them stand out among the seven islands that form the archipelago of the American Samoa.

The park gives a lot of opportunities for guided journeys, where tourists can study the customs, cultural values and discover the legends of this people. The staff of the national park is formed mostly by local people, so education is important there too. There are two of them these days that also have university degrees which help them have access to important positions at the national park. So more and more stress is currently being laid on the educational aspect.

Yet, with all its amazing appearance, this territory seems to lack in tourism facilities: "We haven't matured to the stage where this park would meet your expectations for the kinds of amenities that a national park back in the States would," Peter Craig, the staff biologist here declared. "People who come here thinking they're going to have a terrific national park experience would find out they're going to have to do most stuff on their own. The whole territory is not geared for tourism." Despite that, those coming here might find it easy to adjust and perhaps confine themselves to feel the joy of discovering themselves the wild touches of this heaven on earth.