Amalau Valley

Amalau is a steep forested valley on the road between Afono and Vatia inside the National Park of American Samoa, and it is where the park's two fruit bat species are most reliably seen: Samoan and white-naped flying foxes, which fly during the day here rather than only at dusk, circling above the canopy on wings that span close to a metre. Native forest birds including the many-coloured fruit dove use the same valley.

Background

Amalau is a bay as well as a valley, and only a few homes stand there today. The valley holds the remains of an old village, and close by is the Tu'ulaumea Tupua, an important site in local legend. Along the shore of Amalau Cove, pillow lavas are exposed, a sign that the rock was extruded under water. At the head of the bay, the beach is a mix of cobbles and basaltic boulders, scattered with large pieces of coral that the waves have rounded.

Source: Wikipedia, "Amalau Valley"

What's there

• The flying foxes - fruit bats flying in daylight above the valley canopy.
• The forest birds - fruit doves and other native species in the same trees.
• The steep valley - the forested slopes on the park's north side.
• The roadside viewing - the vantage points along the Afono to Vatia road.

When to go

May to September is the drier season. Bats are most active in the middle of the day here, unusually. Cyclone season runs November to April.

Before you go

There is no trail; viewing is from the roadside with binoculars. Bat numbers have fallen after cyclones and hunting. The road is narrow with few places to stop.

Nearby

Vatia is west, and Pago Pago is south over the ridge.

Key facts