Tafua Peninsula Rainforest Preserve

The Tafua peninsula on Savai'i's southeastern corner carries a forested crater that the village decided to protect in the late 1980s rather than sell the logging rights, one of the first such agreements in the country. A track climbs to the crater rim, which can be walked round, and the forest holds Samoan flying foxes, which fly out over the rim in the late afternoon in numbers, along with forest pigeons.

The landscape

• The crater - the forested volcanic bowl at the peninsula's centre.
• The rim walk - the route round the top through the forest.
• The flying foxes - the fruit bats flying out over the crater in the late afternoon.
• The village agreement - one of the earliest forest protection deals in Samoa.

When to go

May to October is the drier season. Late afternoon is when the flying foxes are most active. The wet season makes the track difficult.

Practical notes

The track is muddy and steep and a village guide is worth taking. Facilities are none. Flying fox numbers have fallen and sightings are not what they were.

Nearby

Salelologa is northwest, and the ferry terminal is beyond it.