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Jerry Pillarelli | profile | all galleries >> Travel and Nature; Sites by State >> US Travel; by Trip, by State >> Hawai’i / American Samoa National Parks Trip – January 2016 >> National Park of American Samoa – American Samoa tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

National Park of American Samoa – American Samoa

Images of the National Park of American Samoa– Tutuila Island, American Samoa taken in January 2016.

Approximately 15 degrees south of the equator in the South Pacific Ocean sits the US territory of American Samoa. The National Park of American Samoa can be found on three of the four primary islands in the territory with the majority of the park on the largest island of Tutuila. The Park protects 9,500 acres of Paleotropical (Old World) rainforests and is the only rainforest of its kind in any US national park.

The views are spectacular, whether seeing the Vai’ava Strait from above Vatia Bay or from the rocky beach at the foot of Pola Island. I spent quite a bit of time on the beach watching the surf pound the island and chasing camera shy crabs along the shore.

Inland the rainforest was incredibly interesting. Trees, bushes and flowers unlike anything I’ve ever seen and birds of all types and sizes both seen, and unseen but heard, were abundant everywhere I explored. But it was the Samoan Flying Fox Fruit Bats that fascinated me the most. With a three foot wing span they were best viewed hanging from trees during the day and soaring through the air as the sun set.
Sign, in English and Samoan, at the entrance to the National Park of American Samoa
Sign, in English and Samoan, at the entrance to the National Park of American Samoa 		Pola Island and the Vai’ava Strait Natural Landmark in the National Park of American Samoa
Pola Island and the Vai’ava Strait Natural Landmark in the National Park of American Samoa 		The tip of Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa
The tip of Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa 		Pola Island from a lower viewing point in the National Park of American Samoa
Pola Island from a lower viewing point in the National Park of American Samoa 		Hibiscus in the National Park of American Samoa
Hibiscus in the National Park of American Samoa
View of Pola Island from the village of Vatia in the National Park of American Samoa
View of Pola Island from the village of Vatia in the National Park of American Samoa 		Pola Island from Vatia in the National Park of American Samoa
Pola Island from Vatia in the National Park of American Samoa 		Pola Island and the pounding surf from a rocky beach in the National Park of American Samoa
Pola Island and the pounding surf from a rocky beach in the National Park of American Samoa 		The surf breaks against Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa
The surf breaks against Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa 		Rocky beach at the end of the Pola Island Trail in the National Park of American Samoa
Rocky beach at the end of the Pola Island Trail in the National Park of American Samoa
Wave breaks disrupting the clear blue waters in the National Park of American Samoa
Wave breaks disrupting the clear blue waters in the National Park of American Samoa 		Pounding surf near Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa
Pounding surf near Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa 		View from the Pola Island Trail in the National Park of American Samoa
View from the Pola Island Trail in the National Park of American Samoa 		Heavy surf breaks near Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa
Heavy surf breaks near Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa 		Waves pound the rocks along the Pola Island Trail in the National Park of American Samoa
Waves pound the rocks along the Pola Island Trail in the National Park of American Samoa
Sea arch and surf in the National Park of American Samoa
Sea arch and surf in the National Park of American Samoa 		Masked Booby at the top of the rocky Vai’ava Straight in the National Park of American Samoa
Masked Booby at the top of the rocky Vai’ava Straight in the National Park of American Samoa 		Samoan Coconut tree in the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Coconut tree in the National Park of American Samoa 		Coastline in the National Park of American Samoa
Coastline in the National Park of American Samoa 		Pola Island over Vatia Bay in the National Park of American Samoa
Pola Island over Vatia Bay in the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Flying Fox Fruit Bats in the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Flying Fox Fruit Bats in the National Park of American Samoa 		Flying Fox Fruit Bats sleeping in the National Park of American Samoa
Flying Fox Fruit Bats sleeping in the National Park of American Samoa 		Samoan Flying Fox Fruit Bat in flight in the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Flying Fox Fruit Bat in flight in the National Park of American Samoa 		Samoan Fruit Bats battle in the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Fruit Bats battle in the National Park of American Samoa 		Samoan Flying Fox Fruit Bat in flight in the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Flying Fox Fruit Bat in flight in the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Banana Tree in the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Banana Tree in the National Park of American Samoa 		Samoan Banana stalk in the National Park of American Samoa
Samoan Banana stalk in the National Park of American Samoa 		Ginger Flowers in the National Park of American Samoa
Ginger Flowers in the National Park of American Samoa 		‘Ulu Breadfruit in the National Park of American Samoa
‘Ulu Breadfruit in the National Park of American Samoa 		Tropical Ginger flower in the National Park of American Samoa
Tropical Ginger flower in the National Park of American Samoa
Crab and Rippled Rockskippers in the National Park of American Samoa
Crab and Rippled Rockskippers in the National Park of American Samoa 		Crab at the end of the Pola Island Trail in the National Park of American Samoa
Crab at the end of the Pola Island Trail in the National Park of American Samoa 		Crab on a rocky beach in the National Park of American Samoa
Crab on a rocky beach in the National Park of American Samoa 		Crab on a rock in the National Park of American Samoa
Crab on a rock in the National Park of American Samoa 		Rippled Rockskippers and a crab in the National Park of American Samoa
Rippled Rockskippers and a crab in the National Park of American Samoa
Rippled Rockskipper close up in the National Park of American Samoa
Rippled Rockskipper close up in the National Park of American Samoa 		Golden Torch flower in the National Park of American Samoa
Golden Torch flower in the National Park of American Samoa 		White Turn in flight over the National Park of American Samoa
White Turn in flight over the National Park of American Samoa 		Noni Fruit in the National Park of American Samoa
Noni Fruit in the National Park of American Samoa 		Pacific Black Skink in the National Park of American Samoa
Pacific Black Skink in the National Park of American Samoa
The Village of Vatia and Vatia Bay in the National Park of American Samoa
The Village of Vatia and Vatia Bay in the National Park of American Samoa 		Chenille Plant in the National Park of American Samoa
Chenille Plant in the National Park of American Samoa 		Mina Bird in the National Park of American Samoa
Mina Bird in the National Park of American Samoa 		Heliconia Rostrata flower in the National Park of American Samoa
Heliconia Rostrata flower in the National Park of American Samoa 		Mountains above the Village of Vatia in the National Park of American Samoa
Mountains above the Village of Vatia in the National Park of American Samoa
Buff-Banded Rail in the National Park of American Samoa
Buff-Banded Rail in the National Park of American Samoa 		Pandanus tree in the National Park of American Samoa
Pandanus tree in the National Park of American Samoa 		White-Collared Kingfisher in the National Park of American Samoa
White-Collared Kingfisher in the National Park of American Samoa 		Tropical Ginger flower in the National Park of American Samoa
Tropical Ginger flower in the National Park of American Samoa 		Toyota Tacoma rental overlooking Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa
Toyota Tacoma rental overlooking Pola Island in the National Park of American Samoa

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