General Information

Tourism Office
Samoa Visitors Bureau, P.O.Box 2272, Apia, Samoa, Ph +685- 63500 to 63508 Fax: +685-20886.

Entry
Visitors do not need an entry visa to visit for up to 30 days. However they must have an onward or return ticket and valid passport (six months or more). All major foreign currencies can be exchanged into Samoan Tala (Samoan dollars).

Currency
The Samoan cash currency (WST) is based on the Tala (dollar) and Sene (cent). Currency converter

Credit Cards
Major credit cards are accepted at most major hotels and some restaurants and stores. Travelers cheques are  accepted at all major banks and hotels.

Language
The official language is Samoan. English is widely spoken in business  and tourism.

Some useful phrases:

Hello                          Talofa
Good bye                   Tofa
Yes                           Ioe
Please                       Fa'amolemole
Thank you                  Fa'afetai
Good                         Lelei
Cheers, good luck      Manuia
Woman                     Fafine
Man                          Tamaloa
House                       Fale
Foreigner, European   Palagi, Papalagi
Earth oven                 Umu
Festival                     Fiafia
Family Chief              Matai

Time
Samoa’s time zone is three hours behind US Pacific Time and 12 hours behind GMT.

Climate, Weather
Samoa is situated close to the equator with a climate that is hot and humid all year round and temperatures that average about 26 Celsius. The driest months are from May to October, the rainy season is from November to April, which doesn‘t mean rain all day, but occasional heavy showers with long sunny periods.

Shopping

The market for fruits and vegetables and all manner of local delicacies is the Maketi Fou at Fugalei. It is particularly diverse on weekends, when villagers from rural Upolu and Savai’i arrive to sell their goods. A fish market is behind the flea market on Beach Road. Early Sunday mornings are the best day for buying fresh fish. A wide range of handicrafts, wooden kava bowls, traditional weapons, flax bags and fans in all shapes and sizes can be found in gift and hotel shops. Shop around as prices can vary from one store to the next. Both the Fugalei and Savalalo markets are good, but don’t hesitiate to shop around for the best prices or even haggle a little.