Photos of Falealupo Peninsula, western Savai'i, Samoa

The western end of Savai'i is probably the most significant as far as Samoan legends are concerned; the easternmost point, Cape Mulinu'u is the place where, according to tradition, the dead pass into the underworld. This is Fafa O Sauai'i, the ancestral gathering place of the souls of Samoa's dead. There is a large rock pool here, where in the old days only chiefs were allowed to bathe, a star mound, the Vaatausili Cave and the "Blood Well", Via Sua Toto, so named as in those good old days Tupa'ilevaililigi, a warrior, threw the heads of his decapitated enemies in it.

The village of Falealupo was one of the most beautiful villages in Samoa until it was completely destroyed during Hurricane Ofa in 1990, followed by Hurricane Val the following year. The only structure left standing is the ruins of the Catholic church which has a plaque commemorating the event, when people had to swim for their lives. A new church has been built further inland and in front of the pastor's house is a crypt where the bones of victims, that were later found, have been interred. Nearby is a partially collapsed lava tube, with an associated legend, known as "Rock House" that has been used as a shelter during hurricanes.

Along the road leading from the coastal village (Falealupo-tai) to the inland village along the main road along the island (Falealupo-uta) a depression in the rock, about 3 metres long and one metre wide, known as "Moso's Footprint" can be seen; legend had it that this is the footprint of a giant, Moso, when he stepped from Fiji to Samoa. A few kilometres beyond is the Falealupo Rainforest Preserve where, behind the local school, the Canopy Walkway has been constructed, a 24 metre long bridge 9 metres above the forest floor. The forest is traditionally very important to the local people and is now the first customary-owned conservation area in Samoa.