v2.webp){kind=logo}
- Produce stalls under the market roof. This is what people come for. Tables hold stacked taro, breadfruit, green bananas, coconuts, papaya and pineapple, sold by growers who truck it in from villages around Tutuila. Bags are piled by the pile rather than weighed, so you point and haggle gently.
- Cooked Samoan food. Vendors sell palusami (taro leaves baked with coconut cream), oka (raw fish marinated in coconut milk and lime) and baked goods. Eat standing up beside the stall, the way locals do, and carry cash in small bills.
- Handicraft tables. Look for woven fans, pandanus mats, necklaces of seeds and shells, and carved wooden kava bowls (tanoa). Ask who made the piece, since a lot of the better work comes from families rather than factories.
- Saturday morning crowd. This is when the market is fullest
- Produce stalls under the market roof. This is what people come for. Tables hold stacked taro, breadfruit, green bananas, coconuts, papaya and pineapple, sold by growers who truck it in from villages around Tutuila. Bags are piled by the pile rather than weighed, so you point and haggle gently.
- Cooked Samoan food. Vendors sell palusami (taro leaves baked with coconut cream), oka (raw fish marinated in coconut milk and lime) and baked goods. Eat standing up beside the stall, the way locals do, and carry cash in small bills.
- Handicraft tables. Look for woven fans, pandanus mats, necklaces of seeds and shells, and carved wooden kava bowls (tanoa). Ask who made the piece, since a lot of the better work comes from families rather than factories.
- Saturday morning crowd. This is when the market is fullest and loudest, with produce moving fast and people gathering to talk as much as to shop. Arrive early for the best choice, because the good fish and fresh baking go first.
- Jean P. Haydon Museum. A short walk away, this small museum in Fagatogo holds Samoan artifacts, tapa cloth, fishing gear and canoe pieces. It gives you the vocabulary for what you just saw on the market tables. Check the opening hours locally, as they are limited.
- Fagatogo Malae and the Fale Fono. The open village green beside the market is where ceremonies and gatherings take place, and the legislature building stands at its edge. It is a good place to sit in the shade with a coconut and watch the territory’s government quarter go about its day.
- Pago Pago Harbor waterfront. Step to the harbor edge and you see steep, jungle-covered ridges closing in around the water, with fishing boats and the occasional cargo ship at anchor. The light is best in the early morning, before cloud settles on the peaks.
- The aiga bus stop beside the market. Brightly painted local buses gather here, with carved wooden benches inside and music playing. Watching them load up with shoppers and bags of produce is a small show of its own, and you can hop on one to continue around the island.
Spotted a mistake or missing something? Contact us.
Best Backpacking
.jpg)
Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.