About Afu Aau Waterfall
The Afu Aau Waterfalls (or Afu Aau Falls as well as Afu-A-Au Waterfalls; also called Olemoe Falls) was an idyllic swimming hole on the southern coast of Savaii Island (or more accurately Savai’i).
In my mind (and perhaps in the minds of most locals and tourists), this was the premiere waterfall on Savaii, which surprisingly didn’t have many sanctioned waterfalls to visit despite the island’s size.
The falls consisted of three distinct levels or sections each with opportunities to go for a swim to cool off from the tropical heat and humidity.
However, as you can see from the photo above, the uppermost of the waterfalls really made this place stand out as it featured a spring-fed 15-20m plunge along with a wide swimming hole that could very well be Samoa’s perfect waterfall.
After paying a modest sum of 5 Tala per person, we went on a short 250-300m track (perhaps 500-600m round trip) that took in all the waterfalls.
The locals thoughtfully provided toilets and a change room to make it easier to linger in this slice of Eden for a little while longer.
Experiencing the Lower and Intermediate Afu Aau Waterfalls
The lowermost of the sections featured a very wide segmented set of at least four waterfalls (or at least that’s what we counted during our visit though there were a couple of hidden ones beneath the trail that I couldn’t photograph).
I’d imagine that in higher flow (perhaps in times of flood), these segments might consolidate and appear closer together.
In any case, during our visit, there were two pairs of waterfalls spread far apart, which made it tricky to show in a single photo without a wide angle.
We noticed a ramping track forking off from the main track, which went right to the elongated plunge pool beneath these waterfalls.
The intermediate cascade further upstream nearby the picnic tables was a rounded cascade with its own smaller plunge pool.
There was another ramping track forking off the main track to get closer to this little swimming hole for another chance for a dip.
However, with just a glimpse further upstream, we could see a teasing view of the main waterfall of the bunch so I’d imagine most visitors would want to keep going first.
The Main Afu Aau Waterfall
Almost immediately upstream of the intermediate waterfall, the short track went past a little series of steps leading into a very wide and deep plunge pool before ending with a direct view of the main waterfall itself.
As far as we were concerned, this large plunge pool beneath the main waterfall was the most picturesque and inviting one of the swimming holes here.
We even noticed a smaller spring on the opposite side of the plunge pool as well as an alcove to the right side of the main falls, which further added to the ambience and scenic allure here.
Even though our late morning visit was pretty quiet (it was just Julie, myself, and one other Caucasian lady who already went for a swim here), the pool here seemed big enough to handle several more people.
Perhaps the only thing taking away from this garden paradise was the mosquitoes, which seemed to be most prevalent around freshwater streams like this.
The other thing that conspired to make us leave sooner than we wanted to was that we were fighting diarrhea from food poisoning.
Thus, Julie and I only spent 40 minutes away from the car, but we easily could have spent at least an hour or two here.
Authorities
The Afu Aau Waterfall resides in the Palauli District. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try the MNRE website.
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