Apia (Upolu) - General Info
Where is Apia?
Apia is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa’s second largest island. It is the only city in Samoa and lies in a natural harbor at the mouth of the Vaisigano River. It is a colonial-style town and is the hub of business, government and shopping within Samoa.
It is the only clearance port for Samoa.
Cruiser Highlights for Apia:
You can’t visit Apia without going to the markets. The Marketi Fou (food/produce markets) at Fugalei situated a short distance from the centre of town is adjacent to the Apia bus station. It’s more an experience than many produce markets and here you can also find souvenirs (siapo, wood carvings, coconut-shell jewellery, massage oils, hats, lava-lavas), taste traditional Samoan food while watching a game of Samoan checkers,and sample some fruit and vegetables that you may never have seen or tasted before. From about 11:30am, look out for umu menu options on offer.
Position:
13° 49.7′ S, 171° 45′.75 W.
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Related to following destinations: Apia (Upolu), Samoa
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Just wanted to clarify something about the anchoring out situation. I was in a meeting with two representatives from the American Embassy in Apia, The CEO of the Port of Apia and the Port Captain. They assured me and the American Embassy reps, in no uncertain terms. It is Perfectly LEGAL to anchor in the harbor as long as you are not interfering with the port operations. Basically, anchor inside the large yellow bouy near the marina entrance. And the official cost to do so was $110 Tala for a lights and buoy fee and for our 38 foot boat, a $7.60 Tala fee.
The owner of the marina will try to tell you other wise, but ignore him. He is just trying to get you into his marina. You can use the Ports “dinghy access” for access to shore, which is just inside the area where the ports tugs are docked.
May 15, 2015 … Plenty of room inside the marina but our 20 meter POWERCAT was not allowed inside.
There is also limited draft at 2.2 meter; a sailboat with 2.6 meter draft was denied entry.
The Samoa PQort Authorities have just leased the marina to a private operator who promised that the fees would go up.
Finally, even at anchor in the harbor, we were obliged to pay the same as inside the marina, 87 Talas/day for our 20 meters, AND we’re also charged for the 2 days we were NOT in port but cruising in Sava’i… Very distressing
The marina repairs have been completed. Pier A is now open for use and power and water have been restored to every berth. Pier B has been completely dismantled and removed.