GUIDE TO OFU, TA'U, TUTUILA ISLAND IN AMERICAN SAMOA NATIONAL PARK

Ofu Island
There are no maintained trails on this island, but the beaches are fine coral sand, ideal for walking along.

The coral reef communities here are some of the healthiest in the South Pacific, making this an ideal place to snorkel. Your must bring gear from Tutuila Island.

Permit Information
No permit is needed, but before you visit Ofu Island be sure to check with park staff about the special rules that apply here.

Directions
This island lies 60 miles east (a 30-minute flight on a small plane) from Tutuila. Flights are also available between the islands of Ofu and Ta'u.

Information Center
There is a visitor center on Hwy. 001 in Pago Pago, Tutuila Island.

Ta'u Island
Saua on Ta'u Island is a sacred site that is believed by many to be the birthplace of the Polynesian people. There are no park-maintained trails on this island, but it is possible to hike along the beaches here. It is recommended that guides be hired for hiking in remote areas; guide service may be arranged through park staff.

Watch the skies for flying foxes. The south shore of Ta'u has 3000-foot sea cliffs, the tallest in the world.

Permit Information
No permit needed.

Directions
This island lies about 70 miles east (a 30-minute flight on a small plane) from Tutuila. Flights are also available between the islands of Ofu and Ta'u.

Information Center
There is a visitor center on Hwy. 001 in Pago Pago, Tutuila Island.

Tutuila Island
Allow a few hours for the scenic drive to the north coast of Tutuila, including stops. You may wish to stay overnight in the village of Afono or Vatia.

There are panoramic views along this route, especially from Afono Pass. The Amalau Valley is a good place to watch above the trees for flying foxes (giant fruit bats).

Permit Information
No permit needed.

Directions
From Pago Pago International Airport, drive north along Hwy. 001 to the visitor center in Pago Pago.

Information Center
The park visitor center is located in Pago Pago off Hwy. 001.

GUIDE TO AMERICAN SAMOA NATIONAL PARK

The visitor center for American Samoa National Park is located In Pago Pago, Tutuila Island, just off of Hwy. 001. The nearest airport is the Pago Pago International Airport on Tutuila. Airplane service is available several times per week from Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.

Regularly scheduled flights (small planes) serve national park areas on Ofu and Tau Islands and the nearby nation of Samoa. Local "AIGA" buses travel Tutuila Island from dawn to dusk. Taxi service and rental cars are available.

Operating Hours
Open year-round.

Visitation
Highest June-September; lowest October-May.

Permits
Because park land is leased from private landowners, camping requires landowner permission.

Visitors Center and Programs
Visitor Center: The park visitor center is located in the Pago Plaza office building on the island of Tutuila.

Food Supplies and Concessions
Food/Supplies: Food and supplies are available in nearby villages. Visitors should not expect typical mainland facility and service standards.

Visitor Impact
Always snorkel with a partner. While on the beach areas, watch out for falling coconuts, which can kill. Coral rubble beaches are difficult to walk on; watch your step. Be especially careful of rocky areas, which are slippery. Never hike without water; carry 2 to 3 liters per person.

Don't touch the coral! Cuts from coral take a long time to heal.

Additional Information
Medical treatment is only available on Tutuila.

There is only one park-maintained trail currently accessible. This is the Mt. 'Alava Trail on Tutuila. Terrain is very rugged in these islands. There are some old village trails that are overgrown, eroded, steep, and dangerous -- they are not recommended, and their condition will continue to deteriorate over time.

There is hotel-style lodging outside of the park boundaries on all three islands. Samoan people are hospitable and eager to share their culture with park visitors. You are encouraged to stay with a Samoan family in a village during your visit. Make arrangements through the park staff.

Because park land is leased from private landowners, camping requires landowner permission.

American Samoa is in the South Pacific Ocean between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn; tropical climate prevails. Temperatures are warm or hot year-round (high 70's to low 90's F) with high humidity. Rain showers are frequent.

Solar radiation is intense here! Always wear sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, and protective clothing. Carry and use insect repellent.

GUIDE TO CORCOVADO NATIONAL PARK

Cloud Forests
More than half of Corcovado National Park is mountainous, with the highest reaches inhabited by the oaks and tree ferns of the Costa Rican cloud forest.

Corcovado Lagoon
Corcovado Lagoon and adjacent swamplands encompass over 1,000 hectares of habitat for crocodiles and other swamp lowland species.

Rainforest Trees
More than 500 species of trees occur in this incredibly biodiverse preserve. Some reach heights of over 50 metres and are supported by giant buttresses.

Scarlet Macaws
Flocks of scarlet macaws grace the trees and skies of Corcovado, together with parakeets, trogons, and many species of hummingbirds.

Corcovado National Park is located on the southwest Pacific coast of Costa Rica, on the Osa Peninsula of the province of Puntarenas, approximately 330 km from San Jose. It is accessible via the Pan American Highway, by chartered small airplane into the Sirena airstrip, or by commercial flight to the Palmar airport then surface transport to the park.

GUIDE TO IGUAZU NATIONAL PARK

In the Guaraní language of the Tres Fronteras area, Iguazú means “big waters,” and the good news is that the thunderous surge of Iguazú Falls—perhaps the planet’s greatest chain of cascades—continues to plunge over an ancient lava flow, some 20 kilometers east of the town of Puerto Iguazú.

Its overwhelming natural assets, including the surrounding subtropical rainforest, have earned it recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The bad news is that Argentina’s APN, the state entity charged with preserving and protecting this natural heritage, has buckled to rampant Disneyfication. The falls, its core attraction, have become a mass-tourism destination that might more accurately be called Parque Temático Iguazú—Iguazú Theme Park.

While they’ve done something right in limiting automobile access—cars must park in a guarded lot and visitors enter the park on foot—the concessionaire has turned the area surrounding the falls into an area of manicured lawns, fast-food restaurants and souvenir stands, connected by a cheesy narrow-gauge train. Maintenance crews use leaf-blowers to clean the concrete trails near the visitors center every morning.

Around the falls proper, clean-cut youths with walkie-talkies shunt hikers out by 7 p.m.—the perfect closing hour for a theme park—unless you’re a privileged guest at the Sheraton, the park’s only accommodations. The exception to the rule is the monthly full-moon tour, which is well worthwhile.

That’s not to say commercial greed has completely overrun nature—the park still has extensive subtropical rainforests, with colorfully abundant birdlife along with less conspicuous mammals and reptiles. All of these animals demand respect, but some more so than others—in 1997, a jaguar killed a park ranger’s infant son; pumas are even more common, and poisonous snakes are also present.

In 1541 Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, one of the most intrepid Spaniards in the New World, was the first European to see the falls. But in an area populated by tens of thousands of Guaraní Indians prior to the European invasion, he can hardly have discovered them, despite the assertions of a commemorative plaque.

By default, almost everyone will stay in or near Puerto Iguazú—the park’s only option is the behemoth Sheraton Internacional Iguazú Resort & Spa (tel. 03757/491800, reservas@iguazu.sheraton.com.ar, US$426–498 s or d), an incongruously sited building whose ungainly exterior has a certain Soviet-style presence. The more expensive rooms have views of the falls.

The hotel has several restaurants, but anyone not eating there will have to settle for the fast-food clones, a pizzeria, and the odd parrilla on the park grounds. Better food is available in Puerto Iguazú.
Other Practicalities

Panels at the APN’s Centro de Interpretación (tel. 03757/491444, 7:30 a.m.–6:15 p.m. daily in spring and summer, 8 a.m.–5:45 p.m. daily the rest of the year) give vivid explanations of the park’s environment, ecology, ethnology, and history; there are also helpful personnel on duty.

For foreigners, the admission charge of US$10 is the most expensive to any Argentine national park; if you return the next day, your ticket is half price. Entry fees include the Tren de la Selva and launch access to Isla San Martín. The concessionaire Iguazú Argentina has a website (www.iguazuargentina.com) in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

From the Puerto Iguazú bus terminal, El Práctico buses (US$1.35) operate frequently between 7:15 a.m. and 8 p.m., taking 45 minutes to or from the park. The company, however, may lose the concession to Crucero del Norte.

Source : http://www.moon.com/