Cycle Samoa- 8 days

7 x nights fale style accommodation
Full Bicycle hire, including helmets and bike bags
Local driver and guide for the entire trip
Full support vehicle for the ride with water and fruit
Minimum two NGO presentations with local staff across Samoa
Multiple field trips to villages and communities
Entry to To Sua Ocean Trench and Togitogiga Waterfall
7 dinners and breakfasts

International flights
A$200 donation to NGOs (optional)
Tips and Gratuities (from US$0 to US$100 pp)
Arrival and departure airport transfers
Lunches
Travel insurance
Additional activities such as guided snorkelling, scuba diving and kayaking
Equipment hire for snorkelling
Visa’s (if required)
Other items of a personal nature

For every Social Cycles tour, all riders are requested to contribute a nominal sum for the purpose of a donation. Usually AU$200 per rider. During the course of the tour, you are given the chance to engage with, and learn from, local NGOs. We visit no less than three NGOs during the Cambodia to Vietnam tour and spend some time learning about their projects, strategies and challenges. At the end of the tour, the riders are then empowered with new found knowledge and have the opportunity to combine the allotted donation money and make an impact towards a project of their choosing. In addition to building a profile for our impact partners, Social Cycles also pays each NGO for their time and resources. We spend 1-2 hours with each NGO. You can read more here

The donation part is not mandatory, but it is an expectation. We want people to be open to the idea of supporting one or more of the NGOs we visit and learn about. If, after meeting some of the local teams and learning about their programs, the riders did not want to donate,

We make the most of traditional Samoa by staying in local ‘fales’ (pronounced Far-Lay). A fale is a traditional beach hut with a thatched roof, matted sides and a wooden floor, usually nestled on stilts, right on top of the white sand beaches. Equipped with only a mattress and a mosquito net, the pure simplicity allows you to truly enjoy the sound of the waves and the breeze of the sea air. A local breakfast and dinner is prepared by the host every day and it’s always more than enough to energize your cycling! If you’d prefer a little more luxury at times, other arrangements can be made for additional costs.

Accommodation is based on twin share. If you are a solo traveller, we will try and connect you with a similar traveller (gender and age). In Samoa, it is not possible to guarantee single accommodation in the fales. Bathrooms and showers are available at all places in a separate shower block.

It’s a local team joining us for the Samoa tour with specialists for each island, Upolu and Savai’i. Lead Host: Uilau has a heart of gold and a bend over backwards attitude towards tourists enjoying his home country.  Nothing is too much trouble for this true professional. He’ll look after you in Savai’i. Local people: Throughout the country, you’ll be visiting locals in various agricultural industries, such as cocoa farms, coconut plantations and home style cooking experiences. SC Founder: Brett Seychell will  try and join if possible, depending on his international schedule.

Think brilliant barbecued meats, the freshest fish and coconut everything! There’s also a lot of taro, breadfruit and fresh fruit. We’ll have the chance to eat from a local Umu (traditional stone based barbecue), palusami is a coconut with taro leaves, we’ll watch cocoa beans turn into pure cocoa and coconut flesh turn into pure coconut oil.

The hosts of the fales we stay in will provide a full breakfast and dinner everyday. If you have any dietary requirements or allergies, please indicate on the online form you will fill out once you have paid a deposit and booked your place. We’ll cater to all dietary requirements as best as possible. Please get in touch with us if you have life threatening allergies.

The bikes are mostly 2016 GT Aggressors.  All bikes are cleaned and serviced between hires and fitted to you. The bikes are all 24 speed mountain bikes. They are fitted with a small handle bar bag for your personal items. Other bikes available are womens low bar bikes, child carriers/trailers, tag-a-longs and assorted kids bikes. All bikes are fitted with handlebar bag (much better than a backpack in a hot climate), helmet, pump, spare tube, basic tools, Rear Carrier, Lock. 

Electric Bikes are also available. The E-bikes are regular GT mountain bikes modified for electric power.  The larger motor/battery units will cover more than 50kms on a single charge and climb the steepest hills on the coastal roads around both islands.

Cycling through Samoa is like cycling through a postcard. The beautiful white sand beaches and lush tropical green of the rainforest is totally breathtaking! We cycle from 20km to 58km per day and plan to set off by 8am most mornings to avoid as much of the heat as possible. With stops for drinks and photos, perhaps a swim here or there, we plan to get into most villages for our nights rest by about 1pm, giving you time to explore and relax on the beach or partake in some of the additional available activities such as kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving.

We take a minimum of six riders to Samoa and a maximum of 12. We strongly believe that when you travel with a group beyond 12, there is a risk that voices and opinions may be drowned out when we have the rare opportunities to visit NGOs and ask questions to local leaders.

Samoa, being so remote and isolated from the world, faces different challenges to many other countries. We learn from organisations that concentrate on women in small business, the education sector and we look at the effects climate change has on this tiny Pacific island. We currently connect with WIBDI, but no longer SVSG or PDT for logistical reasons. However, we encourage you to follow the links, learn more, connect and support them. More Samoa NGOs to be announced shortly.