Hawaii’s smaller, lesser-known brother sits deep in the tropical reaches of the South Pacific, joined at the hip to its Polynesian partner and straddling the International Date Line. Despite its pipsqueak size, the islands that form the region are all of dramatic proportions. They rise in walls of petrified magma and volcanic stone, encompassed by the trademark turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean, peppered with dashes of submerged coral gardens. In all, the archipelago spans five large islands, going from axe-shaped Tutuila (home to the capital of Pago Pago) to the remote and hardly-inhabited Swains Island atolls, where swaying palm forests yield up one of the area’s greatest exports: coconuts.

Today, American Samoa tour guides offer active explorations from hiking amidst the soaring volcanic ranges that arch like a backbone through central Tutuila, to cove hopping betwixt the remote inlets of the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Others will transport travelers to the sultry reaches of the Manu'a, where Robinson Crusoe beaches give way to impenetrable jungles. This is also a great place to sense the palpable Polynesian character; whether with a cocktail and ukulele session in a Pago Pago bar, or a bout of Kilikiti (Samoan cricket) with the locals.