Sopoaga Falls

Matatufu, Upolu Island, Samoa

About Sopoaga Falls


Hiking Distance: almost roadside
Suggested Time:

Date first visited: 2019-11-12
Date last visited: 2019-11-12

Waterfall Latitude: -14.00777
Waterfall Longitude: -171.58597

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Sopoaga Falls (I’ve also seen it called Sopo’aga Waterfall) was another roadside waterfall on the Samoan island of ‘Upolu.

Similar with the Papapapaitai Falls, we didn’t need to exert ourselves to experience the waterfall.

Sopoaga_Waterfall_013_11112019 - Sopoaga Falls
Sopoaga Falls

However, the lookout for Sopoaga Falls was on private land so Julie and I had to each pay 5 Tala to check it out.

From the car park (see directions below), we went into a garden path where we surrendered the payment.

We then walked to the far end of the lush garden before reaching the lookout for the 54m plunging waterfall.

Although it appeared that we could have continued walking along the rim on the right side of the gorge, we contented ourselves with the direct views.

Sopoaga_Waterfall_027_11112019 - Context of the Sopo'aga Waterfall and signage
Context of the Sopo’aga Waterfall and signage

So we can’t comment any further if there existed a way to reach the brink of Sopoaga Falls or go to an alternate view of the falls.

In any case, I doubted that this waterfall would be accessible as a swimming hole.

This pretty much was the extent of our visit, and Julie and I wrapped up our time here in 15 minutes.

Authorities

Sopoaga Falls resides in the Faipule District near Apia on ‘Upolu Island, Samoa. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try the MNRE website.

Sopoaga_Waterfall_006_11112019 - Our first look from the lookout of the Sopo'aga Waterfall
Sopoaga_Waterfall_007_11112019 - More zoomed in look at the Sopoaga Falls from the lookout
Sopoaga_Waterfall_010_11112019 - Full portrait view of the Sopoaga Falls from the lookout
Sopoaga_Waterfall_016_11112019 - Looking back at the garden that we crossed to get to the lookout for the Sopoaga Falls
Sopoaga_Waterfall_025_11112019 - Looking along the rim of the gorge on the right side of the Sopoaga Falls lookout
Sopoaga_Waterfall_029_11112019 - Bright shot focused on the entire plunge of the Sopoaga Falls
Sopoaga_Waterfall_031_11112019 - After having our fill of the Sopo'aga Falls, we walked back through the garden towards the entrance and eventually the neighboring car park


There were many ways to arrive at the Sopoaga Falls on Upolu Island, and how you get there depends on where you’re coming from.

Since we drove to the well-known To-Sua Ocean Trench to get to the falls, we’ll start with that way first.

It’s pretty straightforward to route to the To-Sua Trench given that it’s well-known.

Driving from To-Sua Ocean Trench to Sopoaga Falls

From the To-Sua Ocean Trench, we drove west on the Main South Coast Road for about 6km.

Sopoaga_Waterfall_001_11112019 - Looking back from the Sopoaga Falls car park towards the entrance to the garden and the Main South Coast Road
Looking back from the Sopoaga Falls car park towards the entrance to the garden and the Main South Coast Road

The signed turnoff for the falls was on the left (just a little over 300m south of the junction between Main South Coast Rd and Le Mafa Pass Rd).

Overall, this drive took us under 10 minutes.

Driving from Apia to Sopoaga Falls

As far as getting to the Sopo’aga Falls from Apia, we could take the Cross-Island Road 22km south before driving another 24km east along the Main South Coast Rd to the signed turnoff on the right.

We also could have gone east of Apia along the Main East Coast Rd nearly 23km before heading south on Richardson Rd/Le Mafa Pass Rd (just past the village of Falepuna) for about 17km.

The turnoff for Sopoaga Falls was on the right for about 350m after Le Mafa Pass Rd junctioned with the Main South Coast Rd.

Regardless of which route we picked from Apia, the drive would take about an hour.

Finally, for a little local context, the town of Apia was about 23km (over 30 minutes drive) north of Maninoa (South Coast), about 50km (over an hour drive) northwest of Matatufu (Southeast Coast), about 62km (under 90 minutes drive) northwest of Lalomanu, and 41km (under an hour drive) east of Mulifanua (Northwest Coast).

Find A Place To Stay

Another sweep of the falls focusing more on the views around the sign


Comprehensive sweep covering the lookout of the falls from a few angles around the sign

Related Top 10 Lists

No Posts Found

Trip Planning Resources


Nearby Accommodations



Tagged with: matatufu, faipule, samoa, upolu, apia, waterfall, south pacific, sopo'aga



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

No users have replied to the content on this page


Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls

The Waterfaller Newsletter

The Waterfaller Newsletter is where we curate the wealth of information on the World of Waterfalls website and deliver it to you in bite-sized chunks in your email inbox. You'll also get exclusive content like...

  • Waterfall Wednesdays
  • Insider Tips
  • User-submitted Waterfall Write-up of the Month
  • and the latest news and updates both within the website as well as around the wonderful world of waterfalls


How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps

Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.