Travel Guide
Samoa Upolu-Savai‘i Ferry Ticket and Vehicle Guide
Use this guide if you are moving between Upolu and Savai‘i and need to decide whether to walk on, pay for the VIP area, take a rental vehicle, or wait for a later sailing.
ByMomentBook EditorialPublished
Use this guide if you are moving between Upolu and Savai‘i and need to decide whether to walk on, pay for the VIP area, take a rental vehicle, or wait for a later sailing. The useful decision is not only the fare. It is the booking sequence, the cash requirement for walk-on tickets, and the one-hour vehicle check-in rule.
The route runs between Mulifanua Wharf on Upolu and Salelologa Wharf on Savai‘i. Samoa Shipping Corporation is the official operator. Samoa Tourism Authority describes the crossing as about 60 to 90 minutes, but the exact departure pattern is timetable-dependent, so treat the official schedule page as a same-week check rather than a permanent timetable.
What to know first
- Walk-on adult passengers are listed at ST$10 one way or ST$20 return on the Samoa Shipping Corporation domestic fare page.
- Children aged 2 to 12 are listed at ST$5 one way or ST$10 return, while infants under 2 are listed as free.
- Samoa Tourism says walk-on tickets can be bought at the terminal or at the Samoa Shipping Corporation office in Apia, and that walk-on tickets are cash only.
- Vehicle space is the part that needs more planning: Samoa Tourism says vehicles should be booked and paid through the Samoa Shipping Corporation office in Apia or through your rental company.
- Vehicle check-in closes one hour before departure, and Samoa Tourism notes that a vehicle ticket covers the driver only.
- The official schedule can change by month and operation day, so recheck the Samoa Shipping Corporation timetable before committing to a day trip or airport connection.
Source: Wikimedia Commons image of Mulifanua Wharf and ferry terminal; ferry facts checked against Samoa Shipping Corporation and Samoa Tourism Authority.
Choose passenger, VIP, vehicle, or bike tickets
For a simple walk-on crossing, the official fare table is straightforward: adult passengers are listed at ST$10 one way or ST$20 return. Children aged 2 to 12 are listed at ST$5 one way or ST$10 return. Infants under 2 are listed as free. The official pages use ST$ and SAT for Samoan tala, so read the amounts as local-currency prices.
The VIP choice is not a different route. Samoa Tourism describes it as an optional upgrade on the larger ferry, with priority boarding and a reserved upper-floor area. The tourism page lists the upgrade at an additional SAT$20. Choose it if shade, seating, toilets, a drink, and a quieter waiting pattern matter more than keeping the crossing as cheap as possible.
Bicycles, scooters, and motorbikes sit between passenger and vehicle planning. Samoa Shipping Corporation lists bicycles at ST$10 and scooters or motorbikes at ST$30. If you are riding with luggage, ask at the terminal how loading is being handled that day because the fare page gives the price but not every operational detail.
Cars require the most caution. Samoa Shipping Corporation lists vehicle categories by size, with one-way fares starting at ST$80 for category A, ST$95 for category B, and ST$100 for category C. Return fares are shown as double those one-way prices. Your rental agreement matters because many rental companies want to manage ferry booking themselves or confirm whether the car can leave the island.
Plan the timing and route
The terminals are Mulifanua on Upolu and Salelologa on Savai‘i. Samoa Tourism places Mulifanua near Faleolo International Airport and about an hour by road from Apia in normal planning language. That makes the ferry convenient for island transfers, but not something to combine tightly with an international flight unless the sailing and road transfer have slack.
The crossing itself is usually described by official visitor information as about 60 to 90 minutes. The total travel block is longer. You need road time to the wharf, ticket or booking time, loading time, the crossing, unloading, and onward transport from Salelologa. For a vehicle booking, add the one-hour check-in rule before departure.
Do not rely on a copied schedule from a blog or an old screenshot. The Samoa Shipping Corporation timetable page is official, but the schedule block is month-specific and can be replaced or adjusted. Before a day trip, overnight hotel change, or same-day flight connection, open the current timetable and check the exact sailing date, direction, and whether the departure is operating.
For most travelers, the safest pattern is to treat the ferry as a half-day movement rather than a narrow transit hop. If you are landing at Faleolo and going straight to Savai‘i, build in immigration, bags, cash, transport to Mulifanua, ticket purchase, and a missed-sailing backup. If you are returning to Upolu for a flight, leave a later ferry as a recovery option.
Booking, check-in, and payment sequence
Walk-on passengers have the easiest sequence: arrive at the terminal with cash, buy the passenger ticket, and board according to staff instructions. Samoa Tourism also says tickets can be bought at the Samoa Shipping Corporation office in Apia, but for many visitors the wharf purchase is the practical choice when travelling without a vehicle.
Vehicle travel is different. Book and pay for the vehicle through the Samoa Shipping Corporation office in Apia or ask the rental company to handle it. The passenger fare for the driver is included with the vehicle ticket according to Samoa Tourism, but other passengers in the same car need their own passenger tickets at the terminal.
Arrive earlier than a walk-on passenger if you are driving. Samoa Tourism states that vehicle check-in closes one hour before departure. This is a real planning constraint, not a soft suggestion, because vehicle loading depends on manifest, deck space, and category. A late car can be a bigger problem than a late pedestrian.
Keep the ticket, vehicle booking details, rental permission, and cash separate from luggage that might be packed tightly in the car. At both terminals, staff instructions matter more than your preferred loading order. If you are moving with children or older travelers, decide before boarding who will handle tickets and who will stay with bags.
Rules and fees that change the trip
The easiest rule to miss is that the vehicle ticket covers the driver only. If three people are in a rental car, the vehicle ticket does not automatically cover all three. Budget separate passenger tickets for everyone except the driver, and keep that in mind when comparing car-on-ferry with taxi or bus connections.
Schedule changes can cost money. Samoa Shipping Corporation lists penalty fees for missed scheduled trips, ticket date or time changes, and vehicle-type changes. The listed vehicle penalty examples include ST$24 for category A, ST$29 for category B, ST$30 for category C, and higher amounts for larger categories. The practical point is simple: recheck the sailing before you book, and avoid changing vehicle category casually.
The fare table is only part of the decision for rental cars. Ask the rental company whether ferry travel is allowed, whether the booking must be made through them, what happens if the sailing is cancelled or missed, and whether insurance applies on the other island. Those terms are not replaced by the ferry ticket.
Weather, maintenance, special events, and public holidays can alter operations. The official pages are the starting point, but day-of-travel confirmation is still sensible. If the crossing matters for a prepaid hotel, tour, or flight, keep the ferry operator’s contact details and your accommodation’s phone number available offline.
Common mistakes
The first mistake is planning the ferry like a metro timetable. It is an inter-island service with vehicle loading, weather exposure, and a timetable that should be checked close to travel. A 60-minute crossing does not mean a 60-minute transfer.
The second mistake is arriving with a car but without a vehicle booking. Walk-on passenger tickets are flexible by comparison, but vehicle deck space is finite. If the rental company says it must arrange the vehicle ferry, do not try to solve it at the wharf at the last minute.
The third mistake is forgetting cash for walk-on tickets. Samoa Tourism specifically describes walk-on terminal purchase as cash only. Bring small local-currency notes and do not assume card acceptance will solve a timing problem.
The fourth mistake is ignoring direction. A timetable may show Mulifanua-to-Salelologa and Salelologa-to-Mulifanua sailings differently. Check the correct direction, date, and wharf, especially if you are returning to Upolu for an international flight.
The fifth mistake is comparing only the fare. A car may look economical for a group, but the real comparison includes rental permission, vehicle category, early check-in, passenger add-ons, possible change penalties, fuel, and the convenience of having a car on Savai‘i.
Who should choose which option
Walk on if you are budget-focused, carrying manageable luggage, and can arrange onward transport on the other side. This is the simplest and cheapest option for solo travelers and pairs who do not need a vehicle immediately after arrival.
Choose the VIP upgrade if the extra SAT$20 is worth comfort, quieter seating, or smoother boarding on the larger ferry. It is most useful for older travelers, families who want a calmer waiting pattern, or anyone who dislikes standing in sun and wind.
Take a vehicle if your Savai‘i plan depends on independent movement, remote beaches, villages away from the main wharf, or multiple accommodation stops. Book it early, confirm the rental company’s rules, and treat the one-hour check-in deadline as fixed.
Use a bicycle, scooter, or motorbike only if you are comfortable with exposed travel and have confirmed loading for that day. The official fares make these options cheaper than a car, but they do not remove weather, luggage, and road-safety considerations.
What to check before you go
Check the Samoa Shipping Corporation timetable for the exact date, direction, and departure you plan to use. If the visible schedule is a month-specific notice, do not assume it applies to a later month without confirmation.
Check the current fare table for passenger, bicycle, scooter, motorbike, and vehicle category prices. Use the official fare page, not a copied hotel or tour-company price list.
Check whether your vehicle booking is complete and whether the driver is the only passenger included. Count separate passenger tickets before you reach the wharf.
Check your payment plan. Walk-on passengers should carry cash in Samoan tala. Vehicle travelers should know whether payment has already been handled by the office or rental company.
Check the risk of a missed sailing. If your ferry links to a flight, medical appointment, prepaid tour, or non-refundable hotel, use an earlier sailing or sleep on the correct island the night before.