The Best Places to Visit in Palau
Palau is a tiny island nation in the western Pacific, one of the most remote countries on Earth. It's made up of about 340 islands and islets, with only a handful inhabited. Palau is one of the best places on planet earth to visit for snorkeling and diving, as the islands are basically almost untouched. It’s a true tropical paradise with some stunning islands and basically no tourists.
Capital: Ngerulmund
Currency: US Dollar
Language: Palauan, English
When to visit: December to April
1) Rock Islands
The Rock island’s is Palau’s highlight spot. It’s a set of nearly 200 limestone islands covered in jungle, scattered all across the lagoon. This is THE place to visit for snorkeling and exploring marine life underwater. The waters are full of coral and as clear as they can be, whilst the islands themselves essentially have no development on them. Most people pick Koror as the base village, which is essentially on the mainland of Palau.
Things to do:
Obviously if you’re here you are going to do snorkeling to see the walls of coral, the sharks, turtles, manta rays, fish and so much more. You can sometimes kayak or paddleboard around too to explore some of the caves and tunnels formed in the rocks. Another iconic part of the the Rock islands is Jellyfish Lake. It’s a lake which is over 12,000 years old, and a place where you can swim and snorkel with millions of non-harmful jellyfish. You should enjoy the serene waters of the Rock islands while you’re there because they’re once in a lifetime.
How to get there:
All guided trips start in Koror, which you can get to by flying to Palau International Airport (ROR) than taking a taxi to Koror.
2) Ngerukewid
Ngerukewid (also called the Ngerukewid Islands Wildlife Preserve) is one of the most strictly protected marine wildlife preserves in the entire world. It’s a group of about 25 uninhabited islands in the south of the country’s archipelago, and home to some of the healthiest and most biodiverse coral reefs left on the planet. Access is tightly controlled, so of course only pre booked tours are allowed.
Things to do:
If you do secure a visit, you get to snorkel in some of the clearest waters in the world (visibility over 30 meters), and see so many different kinds of fish, sharks and manta rays. Tours are expensive and you’re guaranteed to some incredible species no matter what. You can also do a Palau helicopter tour and experience the beauty from above, a once in a lifetime experience.
How to get there:
All guided tours start from Koror as well.
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