Palau Things to Do Tips by GuthrieColin

When in Palau you simply must visit the Rock Islands. These Peculiar mushroom shaped islands were created when a coral reef grew in times when the ocean covered higher elevations. After the oceans receded the Islands of coral remained.
Trees and other foliage made their way on the coral islands. When walking on these islands be careful but enjoy the landscape. The coral that make up the islands deteriate due to weathering but is still sharp. When walking on them it is still like walking on coral in the ocean.
The true drawing card of these islands aren't their peculiar landscape it's their odd shapes and natural beauty. I saw pictures before I traveled to Palau but the sight was even more inspiring than I imagined, and it is still a surreal memory for me.
Snorkeling and Diving arround the Islands was the most amazing visuals that I have seen while diving. I saw everything from small brightly colored fish to Baracuda. The beaches that have formed at some of the larger islands are of extremely fine sand which is nothing more than very finely crushed sea shells and coral.

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Website: http://directory.palaunet.com/yellowpages/getCategory.asp?CatID=162&LtrID=20

On one particular Island the sea water has continuously been able to flow from the ocean into the middle of the island by seeping through the coral to a one of a kind lake. Known as Jellyfish Lake, it is a wonder that contains a kind species of jellyfish that is found nowhere else on earth.
Every other species of Jellyfish can sting and kill their prey in that way, but these jellyfish have the unique property of not being able to sting. The Mastigias jellyfish by an evolutionary turn have lost their ability to sting, and since they have been isolated from any predators they have been able to thrive in their secluded habitat.
Since the Jellyfish are unable to sting, they have found a new way to produce their own food. They migrate from the bottom of the lake to the top following the sun. In the day they rise to the surface and follow the most direct sunlight. Algae cells in their body collect sunlight and produce proteins and sugars which feed the jellyfish. In the evening they move to the bottom of the lake to gather phosphates and nitrates to fertilize their algae.
The Rock Island tours will bring you to a dock on the coast of the island where you will hike over the deteriorating coral island and to the lake where you can swim in the lake and you will be able to see the jellyfish up close. It is an eerie feeling swimming with Jellyfish and they feel really strange as you swim into them.

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Directions: Macharar Island
Website: http://www.samstours.com/sjflake.html

Due to popular demand I am making a tip about scuba diving. After all that is the reason most people go to Palau and for good reason, the Palau Trench is one of the deepest trenches on earth and Palau is one of the few places on earth where Nautilus can be seen. The variety of coral and different species of ocean life is also as prolific as one can find anywhere.
I personally did not go to Palau to dive, I went to visit relatives and did not scuba, I did do some snorkeling but that isn’t quite the same. I did not use any of these dive shops so I can't recommend anyone in particular. These companies and numbers are based on a travel pamphlet that I received in 2003.
Aqua Magic - Palau - (680) 488-1119
Neco Marine - (680) 488-2009/1755
Fish 'n Fins - (680) 488-2637 or on the web at www.fishnfins.com this web site is in 4 different languages--Russian, English, German, and possibly Japanese (maybe?)--for those of you who do not command English as your first language.
Please do let me know if any of this information is helpful, so I may update my tip. For an additional web site about diving in Palau, visit echeng.com.

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Directions: All over Palau
Website: http://www.sportdiver.com/palau

The Beauty of the of the Rock islands is very aparent when adventuring through them. Some of the islands are only 20 feet (6 m) around and others are hundreds of acres. This island is one of the most photographed sights above water in all of Palau. It is commonly referred to as the Arch.
The weathering of this tiny island left it in this peculiar shape. The span of this arch is said to be about 50 feet (15 m) and at least 30 feet (9 m) above the surface of the water in low tide. On our expedition the boat driver actually drove underneath the arch which he said could only be done at high tide. Reguardless to it's accessability it's shape is quite enough to make it something to see.

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Directions: About 10 miles southwest of the capitol city of Koror.
Website: http://www.naturalarches.org/gallery-Palau-TheArch.htm

Some of the rock islands which have been weathered more severely than others bolster finely crushed coral beaches and some of the most amazing scenery that I have ever seen. During the Rock Island tour we stopped at this beach and were allowed to snorkel again.
The views off the coast of this island were spectacular. Whether its snorkeling or scuba diving, Palau is one of the most diverse underwater environments on earth. It has more than 1300 species of fish and 700 types of coral and of course beautiful blue water.

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Directions: In the Rock Islands
Website: http://directory.palaunet.com/yellowpages/getCategory.asp?CatID=162&LtrID=20

A trip to the Ngatpang waterfall will take you about 45 minutes from Koror. The road is dirt but is not as bad as it gets further north. From the road there are several signs pointing the way. There is a short trail down to the bottom that is very muddy so be careful. one of the members of my group broke their sandles in the mud. Not like it was a serious injury or een a big loss but be forwarned that it will more than likely be muddy on the way down.
The waterfall itself is only about 15 to 20 feet (4-6 m) tall but the surrounding rainforest foliage and sounds of birds and other wildlife make it one to truely remember. I have heard of people swimming in the pool directly beneath the falls but I did not myself.

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The Rock Islands were once a Coral Reef that was submerged in times where the ocean levels were higher. When ocean levels receded the reef became islands. The reef that remained was entirely made up of coral which is primarily limestone. By nature, limestone is very prone to weathering by chemicals in rainwater and without the living properties to protect these islands the base erodes away the fastest.
The oceans currents and other forms of weathering have undercut some of the islands to make them look like giant green mushrooms. In the areas beneath the undercuts the brightly colored coral that built these islands still lives and thrives. With 700 species of coral, just about every color you can imagine from orange to purple is represented in some shape or form in Palau.

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Website: http://directory.palaunet.com/yellowpages/getCategory.asp?CatID=162&LtrID=20

Kayaking around the small Rock Islands has become a part of many tours around Palau. The one I took started with a boat ride and after a little snorkeling and more boating we wound up at a beach where the kayaks were stationed.
From there we paddled around and were able to get much closer to the islands and more greatly appreciate their intricacies. Being in the shadow of the overhanging edges of the mushroom shaped islands gives you a better chance to see the underground streams and brightly colored coral growing beneath them. You will also gain access to some parts of the islands like the tunnel which can only be reached by kayak.
Sea kayaks are generally open on top and for that reason many people will find that the exposure to the sun is fairly large in these boats. Also since you will be paddling for a long distance in many of the tours you may get a little sore the next day in your shoulders and arms.
Having experienced all that was sea kayaking in Palau I would highly recommend taking the tour and enjoying the scenery.

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Directions: Around the Rock Islands

When going out of Koror to the rest of the island you will have to cross the Palau Japan Friendship bridge. The channel that it crosses was a strategic point in the battle that was fought their in the second world was and there are some gun turrets below at the end of the cape in a private dumping site.
It was funded and built by the Japanese after a violent storm destroyed the old bridge that stood just east from the current bridge's location. The channel below supposedly had a fast current. I wanted to jump off that bridge (about 60 feet) every time we crossed it but never got a chance to. Maybe you will be more lucky.

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In a cove behind one of the islands is an area known by the locals as the "Milky Way." The sand found in this cove is what has given it the name. Its granules are so small that it takes on the consistency of mud. It is however still shell fragments so it is used to exfoliate the skin of visitors and locals alike. When the boat stops here you will be offered a funnel of mud to coat your body with.

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Directions: In the Rock Islands
Website: http://directory.palaunet.com/yellowpages/getCategory.asp?CatID=162&LtrID=20