Itinerary

DAY 1
Arrive in Koror

Upon arrival of your flight to Koror, you will be met by a Palau Pacific Resort representative and transferred to your hotel. As most flights from the U.S. arrive late in the evening, we will meet as a group on the morning of Day 2.
Palau Pacific Resort, Koror

DAY 2
Welcome orientation; Babeldoab tour

Walking – easy to moderate.

This morning after breakfast our guide meets us in the lobby of the hotel for an orientation to the week’s activities. We begin with a gentle day of cultural touring on the volcanic island of Babeldoab, with its jungle-draped hills and evocative WWII archeology. We drive to a number of wonderful sites, walk to a spectacular waterfall, and stop in an ancient village to see a traditional bai, or men’s meeting house.

Each village traditionally had a men’s meeting house, built on top of a raised stone platform. Each house is constructed from giant timbers, reinforced with coconut fiber ropes, and assembled without nails in a timber frame design. The roofs are made by weaving mangrove palm fronds together. The bais are elaborately painted and decorated with carvings of traditional legends.

There are two types of bais. The first is the Bai ra Rubak (or old men’s bai) where traditionally no women were allowed. These were used exclusively for the meetings and customs of the older men of the village. The Bai ra Cheldebechel (or clubhouse bai) was used for younger men and was the place where the older men would teach the younger generation the legends of the village and fishing lore. Women were allowed to visit the Bai ra Cheldebechel. Only four traditional men’s houses remain in Palau and they offer us a unique look at authentic Palauan culture.

After enjoying a customary lunch of local foods served in hand woven baskets, we visit Ngardmau Waterfalls. This hike takes us across open savannahs, canopy covered jungle, clear water rock pools, and a gorgeous tropical river culminating in a 70- foot vertical drop at the falls.

When we return to our hotel, we may choose to relax by the pool or explore the white-sand beach at our doorstep. Dinner tonight will be at the hotel, as we get ready for our island paddling and snorkeling adventures.
Palau Pacific Resort, Koror

DAY 3
Nikko Bay to Blue Devil Beach

Sea kayaking & snorkeling – easy to moderate.

With immense biodiversity and beauty, Palau provides unrivalled snorkeling opportunities. From the surface, creatures such as turtles, barracudas, and multitudes of colorful reef fish can be observed gliding among dense coral formations sprinkled with giant clams, sea squirts, and varieties of anemone. The sea around the famed Rock Islands, the destination for our first four days of kayaking and snorkeling, is dotted with the sunken remains of more than 75 World War II military ships and Japanese seaplanes. Located primarily in the lagoons around the Rock Islands, these relics have developed their own thriving ecosystems teeming with fish, corals, and other invertebrates not commonly seen along the outer reef. All of the marvels of Palau await our exploration in the coming days.

This morning after breakfast, we meet for departure by motorized boat to the Rock Islands. Our first stop within Nikko Bay is at Disney Lake, which we enter by paddling our kayaks through a small marine tunnel, exposed at low tide. In this hidden lake we discover multi-thousand year–old reefs, with cathedral like protection from surrounding limestone walls. This fortress-like condition prevents wind, waves, surf, and surge from disturbing the delicate marine environment. As a result of the complete cessation of physical force, the reefs have grown into spectacular old-growth coral gardens, where corals are literally climbing over one another, competing for space. Corals that would normally be constrained by pounding wave action are curled up in magnificent swirling baskets, which are so thin that light shines right through the fragile skeleton. To protect themselves from intense ultraviolet rays, many of the corals possess flourescent pigments which create a multi-color glow radiating from the reef.

After a delicious picnic lunch, we paddle to Lettuce Coral Wall, a nursery of sorts for small reef fish who will eventually make their way to Palau’s outer reef. The remainder of the afternoon will be spent exploring marine caves, filled with hanging stalactites, botanical treasures, and an occasional sheath-tailed bat. These caves are some of Palau’s greatest geological wonders, with names like Cathedral Cave, Rolling Rock Arch, and Skylight Cave.

In the afternoon, we make our way to our first island camp, Blue Devil Beach, to find our tents and the dining area already set up by our Palauan staff. Tonight’s dinner will be prepared by our camp chef with the best local ingredients.
Blue Devil Beach Camp, Rock Islands

DAY 4
Risong Bay

Sea kayaking & snorkeling – easy to moderate.

With six isolated turquoise bays and two marine lakes, Risong Bay is a paddlers’ paradise. After kayaking through a marine tunnel we arrive to a quiet water oasis known as Black Tip Lake, where the gentle calls of Bush Warblers and Fruit Doves permeate the surrounding forest. For centuries female black tip reef sharks have returned here to give birth to their young. The innocent youngsters have no fear of kayaks and will frequently swim alongside boats in an endless quest for tiny fish. Just outside of Black Tip Lake sits a reef flat known as Blue Devil Gardens. Sparkling blue devil damsels dance between the corals and are so numerous they can be seen from the decks of the kayaks. Black Spotted Puffers, Threadfin Butterflies, and cryptic honeycomb groupers liven up the reef with color and personality.

Each of the hidden bays within Risong holds a unique and distinctive habitat. The underwater walls of Kingfisher Bay are covered with multi-colored sponges, while Sunken City Lake protects miniature spires like castles of coral. Along the shore, White Terns and Collared Kingfishers perch on overhanging branches looking down into the teeming waters for their next meal.

The grand finale of our Risong Bay adventure includes one of the most bizarre physical phenomena in Palau. As tidal waters flow out of an enclosed marine lake, they spill into Mandarin Fish Bay as a saltwater waterfall. The flowing falls can be heard before they are seen as we wind through a narrow limestone passage into this natural wonderland. The flowing waters have been filtered by their artesian passage through the limestone and thus the bay becomes crystal clear for our final snorkel of the day. In shallow sunlit waters we search for pajama cardinal fish, sail-fin tang, and the enigmatic mandarin fish.
Blue Devil Beach Camp, Rock Islands

DAY 5
Long Lake to Honeymoon Beach to Ngeremdiu Beach

Sea kayaking & snorkeling – easy to moderate.

Long Lake, an environment that hasn’t changed for 10,000 years, awaits our discovery today. We gather our kayaks and head in the direction of the lake as our camp staff packs up for tonight’s move to a new island oasis. We paddle into a small channel opening to a thick mangrove forest. We are amazed by what we see as the channel widens and we ride the tidal current effortlessly in our boats. The kayaks move under a shaded mangrove canopy draped with hanging orchids and epiphytic ferns. This long saltwater lake is a tranquil habitat for baby eagle rays, turtles, and giant clams. With skies full of tropical birds — White-Tailed Tropicbirds, White Terns, and White-Breasted Wood Swallows among them — there is much to see.

From this secluded saltwater lake, we move on to our next point of exploration: Honeymoon Beach. Here gentle currents bathe golden soft corals, bright pink sea fans, blue branching corals, and fan-like crinoids. We conclude our day with a snorkel among twenty species of colorful butterfly fish, blue tang, lionfish, and moray eels.

Tonight we camp at spacious Ngeremdiu Beach, lined with swaying coconut palms and an open grassy field.
Ngeremdiu Beach Camp, Rock Islands

DAY 6
Rainbow Reef to Jellyfish Lake to Ngeremdiu Beach

Sea kayaking & snorkeling – easy to moderate.

Our adventure today will no doubt be among the highlights of the trip as we venture from colorful Rainbow Reef into the secret and surreal Jellyfish Lake, where we encounter thousands of non-stinging jellyfish. Their existence in Jellyfish Lake is a fascinating evolutionary story, tracing its origin back 35 million years to the time the Rock Islands were first created as a result of colliding tectonic plates. Over time, erosive forces slowly ate away at the exposed sea bed, carving away what are now hundreds of islands, with pockets cutting holes in the limestone. These pockets continued to carve deeper and deeper into the rock until they reached through to the salt water. Throughout geologic time, the sea water continued to percolate through the porous limestone to create a number of salt water lakes.

With that sea water came microscopic organisms, including a particular variety of jellyfish. Trapped inside the lake, with little plankton to prey upon, the jellyfish were forced to evolve away from their predatory ways, to an existence based on photosynthesis. In the end, the stingers became extraneous and were lost.
As witnesses to this evolutionary phenomenon, we float gently in the water of the lake, equipped with just our masks and snorkels. It is incredible to feel the delicate bodies of the jellyfish swimming against us — truly a special experience; one you will only find in Palau! Other highlights of the day include snorkeling in Cycad Lake and visiting Giant Clam Beach — a place whose name will be obvious when you see its inhabitants.
Ngeremdiu Beach Camp, Rock Islands

DAY 7
Milky Way to Einstein’s Gardens to Turtle Cove and Carp Island

Sea kayaking & snorkeling – easy to moderate.

Our first stop of the day is a site called Milky Way, a lovely pale-water nook nestled in the shallows between two islands. The sea floor here is covered in a soggy milky-white clay which can be used as a natural exfoliant. From here, we pass through a tunnel to the secluded Secret Lake. Underwater attractions include cuttlefish and exquisite sponge life of every imaginable shape and color. Upon exiting the lake, we come to the nutrient-rich and multicolored Einstein’s Gardens, so named because of the giant “brain” corals found here. The serenity of this protected salt water lake is powerful. Surrounded by high limestone walls, lush tropical vegetation, and the sights and sounds of myriad exotic birds, it is hard to take it all in at once.

We glance over the sides of our kayaks, into the perfectly clear water of the lake and find enormous boulder corals of green, red, blue, and yellow, all packed together along the sloping wall of the reef. Our guide explains the intricate circumstances that have allowed such a natural wonder to exist: the sheltering protection of the high limestone walls all around us, the overhanging trees that soften the light falling on the corals, and the constant tidal flow of water through surrounding tunnels which deliver a continual supply of nutrients to these living corals.

This afternoon, instead of returning to our tents, we are transported to our base for the next two days, the Carp Island Resort. Here we enjoy an uninterrupted view of the Rock Islands we’ve just thoroughly explored, miles of beach adjacent to the outer reef, and all the comforts of a tropical paradise.

After checking into our resort, we will head out for our first snorkel on the outer reef at Turtle Cove, one of the world’s premier destinations for underwater exploration. With our support boat always at hand for rests, we glide above a clear blue circular tunnel-hole in the reef, revealing a deep water cavern below that houses beautiful corals and colorful reef fish.
Carp Island Resort, Carp Island

DAY 8
Outer Reef: Big Blue Drop Off, Blue Corner, Blue Holes, New Drop Off

Sea kayaking & snorkeling – easy to moderate.

For another day we have the pleasure of snorkeling along the Outer Reef. Big Blue Drop Off is a sheer vertical wall that runs along the whole length of Ngemelis Island, providing some of the most impressive snorkeling in the world. Amazingly, the edge of the reef drops down 900 feet. pyramid butterflyfish, square anthias, moorish idols, sargent majors, and yellowtail fusiliers are among the plethora of fish found along the top of the reef. Blue face, regal, and emperor angelfish are also easily spotted. Dwarf angelfish, such as coral beauty, keyhole, and gray’s also dart in and around the coral heads at the top of the reef. Clarki and blue striped clownfish, with their host anemones, are also scattered here. Hawksbill turtles even like to feed and rest at the top of the reef.

Palau’s most popular dive site, Blue Corner, is recognized as one of the best in the world due to its concentration of marine life. It is the most highly rated site in Micronesia, and features a shallow coral shelf that projects out into the ocean with vertical walls on both sides. An upwelling created by the currents attracts schools of fish to the top edges of the walls. Napoleon wrasses, dogtooth tuna, eagle rays, manta rays, white tip reef sharks, turtles, schooling barracudas, and groups of other reef fish populate the area. At least some of these species will make an appearance during our snorkeling adventure — and if not here, then perhaps at New Drop Off, another site we will explore today.

In case we haven’t seen enough in our odyssey today, we make a final stop at the Blue Holes, a series of four large holes in the top of the reef that converge to form a gigantic underwater chamber. The chamber, with its large opening in the wall, is home to soft corals, sea fans, sea whips, and hard corals. Large pelagics often encountered here include tunas, jacks, grey and white tip reef sharks, barracudas, and eagle rays. Groupers, napoleon wrasses, triggerfish, Moorish idols, butterflyfish, anemones, and turtles are also common at this site.

We return for one more peaceful evening at our seaside resort, and enjoy a well- earned meal before drifting off to sleep in natural synch with the breeze from the ocean.
Carp Island Resort, Carp Island

DAY 9
Peleliu, WWII history tour; return to Koror

Walking – easy, 2-3 hours.

Our last day in Palau is no less incredible than the previous eight, with a tour of important natural and historic sites. First, an exploration of Peleliu Island. Peleliu Island is located where the tide of the Philippine Sea meets the current of the Pacific Ocean, each flowing in the opposite direction. It is a place where the irresistible force of the sea meets the immovable mass of the reef, and the results are spectacular with countless species of fish.

With the Japanese controlling Palau by World War II, Peleliu became an important military target for the United States. The Japanese had built a series of underground tunnels and fortifications, and they had tens of thousands of men stationed here. By the time the war was over, nearly 11,000 Japanese and 1,000 American soldiers had lost their lives in this area. Evidence of their battles remains today in the form of sunken ships, secret bunkers, cannons, and other WWII artifacts. Before we leave Palau, a U.S. Trust Territory until only recently, we will visit some of these important archeological sites.

Our journey through the Rock Islands concludes with a return boat ride to Koror, where we check back into the Palau Pacific Resort. With most departing flights leaving tomorrow morning at around 2:00 a.m., we have time to indulge in some of the luxuries of the resort and share a celebratory meal before our late night transfer to the airport.
Palau Pacific Resort, Koror

DAY 10
Return flights home

You will either be transferred to the airport in time to check in for return flights home, or you may opt to continue traveling independently, or extend your stay in Koror.

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