14 Days in Palau
Trip Overview
Sharks outnumber boats in Palau's marine sanctuary, that's your first reality check. Fourteen days here layer the underwater world, Blue Corner, Chandelier Cave, German Channel, with land experiences most visitors miss. You'll swim through clouds of harmless jellyfish in a lake that shouldn't exist. You'll hike to Ngardmau Waterfall past limestone islands shaped like mushrooms by waves that never stop. You'll walk ancient stone monoliths at Badrulchau and feel the pristine remoteness of Kayangel Atoll. WWII battlefields remain frozen in jungle time on Peleliu Island, where one strategic overnight adds depth to the Pacific War chapter. Koror keeps things comfortable as your base for most nights. The pace stays active but purposeful, dedicated dive days balanced with cultural and hiking days to prevent fatigue. Whether you arrive for the diving or the history, you'll leave understanding why Palau's waters and lands carry some of the strongest legal protections on the planet.
Pace
Active
Daily Budget
$300-500 per day (mid-range)
Best Seasons
November through April (dry season). January and February bring the calmest seas, best underwater visibility, and lowest typhoon risk. June through September? Skip it. Typhoon season wrecks boat travel, diving, and outer-island access.
Ideal For
Scuba divers seeking bucket-list sites, WWII history enthusiasts, Marine wildlife photographers, Adventure travelers, Snorkelers and sea kayakers, Travelers seeking authentic off-the-beaten-path experiences
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
Touchdown in Koror: First Impressions of the Last Eden
Koror, Palau
Roman Tmetuchl International Airport lands you in Koror, no fanfare, just heat and the smell of frangipani. Grab your bag, hop a van to your Koror hotel, and don't unpack yet. One hour later you're in the Belau National Museum, staring at war canoes and wondering why you didn't come sooner. Sunset bleeds across the lagoon. Dinner waits on stilts above the water, plates of reef fish and taro, beer cold enough to fog the glass. Ease in. You've earned it.
Morning
Arrival and Koror orientation walk
Clear immigration, grab your bag, and flag a cab or hop the hotel shuttle, Koror is only 30 minutes from the Babeldaob runway. Dump your luggage, splash water on your face, then pound the short sidewalks of Koror. You'll pass the main market first, then the waterfront dock where dive boats idle, then the tight row of shops pushing the carved storyboard panels Palau is famous for.
Arrange your hotel airport transfer in advance, taxis exist but can be scarce on late-night arrivals.
Lunch
Coconut Palace Restaurant
Afternoon
Belau National Museum and Etpison Museum
Palau's two main cultural museums sit within easy walking distance of each other in Koror. Belau National Museum houses traditional storyboard carvings, geometric narrative panels that encode Palauan oral history, plus exhibits on the marine ecosystem and the German, Japanese, and American colonial periods. The Etpison Museum adds contemporary Palauan art and a clear account of the country's path to independence in 1994.
Evening
Overwater dinner with Rock Islands view
Elilai Restaurant is Palau's most atmospheric dining experience, built on stilts above the water, it serves fresh local reef fish, coconut crab when in season, and cold Budvar beer while the sun drops behind limestone towers. Reserve a window table when you book your hotel.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror town center (Sea Passion Hotel (mid-range) or Palau Royal Resort (upscale))
Koror is Palau's hotel-restaurant-dive nucleus. Base yourself here and you'll skip daily shuttles, boats leave from your doorstep.
See all Palau accommodation options →Palau runs on US dollars, nothing else. Swap any leftover foreign cash the moment you land, because Koror ATMs sometimes cough up nothing but silence. Bring enough greenbacks from day one. Boat captains and outer-island operators won't take IOUs.
Day 1 Budget: $250-350 ( accommodation, meals, museum entry, and transfers)
2
Rock Islands and Jellyfish Lake: Two Icons in a Single Day
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, Palau
Book a full-day guided boat tour through the UNESCO-listed Rock Islands. You'll snorkel Shark City, swim in Jellyfish Lake, and float in the white limestone mud of Milky Way Lagoon.
Morning
Rock Islands boat tour departure and Shark City snorkel
Boat tours depart Koror docks around 8 a.m. They thread through the well-known limestone mushroom islands of the Southern Lagoon. The first snorkel stop is typically Shark City, a shallow reef ledge where grey reef sharks and whitetip reef sharks rest on sandy patches below. The water is strikingly clear. The coral is vivid. The sharks are entirely unbothered by snorkelers hovering above them.
Sam's Tours, Fish n Fins, your hotel desk, book with whoever answers first. The $100 Rock Islands Conservation Area permit is folded into most full-day prices. But ask anyway.
Lunch
Picnic lunch on a private Rock Islands beach, provided by the tour operator
Afternoon
Jellyfish Lake swim and Milky Way Lagoon mud bath
Jellyfish Lake on Eil Malk Island holds millions of golden jellyfish that have lost their sting through millennia of isolation. Swimming through their gentle pulsing bloom is one of Palau's most surreal experiences. Afterward, boats stop at Milky Way Lagoon, a shallow basin coated in fine white limestone sediment, where you coat your skin in natural spa mud and rinse off in the turquoise water.
Fins are banned in Jellyfish Lake, just mask, snorkel, and glide slowly so you don't harm the jellyfish.
Evening
Fresh seafood dinner in Koror
The Bay Restaurant at the Palau Royal Resort fires up excellent grilled mahi-mahi and Pacific tuna, no contest. When you're done with the water, Kramer's Bar and Grill is the go-to for cold San Miguel beer and hearty food.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Staying in Koror again means you're on the dock at 6 a.m., no traffic, no fuss. Same base, same bed, same dive boat. Simple.
See all Palau accommodation options →Chemical sunscreens won't clear customs, Palau banned them in 2020 to save the reefs. Use biodegradable, reef-safe sunscreen instead. Bring a rash guard for extra UV protection. Leave the aerosol can at home.
Day 2 Budget: $220-320 (Rock Islands full-day tour, meals, and accommodation )
3
Blue Corner and Blue Hole: Palau's Most Legendary Dive Sites
Ngemelis Wall, Blue Corner, Palau
Palau won't wait. Carve out a full day, Blue Corner first, where current rips and sharks wheel overhead in a living cyclone. Then drop into Blue Hole, a limestone cathedral whose shafts of sun slice the blue like stained glass. Two dives, two legends.
Morning
Blue Corner dive
Blue Corner sits on every diver's shortlist of the ten best sites on Earth. At 30 meters, a submerged plateau shears off into the open ocean and the prevailing currents turn this corner into a wildlife highway, grey reef sharks, whitetip sharks, Napoleon wrasse the size of doors, and the odd hammerhead all ride the conveyor belt past your mask. You'll clip in with a reef hook, hang motionless in the flow, and watch the show while staying neutrally buoyant. Bring your best buoyancy skills.
Book your dive operator 24 hours ahead, no exceptions. Sam's Tours, Neco Marine, and Fish n Fins all hit Blue Corner daily. Check the schedule. Ask if gear hire is included in the quoted price.
Lunch
Box lunch on the dive boat
Afternoon
Blue Hole dive and optional third dive at Ulong Channel
Blue Hole drops you through four linked vertical chimneys that punch straight down Ngemelis Wall. Light shafts knife through the ceiling openings while you fall past limestone columns wrapped in soft corals, then pop out on the outer wall at 30 meters. Add the third optional dive at Ulong Channel, massive barracuda schools, turtles on the feed, and a ripping drift, and you've got a three-dive day that sticks in your head.
Evening
Diver debrief and early dinner
Kramer's Bar and Grill near the Koror docks could fairly be called the unofficial divers' meeting point after a day on the water. Cold beer. Western comfort food. Excellent dive stories from fellow guests. Sleep early. Another predawn departure tomorrow.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Proximity to dive boat departure docks is essential on active dive days.
See all Palau accommodation options →Blue Corner punishes sloppy reef hooks, $500 fine if you anchor to live coral under Palauan marine law. Nail the technique with your divemaster on the way down before you hit the corner.
Day 3 Budget: $250-380 (two to three tank dives, meals, and accommodation )
4
Chandelier Cave and the Manta Ballet of German Channel
Malakal Island and German Channel, Palau
Swim through a stalactite-lined limestone cavern at dawn, then watch oceanic manta rays drift over a cleaning station, Palau's most reliable wildlife show.
Morning
Chandelier Cave dive
Chandelier Cave near Malakal Island is Palau's weirdest dive, a limestone sea cave with four separate air chambers, each lined with stalactites that formed when the cave sat above sea level during ice ages. You surface inside every chamber. You study the formations. You spot sleeping bats in the highest recesses. You watch light play through submerged passages below.
Pair Chandelier Cave and German Channel in one two-tank morning, most operators do this. Book the combination. Don't pick sites one by one.
Lunch
Taj Restaurant, Koror
Afternoon
German Channel manta ray dive
German Channel is a narrow dredged passage cut by colonizers in the early 1900s to move phosphate. Today, oceanic manta rays use the channel as a cleaning station where small wrasses remove parasites. Divers kneel on sand at 15-20 meters while mantas circle overhead on wingspans up to five meters. Sightings are not guaranteed but success rates are high from November through April.
Evening
Waterfront sunset drinks and dinner
Skip the taxi. Walk five minutes to Drop Off Bar, right on Koror's main dock, order a $4 happy-hour beer, and watch the sun slap crimson across the anchored dive fleet. Stay for a second round, you'll want it. When hunger hits, shuffle to Elilai Restaurant, tables on stilts above the lagoon, or dodge the tour groups and hit the fresh-fish stalls beside the central market. Same tuna, half the price, twice the story.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Consistent Koror base before tomorrow's longer travel day to Peleliu Island.
See all Palau accommodation options →Mantas show up like clockwork, German Channel, morning, incoming tide. Plankton stacks at the cleaning stations and they glide in. Tell your operator to run the manta dive first if sea and current play along.
Day 4 Budget: $230-350 (two-tank dives, meals, and accommodation )
5
Peleliu: Where the Pacific War Left Its Deepest Scars
Peleliu Island, Palau
Peleliu swallowed 2,000 lives in 1944, yet its beaches are empty. You'll spend a full day pacing Japanese bunkers, running a hand across tank turrets still bleeding rust, then slip into water so clear it hurts. One sunset, one night on the island, and the war machines won't let you sleep.
Morning
Speedboat to Peleliu and Bloody Nose Ridge
Seventy minutes. That is all a speedboat from Koror needs to reach Peleliu. Grab a bicycle or hire a local guide the moment you dock, then pedal straight to Bloody Nose Ridge, the coral limestone ridge where, in September and October 1944, the 1st Marine Division and Japanese defenders fought some of the Pacific War's most savage close-quarters combat. Rusting gun emplacements, shell craters, and memorial markers still stud the ridge.
Afternoon
Japanese Headquarters Caves, Zero Airfield, and Orange Beach
Peleliu's interior hides hand-dug Japanese command caves, still crammed with gear, sake bottles, personal gear ditched in 1944. The old Japanese airfield's concrete runway stands intact; a rusting Mitsubishi Zero skeleton lies in a collapsed hangar. Finish the afternoon at Orange Beach on the southwest tip, turquoise water, pale sand, postcard calm today. That calm makes the history hit harder.
Evening
Quiet evening on Peleliu
Dinner at Storyboard Beach Resort is simple, fresh fish and rice from the kitchen. The sky over Peleliu, zero light pollution, is extraordinary. One hour on the beach watching the Milky Way, then sleep to reef surf breaking on the outer wall.
Where to Stay Tonight
Peleliu Island (Storyboard Beach Resort (basic beach bungalows))
Sleep on Peleliu. Wake before the boats arrive, slip into the southern islands while they're still empty. The dive sites sit quiet, yours alone. And the ghosts? They speak louder after dark, when the day-trippers have gone and the island's brutal past can press down properly.
See all Palau accommodation options →That unexploded ordnance warning on Peleliu isn't theater, stick to the marked paths, in the jungle interior. A sharp local guide knows exactly which zones are cleared and turns every site into a story you won't forget.
Day 5 Budget: $200-300 (boat charter, Storyboard accommodation, meals, and bicycle rental)
6
Peleliu's Hidden South and a World-Class Wall Dive
Peleliu Island, Palau
Peleliu's south coast is quiet, until you step on rusted helmets half-buried in coral sand. The lighthouse leans, salt-eaten, but the view is worth the climb. Drop straight off Peleliu Corner. The wall falls 1,000 feet and turtles glide past like they own it. Then you're back in the boat, engine drumming toward Koror before the sun burns out.
Morning
Helmet Beach, southern ruins, and shore snorkeling
At Peleliu's southern tip, you'll have the place to yourself. Yet rusted steel helmets poke from beach sand, landing craft hulls rot in the surf, and a derelict Japanese lighthouse still carries bullet holes in its walls. No boat needed for the snorkeling. Wade straight off Peleliu's southern reef into coral gardens where reef fish flash in striking health.
Lunch
Packed lunch prepared by Storyboard Beach Resort before checkout
Afternoon
Sharks circle Peleliu Wall and Peleliu Corner, Palau's most dramatic drop-offs, while eagle rays glide past schools of bumphead parrotfish so thick they'll block your light. Marine density here crushes the Koror sites because boat traffic runs at a fraction of the volume. One or two tanks later, you'll board the speedboat for the 70-minute return to Koror, arriving by mid-afternoon.
Evening
Recovery dinner in Koror
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Back in Koror. Restaurants, supply stores, and the cultural sites that anchor the next two days, they're all right here.
See all Palau accommodation options →Bumphead parrotfish pack Peleliu Corner at dawn, hundreds of them, butting coral like underwater battering rams. Book the first tank the boat will run. By 10 a.m. they've scattered and the show is gone.
Day 6 Budget: $200-320 (dives, speedboat return to Koror, accommodation, and meals)
Skip the lagoon. Palau's real depth is inland, chants older than any reef, Japanese-era rifles rusting beside hand-carved canoes, women weaving purses from pandanus while the oldest bai in Micronesia creaks above them.
Morning
Palau International Coral Reef Center and central market
The Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) is Palau's premier marine science institution with a public aquarium showing species from Palau's reef systems, a vivid complement to what you have seen underwater. Spend an hour, then walk to the central Koror market to watch local women weave traditional baskets, browse stalls selling fresh taro and mangrove crab, and select small carved storyboard panels as souvenirs.
Lunch
Seabirds Café (popular with local government workers)
Afternoon
Airai Bai Traditional Meetinghouse
Cross the bridge from Koror onto Babeldaob, drive 20 minutes south to Airai. Here stands one of Palau's last surviving traditional bai. A bai is the architectural and social centerpiece of Palauan village life. Painted panels encode clan histories. Built entirely from hardwoods, pandanus, and coral stone, no nails. The Airai bai dates to approximately 1890. Oldest surviving example in the country.
Evening
Storyboard gallery browsing and celebratory dinner
The carving galleries tucked behind Koror's waterfront don't advertise, they don't need to. Walk in and you'll find storyboards priced from $30 for palm-sized panels to several hundred dollars for the large, museum-grade pieces signed by master carvers whose names locals drop like currency. Mark the trip's halfway point with dinner at The Bay Restaurant or Elilai, both sit close enough to the water that the salt air sneaks onto your plate.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Central Koror puts you right where you need to be, an early launch into northern Babeldaob tomorrow morning.
See all Palau accommodation options →Demand the story. When you buy a storyboard carving, make the seller narrate the legend carved into each panel. Every slice of wood carries a named tale from Palauan oral tradition. Know the myth and the carving stops being a souvenir, it becomes a cultural document.
Day 7 Budget: $180-280 (cultural sites, meals, accommodation, and souvenirs)
8
Ngardmau Waterfall: Into Babeldaob's Untouched Green Interior
Ngardmau District, Babeldaob, Palau
Babeldaob Island hides Palau's tallest waterfall, drive deep into its jungle interior and you'll find it. The hike rewards sweat with cool spray. Rusted Japanese railway artifacts line the trail, relics of an empire that didn't last. Traditional communities dot the route, few foreign visitors ever reach them.
Morning
Drive north through Babeldaob and explore WWII Japanese railway ruins
Drive north from Koror on Babeldaob's Compact Road. Rice paddies flash past. Taro patches. Roadside villages. Stop in Ngardmau district. The rusted remains of a Japanese narrow-gauge railway wait there, wartime bauxite hauler. Ore cars, rusted. Tracks, overgrown. They sit in jungle like artifacts from a forgotten industrial civilization.
Lunch
Ngardmau village community store or packed lunch prepared in Koror
Afternoon
Ngardmau Waterfall hike and freshwater swim
Ngardmau Waterfall drops 30 meters, the tallest in Micronesia, and you'll reach it via a 3-kilometer jungle trail that plunges straight down. The hike clocks 45 minutes each way beneath dense canopy, wooden bridges teetering over forest streams. At the base a clear freshwater pool waits. Swim right under the cascade. The trail is well-maintained but turns to mud after rain, proper footwear is non-negotiable.
Evening
Village visit and return to Koror
Skip the resort gift shop. Pull over at a Ngeraard village stall on the Compact Road instead. Palauan families greet respectful buyers with real warmth, buy a coconut, gain a smile. Back in Koror, Taj Restaurant fires up Indian curries that smell like civilization after a day in the bush.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Stay in Koror. Babeldaob has almost nowhere to sleep, while Koror hands you better beds, plates, and boat docks, no contest.
See all Palau accommodation options →The Ngardmau hike demands a dry bag for your camera, ankle-deep river crossings are just the start. The mist from the falls soaks everything within 20 meters of the base pool. Waterproof phone cases won't cut it.
Day 8 Budget: $180-280 (car rental or tour fee, meals, and accommodation )
9
Badrulchau Monoliths and Ngerulmud: Palau's Ancient and Modern Capitals
Ngeraard and Melekeok Districts, Babeldaob, Palau
Start with the monoliths. Badrulchau's pre-contact stones rise from the grass like stubborn ghosts, no tickets, no guides, just you and 2,000 years of questions. Drive north 45 minutes and you'll hit Ngerululmud, population zero most days. It is one of the planet's least-visited capital cities, a marble mini-D.C. dumped in the jungle. Loop south again on the east-side road of Babeldaob: tin-roof fishing villages, smoke from coconut husks, kids waving every mile.
Morning
Badrulchau Stone Monoliths
37 basalt monoliths stand on a grassy hilltop near Ngeraard in northern Babeldaob. Nobody knows who put them there. Nobody knows why. They predate every Palauan story ever told, the most enigmatic archaeological site in Micronesia. From the summit you can trace forested ridgelines clear to the Pacific, a view that makes the silence around the stones feel even louder.
Lunch
Small local eatery near Melekeok village or packed meal from Koror
Afternoon
Ngerulmud Capitol Building and Melekeok District
Ngerulmud became Palau's official capital in 2006, yes,. Koror lost the title to a domed capitol building modeled loosely on the US Capitol, perched on a jungle hillside above Babeldaob's east coast. The entire capital has fewer than 300 residents. Walk the grounds. Look into the serene assembly chambers. Absorb views of the Pacific from the veranda. The contrast of neoclassical architecture and deep tropical jungle is surreal.
Evening
East coast drive at golden hour and waterfront dinner
The return drive south along Babeldaob's eastern shore hits its stride at golden hour, when traditional fishing weirs and taro paddies glow like they've been waiting all day for you. Back in Koror, The Bay Restaurant's grilled local seafood platter, tuna, snapper, and clams from that morning's catch, remains the reliable standout.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Crash in Koror tonight, you'll need the rest. Tomorrow's a full-day sea kayak, no mercy.
See all Palau accommodation options →Dogs and roosters own the road to Badrulchau. They strut, nap, and stare down your bumper, slow to 15 km/h or pay in feathers and vet bills. The Compact Road is easy. Its unpaved offshoots are not. Yield to every four-footed mayor.
Day 9 Budget: $170-270 (car rental, meals, and accommodation )
10
Sea Kayaking the Rock Islands: Palau from the Water's Surface
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, Palau
Paddle a full day through the Rock Islands by guided sea kayak. You'll reach hidden lagoons, sea caves, and deserted beaches, places motorized boat tours can't touch.
Morning
Guided sea kayak launch and limestone cave exploration
You won't hear a whisper once you're inside. Guided full-day kayak tours shove off from Koror at 8 a.m., then knife straight into the limestone labyrinth, walls vault 30 meters above the waterline, sheer and dripping. The morning route hunts sea caves that only a low tide kayak can reach. Some chambers spill into hidden lagoons circled by beach and ficus trees, sealed off, invisible to the motor tours idling outside. Absolute silence.
Sam's Tours and Fish n Fins run the best guided kayak day trips in Palau. You'll need to book 24-48 hours ahead, group sizes stay small by design, and every seat vanishes during peak season.
Lunch
Picnic lunch on a deserted Rock Islands beach provided by the tour operator
Afternoon
Snorkeling from kayaks and paddling through mushroom islands
The mushroom-shaped limestone islets that define Palau's visual identity appear first, impossible top-heavy silhouettes, their undercut bases eroded by wave action. Afternoon paddling threads between them. You'll stop at shallow bommie gardens for snorkeling, then hit a final beach for open swimming. The return paddle to Koror comes last. Water-level views, hemmed by emerald jungle walls, feel nothing like the speedboat tour on Day 2.
Evening
Rest and substantial recovery dinner
Paddle hard all day and you'll deserve every bite. Palau Royal Resort's restaurant plates a seafood platter that never disappoints. Skip it if you want, Koror docks' fresh-cooked fish stalls fire up at dusk. Local workers swarm them, eating like kings for $10-15 each.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Easy Koror access for the early predawn departure to Kayangel Atoll tomorrow.
See all Palau accommodation options →From kayak height, the Rock Islands become something else entirely. Speedboats can't show you this. You'll spot cave entrances and rock formations you'd otherwise miss. Kingfishers. Micronesian starlings. Saltwater crocodiles, sometimes, resting on low limestone ledges. All of it invisible from above.
Day 10 Budget: $200-310 (kayak tour, meals, and accommodation )
11
Kayangel Atoll: Palau's Northernmost and Most Remote Paradise
Kayangel Atoll, Northern Palau
Kayangel, Palau's most remote inhabited atoll, receives maybe twelve visitors a week. Speedboat there in two hours. Snorkel reef no one has touched. Stay for village hospitality and beaches you'll share with almost nobody.
Morning
Speedboat transit to Kayangel and village welcome
Leave Koror at dawn. The two-hour speedboat ride north to Kayangel Atoll is worth the early start. Four small islands ring a single turquoise lagoon. Kayangel Island's village holds about 50 permanent residents. They still live by fishing and taro cultivation. Arriving by boat is a real event, the community leader will probably greet you. Bring rice or tinned food. It is a small mark of respect.
Lunch
Community meal with Kayangel villagers, freshly caught fish and taro
Afternoon
Kayangel outer reef snorkeling and deserted beach time
Kayangel Atoll's outer reef gets almost zero boats, so the coral stays flawless. Drop in: you'll glide above intact staghorn gardens, giant clam colonies, and reef slopes where Napoleon wrasse and large bumphead parrotfish feed without a care. The atoll's exposed northern beach is a green turtle nesting site from June through August. The rest of the year it is simply one of the most pristine deserted beaches in all of Micronesia.
Evening
Return to Koror and quiet dinner
You'll be back in Koror by early evening, two hours door-to-door. Taj Restaurant's Indian spices hit hard after a day of Palauan salt air. Eat early, crash early. Tomorrow Angaur Island waits, just as far from everywhere.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
You won't find a bed on Kayangel unless you've already charmed the village council, months ahead. Most visitors sprint back to Koror before dusk.
See all Palau accommodation options →Afternoon trade winds turn the Koror-Kayangel route nasty. Leave Kayangel by 3 p.m., or you'll bash straight into them all the way home.
Day 11 Budget: $250-350 (boat charter share, community contribution, meals, and accommodation )
12
Angaur Island: Wild Monkeys, Crystal Beaches, and Colonial Ruins
Angaur Island, Southern Palau
Angaur, Palau's southernmost inhabited island, hosts a wild macaque colony no one expects. You'll scramble through German colonial phosphate ruins, then flop onto white sand beaches that tourists haven't found.
Morning
Speedboat transit to Angaur and Lake Ngardok exploration
Speedboat from Koror gets you to Angaur in two to two-and-a-half hours, charter aircraft from Peleliu is faster. Once there, rent a bike in the village. The island is small enough to pedal around in a morning. Head first to Lake Ngardok, a brackish interior lake where saltwater crocodiles slide between mangroves, watch from the bank and keep your distance. Macaque monkeys, left behind from the Japanese colonial era, scramble along the shoreline and will steal any unguarded snack.
Speedboat is how you'll get to Angaur, operators in Koror run the boats. Charter planes do exist. But the timetables are patchy. Lock in your seat early if you'd rather fly.
Lunch
Packed lunch from Koror, Angaur's community store has very limited supplies
Afternoon
German colonial phosphate ruins, Angaur beaches, and optional wall dive
German colonizers mined phosphate on Angaur from 1909 to 1914. They left concrete processing structures behind. The jungle has reclaimed them, beautifully, over a century. The west-coast beaches of Angaur are white sand, among Palau's most unspoiled. Drift divers head to the Angaur Wall off the southwest tip. Sharks and eagle rays show up in excellent numbers. Non-divers? They'll snorkel the shallower reef sections straight from shore.
Evening
Return to Koror and penultimate dinner
Back in Koror by 4 p.m., you'll need the daylight. Two weeks on, in, or above water deserve a last hurrah. Elilai Restaurant delivers: overwater tables, coconut crab when in season, a toast to every lagoon you've crossed.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Spend your last two nights in Koror. Dive boats leave from the same dock you'll use for the 15-minute airport transfer, no extra taxis, no dawn dash.
See all Palau accommodation options →Angaur macaques are wild. They're territorial around food, don't feed them, ever. Keep every snack sealed in your bag; they'll sniff out an open container with impressive, persistent determination.
Day 12 Budget: $230-360 (speedboat, bicycle, optional dive, meals, and accommodation )
13
Final Dives, Souvenir Hunt, and a Rock Islands Sunset Cruise
Koror and Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, Palau
Dawn. Drop into Palau's legendary reefs, last chance, best light. Midday, Koror's lanes: hunt real handicrafts, not souvenirs. Evening boat slices through the Rock Islands. Sun sinks. Done.
Morning
Final dives at Siaes Tunnel or Short Drop-Off
Skip the repeats. For the last dive morning, pick a site you haven't seen. Siaes Tunnel is an enormous underwater passage, straight through a coral ridge, its walls thick with sea fans and soft corals, then it spits you into open ocean where grey reef sharks patrol the outer wall. Short Drop-Off, Palau's longest continuous vertical wall, drops hundreds of meters and is thick with schooling fish and pelagic visitors. Both sites give a complete final dive.
Lock it in. Confirm the final dive booking with your operator on Day 12 evening, morning departure slots fill fast and operators won't prep gear without advance notice.
Lunch
Kramer's Bar and Grill, a fitting farewell dive lunch
Afternoon
Koror storyboard and craft souvenir shopping
Palau's sharpest souvenirs are hand-carved storyboard panels that nail specific legends from Palauan oral tradition, plus woven pandanus baskets and shell jewelry. The best galleries line the main waterfront road in central Koror, no wandering required. You'll need 90 minutes to browse properly. Quality swings wildly between mass-produced tourist junk and pieces carved by masters trained under recognized lineages.
Evening
Sunset cruise through the Rock Islands and farewell dinner
Two hours. That's all you need. Book the sunset boat cruise through the Rock Islands for your final evening, no other plan comes close. The mushroom limestone towers shift color before your eyes, turning amber then deep rose in the evening light. Daylight visits can't match this. They won't. After the boat docks, walk straight to The Bay Restaurant or Elilai for your farewell dinner. Order anything. Then hunt down Ngirchong local coconut liquor, ask the bartender, they'll know. If they have it, drink it.
Where to Stay Tonight
Koror (Sea Passion Hotel or Palau Royal Resort)
Final night in Koror for a straightforward early morning airport transfer.
See all Palau accommodation options →The finest storyboard carvers in Koror have documented training lineages and can explain every element of the legend depicted on a given panel. An unsigned carving with no narrative provenance is a tourist item; a signed carving with a story is a cultural artifact worth significantly more.
Day 13 Budget: $280-450 (dives, sunset cruise, souvenirs, farewell dinner, and accommodation )
14
Farewell, Belau: Last Swim and Safe Travels
Koror and Roman Tmetuchl International Airport, Palau
One last swim, then a proper Palauan breakfast, soft taro, fried reef fish, coffee thick with coconut milk. The van idles outside. Airport run takes 25 relaxed minutes. Palau slips away calm as it arrived.
Morning
Final swim at Malakal Beach
Malakal Beach sits ten minutes from central Koror, good for a last-minute dip before your flight. The water stays calm, clear, and shallow enough to spot tiny reef fish and the odd sea turtle without boarding a boat. That quiet shimmer is why Palau still gets called the last Eden. Check out, pay the dive shop what you owe, then stretch breakfast into a slow, final ritual.
Lunch
Coconut Palace Restaurant, a final serving of taro soup and grilled reef fish
Afternoon
Airport transfer and international departure
Roman Tmetuchl International Airport sits on Babeldaob, 30 minutes from Koror. The terminal is tiny, slow, and gloriously calm. Check in, drop bags, and you'll still have time to scan the departure hall's Palauan carvings for last-minute gifts. Palau slaps every outbound passenger with a $50 departure tax, pay at the counter unless your airline folded it into the fare. Ask when you book.
Check with your airline when you book, some roll the departure tax into the fare, others demand exact cash at the exit desk.
Evening
Inflight
Palau's international flights leave after lunch, every one of them, so you'll board in daylight and lift off toward Manila, Guam, or Tokyo Narita while the lagoon still glitters below. Use the cabin time: replay your shark-feeding clip, sort the Rock Islands shots, and sketch a second trip before the wheels touch the next hub. Palau won't let go; it never does.
Where to Stay Tonight
Departing (N/A, departure day)
Skip the hotel on checkout day, unless your flight out doesn't leave until tomorrow morning.
See all Palau accommodation options →Stash a separate USD roll for the departure tax and those last-minute airport snacks. The airport ATM fails half the time, and card readers in the departure hall blink out without warning, don't let the gate close on an empty pocket.
Day 14 Budget: $120-200 (meals, airport transfers, and departure tax)
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Palau has zero public transportation. None. Within Koror, taxis exist but they're sporadic, negotiate fares before you leave and expect $5-10 for short trips. For Babeldaob day trips, car rental from Koror operators runs $50-80 per day. You'll want four-wheel drive for interior tracks. All inter-island travel depends on speedboats chartered through dive operators and tour companies. No scheduled ferry service connects the outer islands. Roman Tmetuchl International Airport on Babeldaob links to Manila, Guam, Tokyo Narita, and Seoul with onward global connections.
Book Ahead
Palau hotels sell out fast, book before November if you can. Lock in Palau hotels, dive operators for the full trip, and the Rock Islands Conservation Area permit ($100, usually folded into tour prices) right away. Peleliu overnight at Storyboard Beach Resort, Kayangel boat charter, Angaur speedboat charter, plus a sunset cruise on Day 13. Koror-based operators hold the best slots, secure every boat and dive schedule before you land or you'll lose your preferred dates.
Packing Essentials
Chemical sunscreen is illegal in Palau, pack biodegradable reef-safe sunscreen instead. A rash guard beats lotion for daily UV protection. Bring your PADI or equivalent dive certification card if you plan to dive. You'll need a waterproof dry bag for jungle hikes and boat days. Reef-safe insect repellent keeps the bugs off. Solid closed-toe walking shoes are essential for Babeldaob trails. Pack a light rain jacket; Palau receives rain year-round even in dry season. An underwater camera or waterproof housing captures the good stuff. Bring sufficient USD cash for the full trip, ATMs can't be trusted.
Total Budget
Mid-range travelers need $4,500-7,000 per person for 14 days, international flights excluded. Budget travelers can hit $2,800-3,500 total. The trick? Stay at the DW Motel and pick snorkeling over scuba diving. Luxury travelers at the Palau Royal Resort with private dive charters and fine dining throughout should budget $8,000-12,000 for the same duration.
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Stay at DW Motel or Rose Garden Hotel in Koror ($60-80 per night). Skip scuba, snorkel instead and you'll pocket $80-120 every day. Stock up at Surangel and Sons: bread, fruit, cold cuts, done. Breakfast and lunch solved. Shared group boat tours beat private charters every time. Forget the Kayangel charter. Add two more Rock Islands snorkel days. Your mid-trip daily budget settles at $150-200 per person.
Luxury Upgrade
Skip the crowded boats. Upgrade to Palau Royal Resort or the Palau Pacific Resort from $350 per night, both deliver reef-front rooms and cold towels on arrival. Next, lock in private dive boat charters with a dedicated divemaster at $400-600 per day; you'll set the schedule, chase the tides, and never wait for stragglers. Bring a private cultural guide for all Babeldaob and Peleliu explorations, someone who can read the stone faces and open village doors. Eat only at Elilai and The Bay Restaurant. One plates coconut-crusted snapper, the other pours sunset cocktails over the marina. For the outer-reef push, book liveaboard accommodation on the Big Blue Explorer for the dive-intensive days to access remote sites unavailable to day boats, think current-washed corners where mantas circle. Budget $600-900 or more per day.
Family-Friendly
Skip the deep dives, Palau's shallow reefs deliver from the surface. Trade the heavy tanks for extended snorkeling straight off the boat. The coral gardens pop even without going down. Jellyfish Lake and Milky Way Lagoon win over kids of every age, no exceptions. Ditch the Peleliu overnight, one fast day trip covers the history without the cave dives nobody wants. The Ngardmau Waterfall hike works for children eight and up who can handle a steady climb. When the ocean tires them out, the PICRC aquarium in Koror becomes the perfect anchor, a cool, quiet day off for younger legs.
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