Palau and Yap

[champ]

I'm just two weeks away from my first trip to Yap and Palau. Any recomendations for places to stay, dive shops, things to do on land? Is it worth staying on Peleliu island? Is it best to book things before I go or negotiate once I get there?

 

[sdwho]

A couple of things to do in Yap: first of all, go for a long walk. Its a nifty place and just walking around you can get a sense of both the old and new of the culture: girls in native grass skirts walking past the video store advertising "Something About Mary" is one that I recall! Some of the villages offer "demonstrations" of native dancing, basket weaving, etc. Check with your hotel. And you'll want to take a guided tour to see the stone money and other local features. My recollection is that we toured around by boat -- had lunch, made a few stops, etc. Again check with the hotel.

Seth

 

[TCDiver1]

Peleliu is a must visit but i'm not sure i would stay there unless your going for very spartan conditions. We only visited for part of a day so i'm not sure what accomodations are available but everything we saw was very island rustic if you know what i mean.

I forget the little guys name who gives the WW-2 history tour on Peleliu but i highly recommend it. Very interesting history.

Where are you staying? Most places will have day trips availble to Peleliu.

 

[wandernsoul]

And something to do in Palau. Get out of Koror. If you're able, rent a car, or better yet, a 4X4 cuz the road's a mess, and drive out of Koror and up around Babeldaub. I had the good fortune to stay with a friend who had lived in a village (Peace Corps) near the northern end of the island, so we drove up to see her village, and all around the area. WOW! There's a reconstructed Men's House that's really neat, though I couldn't tell you how to get there! The scenery out of town is just spectacular. Just don't go for the shopping cuz there isn't any there. Oh, there's also a very nice aquarium in Koror that's well worth the visit. Very nicely done. Just ask your hotel or dive shop how to get there. There's also a place in Koror where native older folks do cultural stuff, dances and storytelling, and a shop next to it where you can buy crafts that are much cheaper than the other shops in town. You've got to get a Story Board.
I dove with Sam's Tours and thought they were great.
Have a ball,
Beck

 

[mbz12345]

Places to stay - Palau Pacific Resort is really nice, expensive, has great grounds, and is perhaps not as friendly as the Carolines. The Carolines is also really nice, has a magnificent view, is not on the water but has access to PPR's grounds, and has wonderful, friendly service. For more reasonably priced hotels any of the West Plaza hotels should be fine.

If you are going to be land based I would dive with Sam’s Tours. They have a great staff (do yourself a favor and get Jonas as a dive guide,) a good bar, and they are very friendly. Definitely book ahead of time. You may be able to negotiate a package for the week or 10 days that you will be there.

The advantage of staying on Peleliu is that the dive sites are much closer. The ride from Koror to the major dive sites is 45 minutes to an hour. The ride from Peleliu is 5 to 30 minutes. The disadvantage is that Peleliu is spartan and there's not much to do except dive and do the WWII tour which will take about 3 hours.

Now for my standard disclaimer: Go on a liveaboard instead of being land based. You will do many more dives and while the total cost will be higher the price per dive will be about the same. The boat rides will be much shorter, you will get warm towels and food between dives, and you won't have to stay in Koror.

Feel free to e-mail me (mbz12345@hotmail.com) if you have any questions.

-Mark

 

[RobertD]

Good advice from Beck.
I would agree, Peleliu is an island to visit, not stay. first of all, the pelileu wall was one of the best dives there, so the longer boat ride from Koror is worth it, although MOST of the dives spots are great there, so there's no time to do them all in one trip. the tour is interesting and a great way to spend surface time. I dove with NECO Marine and think they are awesome. I stayed at the Waterfront Villa on Koror and certainly recommend it.

do you have any experience in the Caymans, Hawaii, Belize, or Costa Rica? I'm looking to plan a trip in February, myself and my girlfriend, who is a beginner, for 5-7 days.

Robert

 

[h3o]

I wrote a detailed yap trip report back in january, check it out, use the search function on this forum...

 

[ChrisM]

I wrote a detailed yap trip report back in january, check it out, use the search function on this forum...

I searched for yap, h30 and yap and h30 and couldn't find it, do you happen to have a link handy?

Thanks

Chris

 

[h3o]

My Yap trip report is currently on Page 9, look for the little pirate smilie face icon.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forumdisp...r=&sortfield=lastpost&perpage=30&pagenumber=9

 

[ChrisM]

Thanks - my search skills must really suck!