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One and one-half weeks in Palau in February 2004: seven days on a live-aboard and four days land-based.
We finally finished this trip report, so although it is a little old, we decided to post it.
Included in this report are an overview of our entire trip, descriptions of our favorite dives, land-based accommodations and adventures and details on planning our trip and getting to the island.
Visit www.diveintotheworld.com for the full trip report including pictures, plus many other reports.
OVERVIEW
Our trip to Palau was the best we have ever taken. The diving is amazing with an astounding amount of fish life, numerous large sea animals, like manta rays and sharks, and easy diving from the live-aboard with cool people. Water temperature is around 80 F (27 C) all year round. The islands are a paradise with the lush surroundings and unique scenery, as well as friendly and interesting people. In addition, almost nothing went wrong.
Cost
Live-aboard: $1899 for deluxe room (current prices are $1899 for standard room, $2099 for deluxe room)
Hotels: $140 per night - The Carolines Resort
$70 per night - West Plaza by the Sea
Kayak Tour: $80 per person for a full day tour
Airline: Frequent-flyer miles, normally $1500 to $2000
Restaurants: $30 per meal for two people, average
Ratings (out of 5)
Live-Aboard: Big Blue Explorer (www.palauscuba.com) ***
Hotels: The Carolines Resort (www.carolinesresort.com) ****
West Plaza by the Sea (www.wphpalau.com) **
Palau Pacific Resort (www.panpacific.com) **** but $$$
Airline: Continental Airlines ****
Travel Planner: TripNTours (www.trip-n-tour.com) ***
Tour Operator: Sams Tours (www.samstours.com) ****
Restaurants: Images (eclectic) *
Fuji (Japanese) ***
The Haj (Indian) ****
Seahorse at West Plaza (Indian/Asian/Breakfast) **
Thai Garden ***
Tips
Best Time to Go: December through March
Live-aboard: Bring as many bathing suits as there are days. Always confirm pick-up time. Always confirm facilities on board the boat, like photographic equipment, if planning to rent.
Koror: Land-based activities include shopping, eating, taking tours/dive trips out to the rock islands or traveling around the island of Babeldaob (aka Babelthuap) by car. Expensive. There is one beach, and it is part of the facilities of the Palau Pacific Resort.
Shopping: Best gift is a storyboard. They cost from $70 to over $300. Buy storyboards at the jail. Good quality, decent price and interesting experience.
Internet Cafes: A couple in Koror, but internet service is slow and sporadic.
DIVING FROM THE LIVE-ABOARD
We dived on The Big Blue Explorer, a Filipino ship based out of Koror, the current capital of Palau. All the diving was just a couple hours south of Koror. With 16 attentive crew members, the 18 passengers on our trip were well taken care of, from the excellent cook to the personable bartender. While most of the crew are from the Philippines, some of the Divemasters and the Ship Manager were from Australia and England, as well as the Philippines. They were very knowledgeable about Palau, especially our Divemaster Bhoyet.
The Big Blue Explorer is a former Japanese communications ship. At 167 feet, it is longer than most other live-aboards. The facilities of the boat were good, but not luxurious. The photographic facilities on-board were not what were advertised by their main office. They only had MX-10 for rentals and no specialty classes. Most passengers used digital equipment or took their film home to be developed, although they would develop E-6 film, three rolls at a time.
The USA-based office for the Big Blue Explorer and the actual boat as well as the tour agency did not have good communications confirm everything.
We also had a problem with the pick-up for the live-aboard on the first day. We have yet to resolve the mystery of who was at fault, our travel agent, the main office or the boat manager.
The diving was all about quantity, the Divemasters generally not focusing on naturalist or scuba diving lessons. They would always mention before the dive which type of creatures we might see and would point out what they found, though. The boat had numerous fish and creature ID books available, although we were usually too tired to look at them. The crew were also always available afterwards to explain any creatures we saw. They especially liked nudibranchs. Specialty classes were available (except the Underwater Photography one), but no one took any.
It was eat, dive, sleep, repeat. We hardly had time to dry before the next dive started. I wish I had brought more bathing suits, so I did not have to put a on a wet bathing suit so often.
Almost everyone were relaxed, advanced divers, funny and friendly. Everyone dived Nitrox, except for one guy who was not certified. Everyone aboard were from the United States, although from talking to the crew, that is not always the situation.
The weather was not very good when we were there. We were not able to dive Peleliu and the dives we did outside of the protection of islands were rough, with waves several feet high. The visibility, at about 80 feet, was considered less than ideal. Despite these challenges, this trip and the diving were absolutely amazing.
OUR FAVORITE DIVES
Blue Corner: The best dive of the trip and of our lives. We had to enter in rough waters due to the inclement weather. After diving down to about 60 feet, we used reef hooks to attach to the rocks or dead coral over a plateau. We then relaxed and enjoyed the show of sharks, fish, turtles and numerous other creatures. We dived this site numerous times and each time it has an inordinate quantity of sea life. The sharks, depending on the current, come very close, adding to the thrill
German Channel: Cleaning stations for the manta rays with numerous other fish, cleaner shrimps, octopi and creatures
Siases: Wall with all types of creatures, from lobsters to huge coral fans
Ulong Channel: Swift ride with much to see from sharks to giant clams
Jelly Fish Lake: This is actually a snorkel and not a dive. Packed with thousands of non-stinging jelly fish - fun to dive down below the jellies and come up in their midst
LAND-BASED ACCOMMODATIONS AND ADVENTURES
We spent 4 days, two before and two after the live-aboard, near Koror. With numerous restaurants, a couple internet cafes and many stores, the most popular activities in Koror are eating, surfing the net and shopping. The best gift from Koror is a storyboard and the best place to buy one is the jail, where they teach the inmates to be master carvers.
We spent our first two days at Carolines Resort. Situated on a jungle hill outside of Koror, they have ten individual, traditional houses, fully stocked with a mini-bar. They will serve breakfast in your house, on the porch, which overlooks the Rock Islands. This resort has an agreement with the Palau Pacific Resort, the most luxurious hotel on the island, for its guests to have access to its facilities. With the only beach in the Koror area, a work-out room, a pool and World War II history, the Palau Pacific Resort is a very relaxing place to spend a day.
After the live-aboard, we spent two nights at the West Plaza by the Sea. Equivalent to about a Motel 6, but situated in Koror, the hotel allowed us easy access to the restaurants, internet cafes and shopping.
With Sams Tours, we took a kayaking tour of the Rock Islands. Starting with an hour boat ride, we then spent the day kayaking, relaxing on beaches, snorkeling and exploring caves. Sams Tours operations were very professional with knowledgeable naturalist guides. During the tour, they caught and cooked up fresh fish (whether this is a good or bad thing depends on your personal preferences). They have numerous types of tours, all starting out with a long boat ride to the Rock Islands or car ride to the sites on the island of Bableboab. They advertise a tour of Peleliu, but they are not frequently done.
We also rented a 4-wheel drive truck and drove around the island of Bableboab and it does require a 4-wheel vehicle to see the sights. They were building a bigger road when we were there, but most of the sites are along small roads, which can be very muddy. Things to see are mysterious ancient roads, cave drawings and statues on Babeldaob.
TRIP PLANNING AND GETTING THERE
We used TripNTours for arrangements mainly because of their insurance policy. If the live-aboard company had canceled, they would have put us on another boat. The price was the same, compared to if we had made all the arrangements ourselves. We had no problems with them, except for the situation with our pick-up by the Live-aboard company.
We started planning several months before the trip and there were still only a couple rooms left on the live-aboard. From what I heard from the crew of the live-aboard though, that is not always the case. We just had a big group book at the same time as us. We had to put down a small deposit right away, but most of the cost for the trip was not due until about one month before the trip.
We used frequent flyer miles on Continental. 60,000 miles to get to Palau was a great deal, considering the price of the flight can be as much as $2000. It was a very long flight, but Continental had great service and good connections. We went Los Angeles to Hawaii to Guam to Palau with a brief stop in Yap during which we did not leave the plane. The lay-overs were generally not long, although the one in Hawaii on the way back left almost enough time to take a cab, see the area for a couple hours and return in time for the flight.
That is it. Contact us if you have any questions: questions@diveintotheworld.com
We finally finished this trip report, so although it is a little old, we decided to post it.
Included in this report are an overview of our entire trip, descriptions of our favorite dives, land-based accommodations and adventures and details on planning our trip and getting to the island.
Visit www.diveintotheworld.com for the full trip report including pictures, plus many other reports.
OVERVIEW
Our trip to Palau was the best we have ever taken. The diving is amazing with an astounding amount of fish life, numerous large sea animals, like manta rays and sharks, and easy diving from the live-aboard with cool people. Water temperature is around 80 F (27 C) all year round. The islands are a paradise with the lush surroundings and unique scenery, as well as friendly and interesting people. In addition, almost nothing went wrong.
Cost
Live-aboard: $1899 for deluxe room (current prices are $1899 for standard room, $2099 for deluxe room)
Hotels: $140 per night - The Carolines Resort
$70 per night - West Plaza by the Sea
Kayak Tour: $80 per person for a full day tour
Airline: Frequent-flyer miles, normally $1500 to $2000
Restaurants: $30 per meal for two people, average
Ratings (out of 5)
Live-Aboard: Big Blue Explorer (www.palauscuba.com) ***
Hotels: The Carolines Resort (www.carolinesresort.com) ****
West Plaza by the Sea (www.wphpalau.com) **
Palau Pacific Resort (www.panpacific.com) **** but $$$
Airline: Continental Airlines ****
Travel Planner: TripNTours (www.trip-n-tour.com) ***
Tour Operator: Sams Tours (www.samstours.com) ****
Restaurants: Images (eclectic) *
Fuji (Japanese) ***
The Haj (Indian) ****
Seahorse at West Plaza (Indian/Asian/Breakfast) **
Thai Garden ***
Tips
Best Time to Go: December through March
Live-aboard: Bring as many bathing suits as there are days. Always confirm pick-up time. Always confirm facilities on board the boat, like photographic equipment, if planning to rent.
Koror: Land-based activities include shopping, eating, taking tours/dive trips out to the rock islands or traveling around the island of Babeldaob (aka Babelthuap) by car. Expensive. There is one beach, and it is part of the facilities of the Palau Pacific Resort.
Shopping: Best gift is a storyboard. They cost from $70 to over $300. Buy storyboards at the jail. Good quality, decent price and interesting experience.
Internet Cafes: A couple in Koror, but internet service is slow and sporadic.
DIVING FROM THE LIVE-ABOARD
We dived on The Big Blue Explorer, a Filipino ship based out of Koror, the current capital of Palau. All the diving was just a couple hours south of Koror. With 16 attentive crew members, the 18 passengers on our trip were well taken care of, from the excellent cook to the personable bartender. While most of the crew are from the Philippines, some of the Divemasters and the Ship Manager were from Australia and England, as well as the Philippines. They were very knowledgeable about Palau, especially our Divemaster Bhoyet.
The Big Blue Explorer is a former Japanese communications ship. At 167 feet, it is longer than most other live-aboards. The facilities of the boat were good, but not luxurious. The photographic facilities on-board were not what were advertised by their main office. They only had MX-10 for rentals and no specialty classes. Most passengers used digital equipment or took their film home to be developed, although they would develop E-6 film, three rolls at a time.
The USA-based office for the Big Blue Explorer and the actual boat as well as the tour agency did not have good communications confirm everything.
We also had a problem with the pick-up for the live-aboard on the first day. We have yet to resolve the mystery of who was at fault, our travel agent, the main office or the boat manager.
The diving was all about quantity, the Divemasters generally not focusing on naturalist or scuba diving lessons. They would always mention before the dive which type of creatures we might see and would point out what they found, though. The boat had numerous fish and creature ID books available, although we were usually too tired to look at them. The crew were also always available afterwards to explain any creatures we saw. They especially liked nudibranchs. Specialty classes were available (except the Underwater Photography one), but no one took any.
It was eat, dive, sleep, repeat. We hardly had time to dry before the next dive started. I wish I had brought more bathing suits, so I did not have to put a on a wet bathing suit so often.
Almost everyone were relaxed, advanced divers, funny and friendly. Everyone dived Nitrox, except for one guy who was not certified. Everyone aboard were from the United States, although from talking to the crew, that is not always the situation.
The weather was not very good when we were there. We were not able to dive Peleliu and the dives we did outside of the protection of islands were rough, with waves several feet high. The visibility, at about 80 feet, was considered less than ideal. Despite these challenges, this trip and the diving were absolutely amazing.
OUR FAVORITE DIVES
Blue Corner: The best dive of the trip and of our lives. We had to enter in rough waters due to the inclement weather. After diving down to about 60 feet, we used reef hooks to attach to the rocks or dead coral over a plateau. We then relaxed and enjoyed the show of sharks, fish, turtles and numerous other creatures. We dived this site numerous times and each time it has an inordinate quantity of sea life. The sharks, depending on the current, come very close, adding to the thrill
German Channel: Cleaning stations for the manta rays with numerous other fish, cleaner shrimps, octopi and creatures
Siases: Wall with all types of creatures, from lobsters to huge coral fans
Ulong Channel: Swift ride with much to see from sharks to giant clams
Jelly Fish Lake: This is actually a snorkel and not a dive. Packed with thousands of non-stinging jelly fish - fun to dive down below the jellies and come up in their midst
LAND-BASED ACCOMMODATIONS AND ADVENTURES
We spent 4 days, two before and two after the live-aboard, near Koror. With numerous restaurants, a couple internet cafes and many stores, the most popular activities in Koror are eating, surfing the net and shopping. The best gift from Koror is a storyboard and the best place to buy one is the jail, where they teach the inmates to be master carvers.
We spent our first two days at Carolines Resort. Situated on a jungle hill outside of Koror, they have ten individual, traditional houses, fully stocked with a mini-bar. They will serve breakfast in your house, on the porch, which overlooks the Rock Islands. This resort has an agreement with the Palau Pacific Resort, the most luxurious hotel on the island, for its guests to have access to its facilities. With the only beach in the Koror area, a work-out room, a pool and World War II history, the Palau Pacific Resort is a very relaxing place to spend a day.
After the live-aboard, we spent two nights at the West Plaza by the Sea. Equivalent to about a Motel 6, but situated in Koror, the hotel allowed us easy access to the restaurants, internet cafes and shopping.
With Sams Tours, we took a kayaking tour of the Rock Islands. Starting with an hour boat ride, we then spent the day kayaking, relaxing on beaches, snorkeling and exploring caves. Sams Tours operations were very professional with knowledgeable naturalist guides. During the tour, they caught and cooked up fresh fish (whether this is a good or bad thing depends on your personal preferences). They have numerous types of tours, all starting out with a long boat ride to the Rock Islands or car ride to the sites on the island of Bableboab. They advertise a tour of Peleliu, but they are not frequently done.
We also rented a 4-wheel drive truck and drove around the island of Bableboab and it does require a 4-wheel vehicle to see the sights. They were building a bigger road when we were there, but most of the sites are along small roads, which can be very muddy. Things to see are mysterious ancient roads, cave drawings and statues on Babeldaob.
TRIP PLANNING AND GETTING THERE
We used TripNTours for arrangements mainly because of their insurance policy. If the live-aboard company had canceled, they would have put us on another boat. The price was the same, compared to if we had made all the arrangements ourselves. We had no problems with them, except for the situation with our pick-up by the Live-aboard company.
We started planning several months before the trip and there were still only a couple rooms left on the live-aboard. From what I heard from the crew of the live-aboard though, that is not always the case. We just had a big group book at the same time as us. We had to put down a small deposit right away, but most of the cost for the trip was not due until about one month before the trip.
We used frequent flyer miles on Continental. 60,000 miles to get to Palau was a great deal, considering the price of the flight can be as much as $2000. It was a very long flight, but Continental had great service and good connections. We went Los Angeles to Hawaii to Guam to Palau with a brief stop in Yap during which we did not leave the plane. The lay-overs were generally not long, although the one in Hawaii on the way back left almost enough time to take a cab, see the area for a couple hours and return in time for the flight.
That is it. Contact us if you have any questions: questions@diveintotheworld.com
