Rock Islands
Palau · 2 m
Description
The Rock Islands Southern Lagoon is what people come to Palau for, a maze of several hundred uninhabited limestone islands undercut at the waterline so that each one sits on the sea like a mushroom. UNESCO listed it for both its nature and its culture. Blue Corner, on the outer wall, puts divers on a reef hook in the current while grey reef sharks and jacks stack up in front of them, and the cleaning station at German Channel brings mantas in through the winter. Inside the maze lie dozens of marine lakes. Jellyfish Lake is the famous one, though the golden jellyfish that made its name collapse in warm years and cannot be counted on.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 7 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: December – March
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- The Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Blue Corner and the wall of sharks in the current
- Manta cleaning station in German Channel (December - February)
- Ulong Channel and its drift dive
- Jellyfish Lake on Eil Malk
- Dozens of marine lakes hidden in the maze
- Milky Way and its white limestone mud
- Kayaking between the mushroom shaped islands
- Snorkelling the coral gardens in the shallows
- Long Beach and the sandbars at low tide
- Shark City and the outer reef walls
- Turtles and reef fish over the coral
- Permits from Koror State for the lagoon and the lake
Getting there
- Nearest airports:
- ROR