Palau

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Entry posted by korver · August 22, 2020

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Palau is an island country and archipelago of over 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region. Koror Island is home to the former capital, also named Koror, and is the islands’ commercial center. The larger Babeldaob has the present capital, Ngerulmud, plus mountains and sandy beaches on its east coast. In its north, ancient basalt monoliths lie in grassy fields surrounded by palm trees. Palau is best known however for its iconic rock islands, ancient relics of coral reefs that violently surfaced to form islands. We'll be exploring these wonders and much more in today's update - let's take a closer look at this tropical paradise.

Our journey gets started once we touch down at Roman Tmetuchl International Airport, also known as Palau International Airport. It's the main airport of Palau - located near the former capital Koror, and just north of Ngetkib, Airai and Babelthuap islands, it's within close proximity to many of the island's most popular and beautiful destinations.

After landing down, we catch a rental car and travel to Koror - the largest city in Palau, home to about half of the country's population. Straddling a number of small islands on the country's swampy shoreline, the city's location gives it great access to both fishing grounds and the country's natural wonders. Koror is also a city with a long history - during the interwar period it served as the capital of the South Seas Mandate, a group of islands that made up the League of Nations mandated territory held by the Empire of Japan. It was subsequently the capital of Palau until it was replaced by Ngerulmud in 2006 - which is still in the very early stages of development.

Palau's most recognizable sights are its beautiful rock islands - one of the region's most famous destinations. Numerous volcanic explosions many eons ago pushed coral larvae up and out of the Earth's core, forming a massive limestone reef. The erosion since then has given Palau's islands their distinctive mushroom shape - and they're especially impressive from the air.

We're sure to check out the Southern Lagoon - as pictured in the mosaic below - a place where many of the island's most beautiful islands and beaches can be found.

Another look at the Southern Lagoon's countless islands from above.

Another one of Palau's most famous destinations is Jellyfish Lake. This marine lake located on the beautiful Eil Malk island - and every day, millions of golden jellyfish migrate across the lake. While they do this, you can go swimming with them - but swimming was actually forbidden in recent years, as the jellyfish population was in decline. However, as of 2019, their numbers are back on the rise and the waters have been reopened to tourists, so we jump in and get up close and personal with these (non-poisonous) jellyfish.