2 weeks in palau in december: ideas and plane ticket help???

hey there:

we are planning two weeks in the area this coming mid december. we want to do tons of snorkeling, exploring and eating. is this too much time in palau? is the best thing to do to fly there, find a place, and wing it? does it get crowded or touristy? are there things that need to be reserved?

also, anyone have any ideas on how to get best fares from the west coast of the US?

any ideas, information, recommends, etc, would be amazing.

thanks!

We spent 12 nights in Palau in February and found it to be a good amount of time. Koror is a small town with not a lot to spend your time on once you have taken in the museum and explored a bit. We rented a car to drive around Babledaob - only took part of a day - there are places to stay there where you could snorkel from the beach. The snorkeling is fantastic but you really have to do the tours for the best spots and they are pricey. Check out Sam's Tours and Fish 'n Fins web pages for prices. The Blue Planet Kayak tour is highly recommended. There is quite a good variety(Indian, Thai, Chinese, etc.) of places to eat - prices were quite reasonable and the portions more than ample! We didn't find a lot of tourists and talking with some locals found that they are also suffering from the global downturn in travel. I would imagine it would be easy to wing it, although we pre-booked - the internet makes it so easy.

Your biggest problem will be getting there. We flew into Manila and took Continental to Koror. Unfortunately, Continental is the only option to get to Koror and their prices reflect the monolopy. They also fly from Honolulu via Guam to Koror. Either way there is little room for getting reduced fares, although we found that the earlier you can book the cheaper the MNL-ROR flight will be.

Trip advisor has some reviews of accommodations, places to eat and things to do in Palau. There is only one guidebook dedicated to Palau - Papa Mike's Guide to Palau - which will give some good information. Have a great trip - we hope to get back someday!

I spent 3 years and go back whenever I can, so it is not too much time. As far as winging it, I think it depends on how much you want to spend.I would suggest that you work on tickets soon as many Palauans go back home for the holidays, as well as other people who have the time. I might also suggest that you book at least the first few days- it is a long trip and you aren't going to want to get off the plane and start hunting. There is tons of info on Palau here- search through and get some ideas of what we have already covered a million times and go from there. Not trying to discourage you in any way- I'm dead jealous if the truth be know. It is also possible to go through Japan but then you end up with a night there. I love the island hopper because you get to see the other islands but a lot of folks think I am mad. And the planes do get crowded at that time of year.

There are several trips out- to the stone quarry where the Yapese money was mined, Peliliu for the WWII remains, Anguar for the monkeys and isolation, Kayangle because it is tiny and remote. You might consider a stop in Yap either there or on the way back- also a great place. You might also want to try and negotiate a multiple trip rate with Same- I don't know if he does this but it is worth a try. I have a good friend who takes folks out on private trips- PM me if you are interested. For 2 people it might get a bit pricey though. Happy planning.

I was there last year and stayed at T-tree which was a very reasonable US$25 and within walking distance of central Koror. I have been to several Pacific Islands but the snorkelling in Palau was the best, we saw 20+ reef sharks in one area.

Out of Koror, every kind of trip seems to cost US$100 per person per day, regardless of the operator. It was worth it, but it could be exorbitant if you went on a trip every day. I would have said you will have a lot of time to relax if you go there for two weeks!

I flew from Guam (from Hong Kong) on Continental and stopped in Yap (Federated States of Micronesia) on the return leg. Yap has the big round money and I think you could easily fit it into your two week itinerary if you went that way.

The posts above pretty much tell the story, When I went to Palau to write the Palau Guidebook, I did find it cheaper to fly Phillipine Airlines on the Los Angeles to Manila leg and then switch to Continentals Air Micronesia for the Manila to Koror leg. As discussed Continental has a virtual monopoly for those of us flying from the US west coast. My book, which I hesitate to mention on my competitors website, does have a ton of information on tours and the out islands and as stated above is the only guide dedicated to Palau. Private message me if you have specific questions and enjoy your visit to one of the last unspoiled spots on the planet.

Papa Mike

Hi. I was wondering if you could give me advice on traveling to Palau alone. I am mid 20's, love to travel alone but usually am in backpacker type places where you meet more people. Do you think a week in Palau will get lonely if you were alone? I love to dive and lay on the beach etc. Also, can you get around if you don't rent a car? Thanks for the advice.