Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

From Seoul to Peleilu

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Palau

Hi please can you tell me the cheapest way to get to Peleilu island from Seoul, South Korea?
I'm an American currently in S.Korea who plans to retread the footsteps of the 1st Marine division's path as shown on the Pacific. Are there any good room and board you could recommend? And what are the best (ie. coolest) seasons to visit?
Thank you in advance.

Edited by: hando

The only direct flights into Palau are from Manila, Taipei or Guam - so pick your cheapest way from Seoul to one of those. There are no flights into Peleliu - the runway has been abandoned since a plane crash a number of years ago. Once you're in Koror you have the option of taking the state boat out to Peleliu that runs out to there on Friday afternoons and returns to town on Sunday (Sometimes there was a Wednesday boat depending if it was working that week or not). you can check in at the visitors center for the exact schedule.
Alternatively, you could hit one of the dive shops up for a lift. That will probably cost $100US+ (The state boat is ~$5)
Just a warning - there isnt much to do on Peleliu... unless you want to dive from there instead of Koror. There is a de-mining company working hard to clear the island of the remaining live ammo/artillery - and they've probably made some progress on the trail system since I was last there. Otherwise hiking through the jungle is ill-advised. Try to track down a bike - the island is pretty manageable that way (some big hills on the interior though). There is a (somewhat contentious) museum that is sometimes open if the guy who runs it is on island. I've heard its good, but apparently the methods he used to acquire the pieces were less than ethical so I stayed away. Bring some food - there isnt much for restaurants out there although there are ample small hotels. I don't know the names of any in particular other than the more expensive ones - there is one right at the water that is really nice and has a restaurant although I am drawing a blank on what its called.
Temperature wise - every season is pretty much the same. Spring/summer may have slightly more rain.. but I never noticed any real variance. If you want the quiet avoid any major holidays like Chinese New Year.

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Hey Again...

I was wrong.. there actually is a direct flight from Seoul to Koror with Asiana AIrlines... thats new! Don't know how long they will be operating that flight - these things tend to come and go...

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As mentioned above, Asiana flies direct from Seoul to Koror a few times a week. Korean Airlines also flies direct, twice a week I think.
I'm looking at going down at the end of summer, and I found a flight on Asiana's website for about 720,000won, which is relatively cheap, considering they usually charge that or more just to get to the Philippines.

Jason

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