Travelng alone to Palau

Hi guys,

After doing my homework on South Pacific islands for the past 2 weeks, I have finally settled down with Palau to mend my broken heart.

The flight is booked, I will be flying from Gold Coast to Palau (Grabbed the Pacflier deal for $199!) and staying for a week.

I am not a diver(never dived in my life..embarrassing to admit), would like to take a diving lesson for beginners.

I love to exploring the nature and a big fan of scenery photographing. any great place to take amazing photos?

My budget is about USD1k, would it be enough to cover the total cost of a week in Palau? (I won't stay in those 4or 5 star resorts)

Would really appreciate for any help on the itinerary :) Cheers

Sorry to hear about your broken heart- hopefully Palau will be a distraction. As far as scenery- point your camera in about any direction and you have amazing scenery- at least outside of Koror. The stone quarries where the Yap money comes from is interesting is the traditional bai on Balbedoab. Also the plane cemetery on Anguar is fasinating. And Jelly Fish Lake. I would think that Sam's Dive Shop would do beginners lessons, and go snorkeling- also wonderful. Underwater photography great if you have the equipment. That is a start- others will chime in.

Diving is expensive in Palau and will be the biggest part of your budget. Have a look at Sam's Tours or Fish 'n Fins for the costs relating to a beginner dive course. Also factor in the cost of permits - these should also be noted on the dive websites. Accommodation can be as cheap as US$50 a night - evening meals for US$10-12 - self catering is an option and supermarkets have a wide range of products at fair prices for the SP. We thought car rental was reasonable and would be best if you want to explore and get great pictures. Getting to the other islands will involve boats but these are cheap. There have been some trip reports and reviews posted on tripadvisor which would help with figuring out your budget. You are so lucky to be able to get there so cheaply - from where I am it is closer to US$1700 per person. Oh for a lottery win!!

Thanks for your advices 5Waldos and Newfie43.
I feel so lucky to found out the bargain airfare deal, big thank you goes to people who shared the great info on this forum:)

I will check into the dive sites for quotes.

Now about the underwater photography equipment 5Waldos mentioned, Is there any place I possibly rent one in Palau?

newfie- that is my thought exactly- come on lottery. I was trying to figure out if it was cheaper to fly to Oz then on from there. But oh my that is a long trip!

Still trying to figure out what happened to Palau Air- how come no flights?

Hi mmheader,

I just got back from Palau and am a beginner diver. The diving classes in Palau are much more expensive then they are in most places. So if you have time to do your trip at home (or can at least complete the theory part of a PADI course online) then you might consider that. I dived with Fish 'n Fins and was not happy with how they treated beginner divers. I explicitly stated that I didn't want to dive Blue Corner because I was still having buoyancy control issues and yet on day 2, after the boat leaves, they announce that we're heading there. Everything worked out in the end, but I would probably try Sam's first. That being said, we ended up with calm waters for the two days that we dived. Would have loved to dive more, but $120 per 2-tank dive plus hefty rental fees added up. See if you can borrow gear from a friend. Note that the water even at 80 feet was in the 80's, so a shortie or 1mm wetsuit would be fine (more to protect you from stings then for warmth).

With regard to money, there are many places in Koror in the $40/night range. It is low season right now, so I would call around or e-mail the places listed in the Papa Mike's guide and see if you can negotiate a cheap fair. We stayed with a local, so I don't have a recommendation for you. Obviously, diving will be what eats up all of your cash.

See my post from a few days ago about heading to Kayangel--there is plenty of nature and pretty beaches. You can stay much cheaper than we did if you are willing to forgo AC and flush toilets (indeed--I am told that many tourists just sleep on the dock). And of course go to Peleliu if you want to photograph the spectacular WW2 battle ruins. If you go to either of these islands (or Anguar), I recommend bringing some bread, peanut butter, jelly, and breakfast items from Koror so that you aren't dependent on pricey cooked meals. The Peleliu stores were decently stocked, but (of course) more expensive then what you found in Koror. The dive outfitters we talked to on Peleliu wouldn't take beginners, so you will be diving from Koror.

Don't miss jellyfish lake!

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

one possibility is to take the boat to Peliliu and then arrange a dive boat to pick you up, go snorkeling/idiving on the way back to Koror. I have the name and number of a local private boat driver if you are interested- old friend who will pick up up there. don't know if joint trips can be arranged. PM me if you are interested- I'll look up his cell number.

I'd suggest going on a kayaking expedition in the rock islands and camping there for a few nights.
See my report linked in my signature.