Palau Travel: ‘This place has mostly flown under the radar compared to Bali or Fiji – until now’ | Review

Here’s one of the best travel tips you’ll hear from me this year: if there’s ever a time to make sure you book the window seat – it’s on your flight to Palau.  

I’d never even heard of this small island nation, until my editor offered me the opportunity to go. But as we started our descent and I caught my first glimpse of those Palauan islands, I couldn’t get my phone up to the window fast enough to capture the spectacular scenery below. 

The water around Palau isn’t just blue. It’s multiple shades of the most mesmerising aqua, including a luminous iridescent turquoise, that looks completely surreal. 

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Located in the Micronesia region, north west of Papua Nui Guinea and only a six-hour flight from Brisbane, this archipelago of around 300 islands has long been an internationally recognised destination for scuba divers – thanks to its crystal clear waters, thriving coral reefs and famous UNESCO-listed Rock Islands. 

Palau also received global recognition when it was chosen as the location for the tenth season of the American TV show Survivor.  

It’s mostly flown under the radar for Aussie tourists, compared to enduring tropical island holiday options like Bali, Fiji and Vanuatu, but now, Palau has emerged as one of the hottest travel destinations of 2025.  

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It’s a fine balance for the 18,000 people of Palau, who love sharing their beautiful island home with the world, and at the same time, protecting everything that makes it so special. 

So far, they seem to be doing a great job. Tourists are put on notice the moment they step off the plane, when the Immigration officer stamps “The Palau Pledge” into their passports.

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I was asked to sign the pledge, addressed to the children of Palau, agreeing to preserve and protect their unique ecosystems for generations to come, and that the only footprints I would leave were “those that will wash away”.  

Palau might be known as one of the world’s top diving destinations, but with my commitment to “tread lightly and explore mindfully”, I discovered there’s so much to enjoy in this tropical island paradise.

Jellyfish Lake

For a gal who grew up on the beaches of Queensland, it’s difficult to grasp the concept of willingly getting into a lake full of jellyfish. But this is a bucket-list experience for many travellers.  

Jellyfish Lake is home to a community of golden and moon jellyfish, which are non-stinging, non-poisonous and harmless to humans. It took a minute to overcome my fear, but as soon as I popped on my snorkel, I was completely spellbound by the animals floating peacefully along beside me.  Their slow rhythmic pulsing is captivating. 

Many tourists come here after seeing the images of people in the lake surrounded by thousands of jellyfish.

I’d been warned that jellyfish numbers have declined significantly after a sustained period of hot ocean temps and that I might not see a single one during my snorkel – but I was only in the water for about an hour and spotted roughly 100 jellyfish. 

My guide said that’s the most she’d seen in ages, so hopefully it’s a positive indication that numbers are replenishing.

The Milky Way

Tucked away in the Rock Islands is another Palau must-see – the Milky Way lagoon. The mud in this lagoon is reportedly full of minerals from the limestone of the surrounding rock islands, which can rejuvenate the skin. 

Tourists come from all over to slather themselves head to toe in the milky clay and bathe in it’s therapeutic properties. Thank goodness for my guide, because there’s no way I would have been able to dive to the bottom of the lagoon and scoop up that muddy clay myself.  

The result – yes, my skin felt smooth and my cheeks were glowing, like I’d just had a facial. I’m not sure how therapeutic it was, but it was an enjoyable outing and it certainly made for some fun holiday snaps.

The path less paddled

There are plenty of companies offering daily dive, snorkel and paddling group tours, in and around Palau’s Rock Islands – more than 400 tree-covered limestone rock islands, surrounded by spectacular reefs and marine lakes. 

Paddling Palau offer more customised tours. Owned and run by local Ron Leidich, an American born marine biologist and naturalist, who’s spent 30 years exploring his adopted home.

He’ll take you to Palau’s lesser-known gems, where the big tour companies don’t, or can’t, go.  

I spent the day paddling with Ron through this pristine UNESCO world heritage listed area.

Sorry, correction:  I spent some of the time paddling, and most of the day sitting comfortably in the front of the kayak, while Ron paddled from the back.  

We visited Black Tip lake – a marine nursery for black tip reef sharks. “It’s safe to swim with them”, Ron assured me, as I watched a baby shark glide right past our kayak. Sure, they looked cute enough, but I opted to stay inside the kayak at this location. 

I snorkelled in Blue Devil Gardens, surrounded by vibrant coral and the shimmering blue devil damselfish. 

We kayaked through the crystal clear waters of Risong Bay, where the only sounds I could hear were the birds chirping and Ron’s paddle gently swishing through the water.  

“How’s the serenity”, I blurted out, uncontrollably. Ron didn’t get the reference. 

Actually, one of the things I enjoyed most about my Paddling Palau tour is that we didn’t spot another tour boat, or tourist, all day. 

I also love that Paddling Palau can provide all the go-pro and drone photos and videos they’ve taken throughout the day. I received so many amazing underwater shots and videos of me snorkelling.

The drone even managed to spot a few dugongs swimming nearby.

If you adore discussing, understanding and appreciating everything about the natural world, you really need to spend a day with Ron.

This man is a walking, talking, paddling nature encyclopaedia.

His ability to spot and identify every single bird, plant, fish and coral we encountered throughout our 6 hour tour was truly remarkable. 

The Coral Garden

I spent a gorgeous morning with another local tour company, Palau Explorer.

Owner Glib was born here, schooled abroad and returned to Palau because he wanted to support the local economy. His company offers boutique snorkelling, paddling and land-based cultural tours.

“This isn’t just my job,” Glib told me, “this is my home.”

The tour highlight was a visit to one of Palau’s world famous Coral Gardens.  After driving the speed boat directly out into the ocean for about 3 miles, Glib somehow knew the exact spot to stop and I suddenly realised we were floating over an enormous coral garden – and what must be one of the great underwater wonders of the world.

Despite being miles off shore, it was quite shallow, so a great spot for amateur snorkellers. There were schools of fish darting around and brilliant coral in every size, shape and colour imaginable, for as far as I could see. 

From above

An aerial flight offers a unique perspective of the island’s awe-inspiring beauty, but how does it align with the country’s commitment to sustainability? 

Smile Air, who have been operating in Palau since 2012, promote the fact that they use fuel efficient aircraft to minimise emissions and engage in various carbon offset programs.

These small planes get you low enough to really marvel at the intricate patterns and colours of those insanely beautiful Rock islands and the surrounding seascape.  

It’s also the only way to see the magnificent Seventy Islands in all their glory.

Regarded as the ‘jewel of Palau’, this is the hero image you see on plenty of marketing material promoting the destination, but the Seventy Islands are so well protected, they’re totally off limits for boat or land access. 

I opted for the doorless option on my flight. The appeal of unobstructed views seemed like a good idea at the time.

The reality: it was absolutely terrifying and I’m not sure it was worth it. I spent more time worried about falling out than I did actually appreciating the natural wonders below.  

My tip is to do the scenic flight after you’ve spent a few days exploring on water. When I could force myself to look down, I did get a kick out of seeing some of the places I’d already been, from above.

The 40-minute flight costs US$209 pp ($315) and takes you over the Milky Way, Jellyfish lake, The German channel, Seventy Islands, some famous diving spots and downtown Koror. 

The 55-minute flight is US$286 pp ($430) and adds in the island of Peleliu – the location of the ‘Battle of Peleliu’ between the US and Japan in World War 2. My pilot said this tour is especially popular with Japanese tourists who lost relatives in the war. 

Last year he flew a 90-year-old grandmother, whose dying wish was to fly over Peleliu so she could say a prayer for her father, who died here during the war.

Final tip

Here’s another tip from me about Palau. Book your holiday now. Because word is slowly getting out about this little piece of paradise.

Tourist numbers are back to about 40 per cent compared to pre-Covid, and they’ll only keep climbing. 

If you’re looking for an unspoilt island holiday with awe inspiring natural beauty, minus the crowds, book that window seat to Palau and just go. 

How to get to Palau

Qantas operate a six-hour direct flight from Brisbane to Koror. 

(Here’s an insider tip I discovered on my flight: The passenger load is capped on these flights due to fuel issues, so there’s likely to be plenty of spare seats. You’ve got a great chance of scoring a window seat – and you might even up with an entire row to yourself). 

Right now, the direct  Brisbane – Koror flight only operates each Saturday, with the return Koror-Sydney flight each Sunday. 

If you can’t spend the whole week in Palau, you’ll need to fly home via Taipei, Tokyo, Manila or Seoul.

I flew home with China Airlines via Taipei and honestly, Palau was so worth the visit, I didn’t care that it took me two flights and an extra 10 hours to get home.

Sami Lukis travelled as a guest of My Holiday. For great Palau flights and accommodation package deals visit myholiday.com.

You can follow Sami on Instagram @samilukis.