Palau is located in such beautiful surroundings and with so many dive-able wrecks that it has to be one of the best scuba diving destinations in the world.
Inserted/Added by: | lars, © Author: Lars Hemel |
Rated: | Rated 3.8, 48 votes |
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The Republic of Palau (sometimes named Belau) is the most western island group of Micronesia, just northeast of the Philippines and Indonesia. This Archipelago consists of more than 350 different islands, all with a tropical climate and a mild wet season between July and October. The Palau Archipelago consists out of the main islands Babeldoab, Koror, Ngerchong, Ngemelis, Peleliu and Anguar. To the upper north you can find the low lying coral islands Kayangel and Ngeruangel. To the far south of Angaur you can find the secluded states of Sonsorol and Hatobohei. The world renowned limestone Rock Islands are a set of pristine blue mushroom shaped islets famous for boat tours, kayaking, canoeing and many other nature trips. The Spanish were the first colonizers that ruled Palau up till the Spanish American war of 1898 when they sold it to Germany. The Japanese took over in WWI and ruled until the allied defeated the Japanese throughout Micronesia in the end of WWII. Most tourists are stunned by Palau's natural beauty, its rich WWI and WWII history and traditional culture.
Another popular experience is spotting a living fossil, the fish named Chambered Nautilus, which hasn't changed in more than 400 million years. They normally live in depths deeper than 600 feet where water temperatures are near zero degrees, but in Palau you can book tours to see them. There are well decorated caves to be explored with stone paths and remains from ancient villages telling the story of its past. Koror offers many different types of accommodations from luxury hotels, resort-like bungalows to cheaper motels. It is possible to arrange single day diving up to multiple day liveaboard vessels visiting the most remote spots of Palau, appearing to be alone in the world.
Most diving and dive sites in Palau can be reached after an hour beautiful boat trip with lunch often taken at the Rock Islands. Palau's outer coral barrier reef forms rich high current drop-offs, quiet blue lagoons and pretty coral gardens. You can dive inside clear caves with excellent chambers and ceilings and there are interesting war wrecks encrusted in corals and swarmed with fish. These offer some of the best snorkeling adventures in waters that house more than 1500 different fish species and more than 700 types of corals and anemones. Another popular activity is reef hook diving. Many dive sites are situated in waters with heavy current. Reef hooks, connected to your BCD, can be used to attach yourself to the reef for relaxed enjoyable scuba diving.
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