Best places to visit in Palau: top cities, regions and sights

Palau has one real base and a short list of add-ons. The table below sorts the main places by who they suit, when to go and what they cost in time or money. Costs are 2026 estimates; boat tours and permits are the big line items, so check current prices with your operator before booking.

Step 1: book Koror first. Every boat trip, dive shop and the Belau National Museum sit in or near Koror, so one hotel there removes all transfers. Five to seven nights is the standard first trip.

Step 2: fill the days with boat trips. A Rock Islands day covers the lagoons, sandbars such as Long Beach and the Milky Way, and usually Jellyfish Lake on Eil Malk if it is open. Low tide decides which sandbars appear, so let the operator pick the day.

Step 3: add a dive day if you dive. Blue Corner is the headline site: sharks and current. Non-divers can snorkel other sites on the same boats.

Step 4: take one Babeldaob day by hire car. See the waterfall, the Badrulchau monoliths, the Airai bai and Ngerulmud. Do the museum in Koror before this drive; the storyboards make more sense afterwards.

Step 5: if you have 10 days or more, add Peleliu. One or two nights at Kloulklubed, reached by state boat or small plane; confirm return days before you commit. Hire a local guide for Bloody Nose Ridge and the Peace Memorial Park.

Step 6: keep the last day before your flight dive-free. Use it for the Etpison Museum, shopping or a short lagoon trip.

Palau is not a place to hop between bases. Koror is the hub, Babeldaob is a drive day and the rest is water. Trying to sleep in three places in a week costs you boat days.

Permits matter. Rock Islands access is permit-based and a permit usually covers repeat visits within its validity, which is why a longer stay with several boat days works well. Confirm current rules and fees with your operator or the local visitor authority.

Weather is seasonal but diving runs year-round. Nov–May is the drier, calmer stretch for the Rock Islands and outer reefs; the rest of the year is greener and cheaper but choppier.

This page is general planning information, not a booking service. Verify opening status, prices and transport days close to your travel date.

Facts here are cross-checked against official Palau visitor and government information where available, and against the parent Palau page on this site. Anything we could not confirm is marked check. Last checked: 2026-09.