Hotels in Palau

Palau is an archipelago of more than 340 islands in the western Pacific, and it is one of the great diving destinations on earth. The Rock Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are hundreds of mushroom-shaped limestone knobs scattered across a turquoise lagoon, undercut at the waterline by centuries of tidal erosion.

Below the surface, Blue Corner and German Channel deliver reef sharks, manta rays and schooling barracuda in currents that demand a reef hook. Jellyfish Lake, a marine lake where millions of golden jellyfish have evolved without functional stings, reopened after a drought-driven population crash and is snorkel-only. Wrecks from the 1944 Battle of Peleliu lie in shallow water alongside the reefs.

Palau takes conservation seriously and expects visitors to as well. Arriving passengers sign the Palau Pledge, stamped into their passports, promising to tread lightly, and eighty percent of the country's waters are a no-take marine sanctuary. Accommodation is concentrated around Koror, from dive lodges to a few upmarket resorts.