Planning & Information – Palau

Where: Palau
Transport: Airlines, Car
Who: One backpacker
Currency: US Dollar (USD)
 

Orientation
This itinerary takes you through some of the best places around the beautiful island country in the pacific – Palau, for three days.

Visa
Make sure to check if you need a visa to travel to Palau. I did not require to get a visa prior to my trip, so it was a breeze going through the immigration at Airai International airport (ROR).

It was “visa on arrival” for me and in order to promote environment awareness, the government of Palau requires visitors to sign an eco-pledge on their passports before being granted a visa upon arrival.

The program, known as “Palau Pledge”, is reportedly the first immigration-related reform in the world that is intended to protect the environment.

This is literally the “visa on arrival”! One of the best passport stamps I’ve had!
 

Here are some tips that I experienced on my trip to Palau:

• Cash or cards – Credit cards are not widely used in Palau, and ATMs or currency exchange centers are rarely available. Most restaurants, cafes, tourist sites will expect cash, and the option to use credit cards might not be available.
• Transportation – Taxis can be expensive and Uber is not available. There is no public transportation across the country, but driving is great in Palau. USD is the official currency of Palau.
   

  Airai International airport to city center (and back) Located around 14km north of main city of Koror, Airai international airport (ROR) does not have any public transport. The only option is to take a taxi. Many taxis are available at the airport or you can have one arranged from your hotel. The standard rate at the time of our visit was $25. It takes about 20 minutes from airport to Koror city center.

   

  Driving in Palau (Babeldoab Island) With just one main circular road that is perfect condition, it is a breeze to drive on the main island of Babeldoab. There are no signals in the country and the one main road is a two lane (single lane on each side) road with a speed limit of 30-60 kmph max. All signs are marked in miles per hour.

• Water – Tap water is safe to drink. One liter bottle of water from a local market will cost $3-$5.
• Wi-fi – Available in most hotels and cafes in cities, but the speeds are not good.

SIM Card in Palau Company: The tourist SIM card from PNCC is available in selected places in Koror. You need to show some ID to get a SIM card; just walk to the store, pay the money and get the SIM card. Cost: It costs $20 for SIM card with 5GB of data and some local texts/calls. If you add $5 (top-up), you get 7GB of data. Where to get: At airport: It is important to note that the PNCC store at the airport is located at the baggage claim area. And once you’re out of the baggage claim area, there are no stores, except in Koror. Globus store, Koror: The Globus store in Koror, located next to the Palau Hotel, sells the PNCC SIM cards. This store opens at 6am so if you arrived late night (which most travelers do), then you can walk up to the store and get a SIM card the next day. PNCC store: The PNCC office in Koror sells the SIM card. The store opens at 9am. Activation: The SIM card is not activated, but ask the person at the store/office to activate it for you. You can also dial *780# to activate your card. If you have any updates, please leave in the comments below.

I booked hotels before traveling to Palau. These were booked after reviewing them on Google, TripAdvisor, booking.com and WikiTravel.

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate. Each cost is for one adult. International flights to and from Palau are NOT included in the costs.