Day 2 – Rock Islands Tour

There are a lot of agencies and tour operators in Palau that offer almost the same ‘Rock Islands Tour’ as a full-day excursion. Competitive prices range from $150 to $350 per person depending on how many people join in the tour.

From friends’ recommendations, I went with Neco Marine’s tour. The cost of tour at the time of writing was $200, and does not include the mandatory Palau diving permit fees of $100, making the total to $300.

After pre-arranging the tour with Neco Marine, I was picked up at 8:30am from my hotel. First stop was the office of the company for briefing.

A quick 15-minute check for everything and we were off in the blue waters of Palau!

Rock Islands Tour Tips Sunscreen – Please use environment friendly sunscreen while diving. Applying sunscreen is not allowed in Jellyfish lake. Clothes – Other than a towel and swimsuit, carry a light rain-jacket. It can get windy and rainy unexpectedly. Camera – for smartphones, invest in a waterproof case and a wrist-band that attaches to your phone for the best social media pictures. For GoPro, bring extra battery. Trust me, you’ll need it! Drone – You will be able to fly from lunch spot at a beach. Or from Jellyfish lake. Other than that, you’ll not be docked to a shore, but diving from your boat. Food/water – Lunch is included in the tour, so no need to carry any. Water is also provided by the operator but make sure to ask before booking. Carrying light snacks or protein bars is a great idea. Bag storage – our boat had storage spaces below the seats. Check with your operator. Equipment – For the tour I was in, snorkeling equipment was included in the cost.

There will be six different spots along the tour:

• Milky Way: Rub limestone anti-aging mud and dive.
• Giant Clams City: Dive at the location of giant clams and other marine life.
• Jellyfish Lake: A short hike from the beach brings to a lake to dive in with stingless Jellyfishes.
• Paradise Beach: Lunch at the beach and dive with the sharks.
• Emerald Isles: Spectacular and colorful marine life and corals.
• Japanese Shipwreck WWII: Dive to the location of a Japanese shipwreck from WWII.

Here are some pictures from the tour:

[Milky Way in Palau]

[Rubbing limestone anti-aging mud in Milky Way in Palau]

[Beach before Jellyfish Lake hike. The boat docks here and you hike over to the lake.]

[Hiking to the Jellyfish Lake through the rainforest]

[First snorkel in Jellyfish Lake]

[Jellyfish lake, Palau]

[Selfie with a Jellyfish in the Jellyfish lake, Palau. You can gently touch the jellyfishes as they have lost the ability to sting over hundreds of years of isolation.]

[Bento box lunch at Paradise beach]

[Selfie with the fishes in Paradise beach]

[Swimming with Sharks at Paradise beach]

[Giant Clams city, Palau]

[Cave used by Japanese to store fuel during WWII]

[A 50-feet wide natural arch, Palau]

 
Expect to be drained by the end of the tour, I was dropped at the hotel by 5pm. After a quick shower and a dinner at Tori Tori Japanese restaurant, I called it an early night!

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate. Each cost is for one adult.