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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Asia

Asia

Palau

Golden jellyfish in a marine lake, with mantas, grey reef sharks and turtles among the Rock Islands.

Forested Rock Island in clear turquoise water, Palau
Rock Islands, Koror · Photo: Kurt Cotoaga on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, open for travel. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: Environmental initiatives, Pristine Paradise Palau (Palau Visitors Authority); Turtle shell jewelry still sold despite ban, Island Times, Jan 2021; Palau enforces chemical sunscreen ban, Divernet.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The US State Department rates Palau at Level 1, exercise normal precautions. Smartraveller advises normal safety precautions and notes tropical storms, limited hospitals and a rise in tuberculosis cases. Sources: US State Department travel advisory, Palau · Smartraveller travel advice, Palau Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

ScubaSnorkellingMantasTurtlesSharks

Why Palau

Among Koror and the Rock Islands, a marine lake holds golden jellyfish, visited by snorkel only. Around the islands you may meet manta rays, grey reef sharks and turtles, and dolphins and dugongs may be seen from the boat. November to April is drier, with calmer crossings and better visibility.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

Papua New GuineaIndonesiaTimor-LesteCambodiaThailandLaosVietnamSolomon Is.ChinaTaiwanPhilippinesMalaysiaBruneiKoror and the Rock Islands, Palau

When to go

Nov-Apr. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass

Meets the Ocean Calling standard.

Palau made a national shark sanctuary in 2009, closed most of its sea to fishing, and every visitor takes the Palau Pledge. Golden jellyfish numbers in the marine lake rise and fall, and the lake is snorkel only, so we check the lake report before any plan. We use reef safe sunscreen, never touch animals, and keep our distance from mantas and sharks.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Palau

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Koror and the Rock Islands

Exploring

Golden jellyfish in a marine lake, mantas, grey reef sharks and turtles among the Rock Islands.

🤿 In the water: Golden jellyfish (lake, snorkel only, numbers change year to year), Manta rays and grey reef sharks (never chased or touched, not promised), Turtles

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Spinner dolphins (possible, outer reef), Dugongs (possible)

When: Nov-Apr. November to April is drier, with calmer crossings and better visibility.

Rules and fees: Before you fly, Palau asks every visitor to complete the online Palau Entry Form, sent no more than 72 hours before you land.

Animals

Animals recorded in Palau

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Two blacktip reef sharks swimming over sunlit sand in turquoise waterBlacktip reef sharkCarcharhinus melanopterusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTawny nurse sharks swimming in sunlit Maldives waterTawny nurse sharkNebrius ferrugineusSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWall of grey reef sharks cruising in blue waterGrey reef sharkCarcharhinus amblyrhynchosSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasEndangeredWhitetip reef sharks resting stacked in a reef creviceWhitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePantropical spotted dolphin gliding at the calm ocean surfacePantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuataSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBanded sea krait with yellow lip rising over dark sandBanded sea krait (yellow-lipped sea krait)Laticauda colubrinaSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClown triggerfish with big white spots over reef in the Coral SeaClown triggerfishBalistoides conspicillumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGolden jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake, Koror, PalauGolden jellyfishMastigias papua etpisoni and other MastigiasSeen in 4 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedMoon jellyfish in a harbour in Zeeland, NetherlandsMoon jellyfishAurelia aurita and other Aurelia speciesSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedDugong grazing on seagrass over a sandy seabedDugongDugong dugonSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasVulnerableReef manta ray gliding over a sandy lagoonReef manta rayMobula alfrediSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGiant oceanic manta with T-shaped white shoulder patches and remorasOceanic manta ray (giant manta)Mobula birostrisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasEndangeredHumphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja AmpatHumphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)Cheilinus undulatusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredSchool of bumphead parrotfish swimming over coralBumphead parrotfishBolbometopon muricatumSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLarge school of chevron barracuda in deep blue waterChevron barracudaSphyraena qenieSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBroadclub cuttlefish hovering with arms raised over reefBroadclub cuttlefishAscarosepion latimanusSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasData DeficientSpotted garden eels rising from sand, black spots clearly visibleSpotted garden eelHeteroconger hassiSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite-spotted eagle rays gliding over coral at Heron Island, Great Barrier ReefSpotted eagle ray (ocellated eagle ray)Aetobatus ocellatusSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasEndangeredZebra shark resting on sandy reef floor, spotted body and ridgesZebra sharkStegostoma tigrinumSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePale reef stonefish resting between anemones in KwajaleinReef stonefishSynanceia verrucosaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlack noddy perched in a shrub on Tern Island, French Frigate ShoalsBlack noddyAnous minutusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant clam on the reef at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, AustraliaGiant clamTridacna gigasSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant trevally swimming close to a coral head, with small reef fish in blue water behind itGiant trevallyCaranx ignobilisSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSaltwater crocodile resting on a muddy bank beside mangrove rootsSaltwater crocodileCrocodylus porosusSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat frigatebird in flight, with long angled wings and a forked tailGreat frigatebirdFregata minorSeen in 44 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTropical shearwater flying low over blue waves, with dark wings and white underpartsTropical shearwaterPuffinus bailloniSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLittle pied cormorant head and neck by the water, with a white face and yellow billLittle pied cormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucosSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Dreaming of Palau?

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There is no trip here yet. If enough people ask, it helps us decide where to go next.

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