The Rock Islands in Palau & Infos about Jellyfish Lake (Palau)

The beauty of Palau can be found not only underwater while diving, but also above the water there is a lot to admire. Especially the Rock Islands, which have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012, we really liked ❤

The Rock Islands of Palau

In 2012, the 100-hectareRock Islands Southern Lagoonin Palau, with its 445 uninhabited limestone islands of volcanic origin, was declared a World Heritage Site and World Heritage Site. The lagoon is home to a complex reef system with over 385 corals and a large number of different creatures – under and above water. The daily boat trips to our dive sites in the morning and afternoon through the Chelbacheb Islands,known as the Rock Islands, were really fantastic!

For about 40 minutes we could enjoy the sight of the overgrown limestone cliffslying in the turquoise lagoon glittering from the sun. Sometimes we just drove on the sidelines, sometimes in the middle of it. EWinfach beautifully ❤

Our video of the Rock Islands

Here is a short video with a few impressions of our journeys through the Rock Islands and the German Channel:

The famous Jellyfish Lake in Palau

Another reason why we chose Palau as a destination was the so-called Jellyfish Lake (Ongeim’l Tketau), which is located in the middle of the famous Rock Islands – on the Koror offshore island eil Malk. This jellyfish lake is one of the “must do’s” and main attractions of Palau. Snorkeling trips can be booked from Koror, but you also need a permit from the Koror State Department, which can be purchased beforehand for USD 50. There are up to 30 million jellyfish of the species Mastigias papua (shield jellyfish). The jellyfish are absolutely harmless. When the lake was separated from the sea about 12,000 years ago, the jellyfish completely lost their poison because they had no natural enemies in the almost isolated lake. Incidentally, scuba diving is not permitted in the lake, which is about 200 metres long, 20 metres wide and up to 30 metres deep. One can only move as a snorkeler in this extraordinary world.

Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Jellyfish Lake! Of course, we had this firmly planned in our travel planning – but since 2016 there are almost no jellyfish in this lake. The reason for this is not the large number of tourists, but a strong dry season and the weather phenomenon El Nino. Due to the few rains in Palau, which in 2016 were the lowest in 65 years, the salinity in the Jellyfish Lake has increased significantly. As a result, the mixing ratio in the lake between the salt water of the sea and the fresh water of the rain is no longer balanced, which resulted in a veritable jellyfish death. Another reason is a hot current from the Pacific that may have caused the extinction.

Here and here there are 2 interesting videos of the Jellyfish Lake on Palau, which we found on YouTube.

All travelogues from Palau