Palau

Palau is one of the world's last great ocean paradises — a tiny Pacific island nation that punches far above its size in natural wonder, marine biodiversity, and conservation vision. Scattered across 340 kilometres of the western Pacific, the archipelago's more than 300 islands and islets rise from a sea of extraordinary clarity and colour, their jungle-covered limestone towers and white sand beaches reflecting in waters that host some of the richest coral reef ecosystems on the planet. Jacques Cousteau ranked Palau among the world's top five diving destinations, and anyone who slips beneath its surface immediately understands why.

The Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Palau's most iconic image — a maze of mushroom-shaped limestone islands rising from a turquoise lagoon, pierced by hidden sea caves, blue holes, and channels where the currents bring in vast schools of barracuda, Napoleon wrasse, and grey reef sharks. The legendary Blue Corner dive site delivers wall-drifting encounters with large pelagic fish that rank it among the world's finest dives. Jellyfish Lake, where millions of non-stinging golden jellyfish pulse gently through a landlocked marine lake, is one of the most extraordinary snorkelling experiences on earth.

Beyond the ocean, Palau has a layered and fascinating story — ancient stone money, elaborate men's meetinghouses called bai, the haunting WWII wreck sites of Peleliu island, and a living culture in which traditional clan structures and environmental stewardship are intertwined. As the world races to address ocean degradation, Palau leads: it created the world's first shark sanctuary in 2009 and was a pioneer in banning destructive fishing practices. Visiting Palau is not just a holiday — it is a lesson in what we stand to lose and what determined communities can protect.

Palau has been inhabited for at least three thousand years, settled by seafarers from Island Southeast Asia — likely from the Philippines or eastern Indonesia — who navigated to this remote western Pacific outpost using traditional wayfinding techniques. The island society they built was sophisticated and stable, based on clan agriculture, reef fishing, and a complex system of ceremonial exchange in which the traditional money of Palauan society — Udoud, made of imported glass beads traded into the islands from Asia — conveyed wealth, status, and alliance. Spanish explorers arrived in 1522 but Spain only formally claimed the islands in 1885, beginning the colonial era.

Germany purchased the islands from Spain in 1899 following the Spanish-American War. Japan occupied Palau from World War I through to 1944, making it a major military base and developing the islands economically through copra, fishing, and bauxite extraction. The Battle of Peleliu in September to November 1944 was one of the most fiercely contested and costly engagements of the Pacific War — American forces suffered over 9,800 casualties capturing the island from its 10,900-strong Japanese garrison in what is now considered a strategically questionable campaign. The rusting tanks, overgrown gun emplacements, and underwater wrecks left by that battle remain among the Pacific's most sobering WWII memorial sites. Palau became an independent nation in 1994, entering a Compact of Free Association with the United States.

Palauan culture is one of the Pacific's most distinctive, structured around a matrilineal clan system in which land and titles pass through the female line and the chiefly authority of clan leaders — both male and female chiefs — governs community life. The bai, or traditional meetinghouse, is the centre of village social life; these elaborately carved and painted structures served as the venue for councils, feasts, and ceremonial exchange and are considered among the finest examples of Pacific traditional architecture. The storyboards and carvings that decorate bai panels record the oral histories, legends, and social codes of Palauan society in visual form.

The Palauan concept of "Bul" — a traditional conservation taboo system in which areas of reef or land are closed to harvesting for periods of time — predates modern conservation science and is remarkably effective. Palauan identity is deeply intertwined with the sea: fishing, navigation, and reef knowledge are transmitted from generation to generation and considered essential cultural knowledge. The Modekngei religion, an indigenous Palauan faith that emerged in the early twentieth century, blends traditional spiritual beliefs with elements drawn from contact with Christianity and continues to be practised alongside mainstream churches. English and Palauan are both official languages, with Japanese also widely spoken due to prewar colonisation.

Palauan cuisine is a relatively modest tradition compared to the spectacle of the surrounding ocean, shaped by the limited arable land of a small island nation and the strong cultural influences of Japan, the Philippines, and the United States that have shaped the islands through successive waves of colonisation, migration, and association. The most traditional Palauan staple is taro — grown in the terraced taro patches that are still maintained by clans across the islands — boiled or baked and eaten as a starchy accompaniment to fish, chicken, or bat (fruit bat is considered a traditional delicacy, though increasingly restricted). Mangrove crab, reef fish, and lobster are the great natural gifts of Palau's ocean, and simply prepared fresh seafood — grilled, steamed, or made into coconut milk soups — is the highlight of any Palauan meal.

The strong Japanese influence means sushi, sashimi, and Japanese-style ramen are readily available in Koror, the commercial capital, alongside Filipino chicken adobo, American-style burgers, and Korean grills. Fresh coconut, breadfruit, and taro feature in traditional sweets and snacks. The dining scene in Koror has expanded significantly with the growth of tourism — a small but competent collection of restaurants serves everything from quality local seafood to international cuisine. For the most authentic Palauan experience, accept any invitation to a family gathering — traditional food is always best experienced in the company of the people who made it.