Snorkelling over the reefs everyone talks about, floating through the Rock Islands, and a proper look at the Pacific's quietest corner. Flying via Brisbane.
There's no direct flight from Sydney, so the trip is built around a single connection in Brisbane. Qantas flies the "Palau Paradise Express," a direct weekly service from Brisbane to Koror, taking around 5.5 to 6 hours. Because it only runs once a week, the whole trip gets planned around that flight day.
Return fares from Sydney have typically landed between AUD 900 and AUD 1,900, cheaper outside the December to April peak. Book the Brisbane connection with enough buffer either side in case of delays, since the onward flight only runs weekly.
Australians don't need to arrange anything in advance. This is what to have ready at the airport.
A 30 day permit is issued at the airport, no advance visa needed.
Passports need to be valid at least six months past the return date.
Have the return flight confirmation ready to show at check in.
A legally binding eco pledge stamped straight into the passport on arrival. Worth a photo.
Weighed against a beachfront resort and a budget motel, this is the one that makes sense for a week of tours rather than a week by the pool: comfortable, central, and it leaves more of the budget for the water.
Clean, well kept rooms a short walk from central Koror's restaurants and every tour desk they'll need this week. It doesn't try to be a resort, and for two people planning to be out on the water most days, that's exactly right, the room is for sleeping and showering off saltwater, not for lounging.
Six places, one per key evening, chosen to match the pace of each day rather than presented as a menu of options.
All snorkelling, no tanks. Every reef and site below is reachable from the surface with a guide, including the two famous ones everyone talks about.
Fly Sydney to Brisbane, then connect straight onto the Palau service. It's a big day of travel, arriving into Koror at night. Transfer to the hotel and go straight to bed.
A slow start after the flight. Wander central Koror, visit the Belau National Museum for a look at Palau's German, Japanese and American history, and find dinner on the waterfront.
The signature Palau day. A boat tour through the limestone Rock Islands, a float in the Milky Way's natural mud spa, and a swim at Jellyfish Lake. Worth knowing the golden jellyfish population is currently well down from its famous historic millions, so it's best enjoyed as a calm, otherworldly swim rather than expecting a wall of jellyfish.
These sites are usually pitched at divers, but a good guide will run a surface snorkel tour over the same reef walls, still with real odds of grey reef sharks, eagle rays and big schools of fish below. Book with an operator that specifically offers snorkel trips to these sites, such as Sam's Tours or Fish 'n Fins, rather than a general dive charter.
A gentler day. Kayak out through the Rock Islands to Ulong Island, with time on a quiet white sand beach and more snorkelling over coral gardens close to shore.
A speedboat trip south to Peleliu, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific War in 1944. Rusting tanks and gun emplacements sit quietly alongside some of Micronesia's best, emptiest beaches. A striking change of pace from the resort side of Palau.
Cross the bridge to Babeldaob, Palau's largest island, for waterfalls and traditional villages, or keep this day open. A second snorkel outing, a spa treatment, or just time by the water before flying home all work well here.
A free morning, then a transfer to the airport for the flight back through Brisbane to Sydney.
Now that the hotel, restaurants and tours are locked in, here's what it actually comes to per person, in Australian dollars.
| Item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Return flights, Sydney to Koror via Brisbane | $900–$1,900 |
| Sea Passion Hotel, 7 nights, shared twin, per person | $350–$560 |
| Rock Islands and Jellyfish Lake permit (covers days 3 to 5) | $106 |
| Day 3 to 5 snorkel and kayak tours | $385 |
| Day 6, Peleliu tour and permit | $200 |
| Food and drink, the six picks plus daily coffee | $250–$430 |
| Rough total per person | $2,190–$3,580 |
If they add the optional Babeldaob waterfall tour on day 7, add roughly USD 95pp on top. Prices are current estimates from operator listings, worth a final check when booking closer to the date.
Palau uses the US dollar. ATMs are limited outside Koror, so carry some cash for the outer islands.
Reef toxic sunscreen is banned by law. Pack reef safe sunscreen before leaving Australia, it can be hard to find locally.
Worth packing for coral underfoot and the sun on boat decks.
An eSIM is easy to set up before leaving and coverage around Koror is decent.
Snorkel and Rock Islands tours fill up fast in the December to April peak season.
Standard travel insurance is fine for snorkelling, no dive specific cover needed.