Posts Tagged ‘Palau’

The Rock Islands of Palau

Every summer, UNESCO names new cultural and natural wonders to its World Heritage List for their outstanding universal value. This year’s crop of new wonders includes the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon in Palau. Comprising the world’s greatest collection of marine lakes (seawater lakes separated from the ocean), and a reef system with more than 385 species of coral, the Rock Islands sustain a large diversity of endemic plants, birds and marine life. Human traces stretch back more than 3,000 years, including 17th- and 18th-century stone working villages abandoned due to climate change and population pressure on the fragile ecosystem.

The Rock Islands and the surrounding reefs make up Palau’s popular snorkeling sites such as Blue Corner, Blue hole, German Channel, and the famed Jellyfish Lake, one of the many marine lakes in the Rock Islands that provides home and safety for several kinds of stingless jellyfish found only in Palau.

Featured in National Geographic 50 tours of a lifetime, Boundless Journeys Palau: Oceania Odyssey includes world-class sea kayaking and snorkeling amongst the Rock Islands and hikes to hidden lakes and waterfalls.

For more information, visit our Palau Web page, or call our Palau trip manager at 800.941.8010. We hope you can join us for this incredible journey!

Upcoming featured departure: January 29 – February 6, 2013; Reserve by September 14th and save 10%.

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

Many Islands to explore

Imagine the whitest beaches you will ever see, gardens of coral just beneath the clearest waters, lakes filled to the brim with “sting less” jellyfish, forests, waterfalls and caves that have never been ravaged by man, and hundreds of islands of the purest beauty . . . this is Micronesia’s Palau. Featured in National Geographic 50 tours of a lifetime, Boundless Journeys Palau: Oceania Odyssey tour includes 10 days of world-class sea kayaking and snorkeling, hikes to archeological wonders and hidden waterfalls, full-service camping on the Rock Islands, and deluxe beachfront lodging.

Often a highlight of the tour, our camping portion includes full days immersed in nature with the most experienced local guides and camp staff. Our days begin early as guests quickly fall into the habit of waking up with the sunrise and going to bed early after gently paced but full days of adventure. Coffee, tea, and biscuits greet us with the sun, followed by a sit down breakfast and a briefing of the day. After everyone has their bearings, we depart camp by kayak for a day of gentle paddling, calm water snorkeling, bird watching, caving, beach combing, and natural history talks. A picnic lunch is typically on a secluded beach en route. After refueling we jump back into natural history touring for the afternoon, and generally return to camp in the late afternoon or early evening. The decision on when to end the day depends largely on the energy level and enthusiasm of the group. A grand reward at the end of the day, we indulge in a freshly prepared multi-course dinner served after cocktails and sunset on the beach. For those adventurers who are not ready to retire, we frequently offer excursions for night fishing, land crabbing, night snorkeling, or after dinner bonfires.

Great for a family adventure

If this sounds like a bit of paradise to you, give us a call at 1-900-941-8010 to learn more about this epic adventure in Micronesia’s westernmost island chain, or visit our Palau Web page by clicking here.

About Boundless Journeys
Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator. With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

One of the highlights of our Palau: Oceania Odyssey tour is a visit to the secret and surreal Jellyfish Lake, where we encounter thousands of non-stinging jellyfish.

Their existence in Jellyfish Lake is a fascinating evolutionary story, tracing its origin back 35 million years to the time the Rock Islands were first created as a result of colliding tectonic plates. Over time, erosive forces slowly ate away at the exposed sea bed, carving away what are now hundreds of islands, with pockets cutting holes in the limestone. These pockets continued to carve deeper and deeper into the rock until they reached through to the salt water. Throughout geologic time, the sea water continued to percolate through the porous limestone to create a number of salt water lakes. With the sea water came microscopic organisms, including a particular variety of jellyfish. Trapped inside the lake, with little plankton to prey upon, the jellyfish were forced to evolve away from their predatory ways, to an existence based on photosynthesis. In the end, the stingers became extraneous and were lost.

As witnesses to this evolutionary phenomenon, guests on Boundless Journeys’ Palau tour float gently in the water of the lake, equipped with masks and snorkels. It is incredible to feel the delicate bodies of the jellyfish swimming against you — truly a special experience; one you will only find in Palau!

Click here to see a video from recent Boundless Journeys’ guests on a Private Collection tour to Palau.

About Boundless Journeys

Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator, selected as one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth” by National Geographic ADVENTURE, February 2009; and a “World’s Best” tour operator by Travel + Leisure, August 2009.

With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking in remote regions ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.

Palau's World War II History

When preparing for a hiking tour, a trekking tour, or an adventure travel vacation, most people think to pack boots, and waterproof and fleece jackets.

Well, in some cases you might not need more than  a bikini, trunks and a snorkel! In fact, if you are packing for travel to Palau, we would suggest these items be in your carry-on luggage as this Pacific archipelago has some of the most amazing azure-blue snorkeling sites on the planet.

Palau’s Rock Islands are protected by a fringe reef, which leaves their seas calm and safe. Many of the islands are uninhabited, which further helps preserve the sanctity of these waters, although, deep underneath the surface, is evidence of a less peaceful past. Hidden out of sight, but easily discovered by divers and snorkelers, are the steel skeletons of more than 75 World War II-era Japanese warships. The Battle for the Pacific brought U.S. forces to these shores in 1944 when the first U.S. Marine Division landed at Peleliu ahead of a difficult campaign. As troops fought through caves and dense jungles, the battle out at sea raged on. As part of the assault, the U.S. launched bombing raids from aircraft carriers and it was these that finished off the Japanese fleet. Yet, now where you might expect to find only the shells of vessels, you’ll find life; the Pacific has reclaimed the rusting hulks and covered them with a carpet of corals.

It is rare for snorkelers to have so much choice, a freedom shared by kayakers who can safely paddle from island to island. Exploring this way, you’ll soon notice the large rock overhangs and cave entrances. Inland, there are further treasures to be found: recent archeological works have unearthed evidence of fishing communities dating from AD 250.

Now enjoying much more peaceful times, the islands of the Palau archipelago offer their own rewards and one of the richest marine environments in the world.

Palau: Oceania Odyssey:  Explore Palau’s unrivaled sea kayaking and snorkeling in the Rock Islands, paddle to hidden marine lakes, hike to waterfalls deep in the rainforest, and discover remnants of World War II archaeology.

About Boundless Journeys

Boundless Journeys is an award-winning small group adventure tour operator, selected as one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth” by National Geographic ADVENTURE, February 2009; and a “World’s Best” tour operator by Travel + Leisure, August 2009.

With a diverse collection of locally guided, small group itineraries and Private Collection trips around the world, Boundless Journeys offers “The World’s Great Adventures.” The adventure trips for 2-16 guests are active, ranging from leisurely cultural explorations and wildlife safaris to challenging trekking in remote regions ― with plenty of easy to moderate walking and sea kayaking in between.