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Voykit pocket guide · Palau

Koror

Koror is a base, not a destination: the good days are on the water. Sleep here, book your boat and dive days first, use the town for a museum morning and an evening meal, and keep the last 24 hours before a flight free of diving.

Koror is a small island town linked by bridge to the mainland. The Rock Islands, the dive walls and Jellyfish Lake (when open) are all reached by boat from the Malakal docks, so the trips that go wrong are the ones without a booked boat, a permit or a spare day. Four short clusters cover the town; a taxi or your hotel's shuttle joins them.

Downtown KororNgarachamayong Culture…Belau National Museum d…Malakal harbour & dive…Downtown KororMalakal1 kmpins: sleep areas · dots: places
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Palau
Best months
Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · Nov · Dec
Time zone
Pacific/Palau
Stay
2 days: One boat day + a museum morning

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
USD
Money
Cards work at hotels and dive shops. Carry US bills for taxis, small shops and permits; ATMs are in Koror.
Daily spend
Budget US$80–130 excl. bed · Mid US$130–250 excl. bed · High US$250+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Local providers are PNCC (Palau National Communications Corp.) and PT Waves; buy a prepaid SIM in Koror.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Belau National Hospital +680 488 2552 (check)
Plugs
Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · US-style plugs.
Tipping
Restaurant: 10% if no service charge.; Dive crew: US$10–20 a day to the boat crew and guide.; Taxi: Round up.; Housekeeping: US$2–5 a night.
Water
Tap water is not recommended for drinking; use bottled or filtered water. Hotels often supply refills.
Toilets
Western toilets in town; Rock Island beaches have basic facilities at some stops.

Get in

By air

Roman Tmetuchl International Airport (ROR)
ROR to Koror: one pre-booked hotel shuttle or airport taxi, about 25–40 minutes across Babeldaob and the bridge — the risk is a flight that lands in the small hours with no ride arranged, not the distance.

Get around

Walk inside a cluster in the morning or evening; a taxi or hotel shuttle between clusters.

Passes
No pass. Agree the taxi fare before you get in, or use your hotel's shuttle and the boat operator's pickup.
Late at night
No rail. Taxis are few late at night: ask the hotel to book the ride back before you go out.

See and do

  1. 01Rock Islands boat dayRock Islands

    Book with an operator that includes the Rock Islands permit and a lunch stop; leave from Malakal early, carry water, reef-safe sunscreen and a rash vest.

  2. 02Belau National Museum

    Go in the morning for the story of Palau's culture and history before the boat or the heat; a taxi there and back.

Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.

Eat

Koror main street eateries
Walk-in local and seafood meals on and around the main street; go before 20:00, take a taxi home and carry small US bills.

Sleep

Downtown Koror
First-timers: restaurants, shops and the museum are a short taxi ride; choose a hotel with a 24-hour desk and book the airport pickup.
Malakal
Close to the dive docks and the early boats; a taxi ride from the Koror restaurants and the museum.

Language

Palauan and English are both official; English is used in government, schools, business and tourism, so visitors rarely need anything else. Many older Palauans also speak some Japanese, and many shop and restaurant staff are Filipino or Bangladeshi workers.

  • Place names often have Japanese-era alternatives; maps may show both.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Alii with a smile; handshakes; avoid: Loud behaviour in villages
  • Elders and chiefs: Show respect, let elders speak first; avoid: Interrupting
  • Bai: Ask before entering or photographing; avoid: Climbing on the platform
  • Reef: Float, look, leave; avoid: Standing on coral, feeding fish
  • Village dress: Cover up away from beaches; avoid: Walking in swimwear

Red lines

  • Follow the Palau Pledge: take nothing, touch no coral, feed no fish.
  • Ask before photographing people or entering a bai (traditional meeting house).
  • Dress modestly in town; swimwear only on boats and beaches.

Scams (Palau page)

  • Unlicensed boat operators: Book through registered dive shops and tour companies that handle permits and carry radios and oxygen.
  • Permit confusion: Ask whether the Rock Islands or Jellyfish Lake permit is included; rangers check.
  • Taxi overcharging: Use the hotel transfer or agree the price first.
  • Fake e-visa or 'Palau ETA' sites: Palau has no online visa for most visitors; the visa is issued free on arrival.

One and two days

1 day

The first day of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Belau National Museum, a 12:30 lunch table downtown

  1. 08:30Belau National Museum
  2. museum grounds (optional)
  3. 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (downtown Koror)
  4. Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; dinner on the main street before 20:00.

2 days

The first two days of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Belau National Museum, a 12:30 lunch table downtown

  1. 08:30Belau National Museum
  2. museum grounds (optional)
  3. 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (downtown Koror)
  4. Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; dinner on the main street before 20:00.

Day 2 — Rock Islands boat day, first departure

  1. 07:30Rock Islands boat day
  2. malakal dock walk (optional)
  3. Evening: dinner downtown; book the taxi back before you go out.

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Koror

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Take me to

  • Rock IslandsRock Islands boat day

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/koror). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.