Travel bucket list idea:
Palau
Bucket List Experience
An unobtrusive, ordinary-looking lake, buried deep in the Tarzan-esque junglescape of Palau’s Rock Islands, is the setting for one of nature’s wonders.
Jellyfish lake, as it is known, is home to stingless golden jellyfish – millions of them – that migrate across the lake and back daily, following the path of the sun.
It’s thought the lake was formed around 12,000 years ago, when rising sea levels filled the lake, before receding. The stranded jellyfish, lacking natural predators, were then able to profilerate and evolve to the lake’s unique conditions.
Scuba diving is banned for safety reasons, but local tour operators run daily snorkelling trips.
You can rent your own boat to cruise on your own to Jellyfish Lake, but it can be tricky to find in the maze-like Rock Islands. Better to sign up for an organized half-day or full-day trip with a Koror-based operator. A 45-minute ridiculously scenic boat ride through the Rock Islands brings you to the small island of Eil Malk, where you’ll hike a short but steep trail over the ridge to reach the lake. Be warned, it’s in the middle of nowhere, so there is no food or drink available. Organised tours will bring bottled water and usually snacks.
If you don’t fancy the swim, helicopter flights over Palau are way to appreciate the Rock Islands, and usually include a fly-over of Jellyfish Lake, where you can often see the cloud of critters below.
Tours run all year round, seven days a week. Although the weather is best on the island from November through to May, it doesn’t impact jellyfish sightings.
Mid-morning through early afternoon is the best time to go since the animals follow the sun’s movement across the lake. There are fewer crowds at lunchtime.
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Koror
Viator
Price $200
Min age 0
Rating 5 / 5 [12 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Round-ups that include this experience
Multiple countries
Inspiration
Former travel editor of BBC Wildlife Magazine James Fair round-ups the earth’s greatest natural wonders, which will literally take your breath away.
