Discovering untouched Palau aboard Four Seasons Explorer

The stunningly remote island archipelago of Palau boasts some of the world’s best snorkelling and diving – and there’s no better way to take in this magical underwater world than from aboard the luxurious Four Seasons Explorer

There’s an underwater collision about to happen. Swimming purposefully through the water is a large turtle, which is clearly feeling confident about having the right of way. Moving parallel to the coral-encrusted underwater wall, it’s heading straight for my dive buddy, Leo, who is hanging vertically in the water just centimetres from the rock wall.

Leo is an experienced diver and knows that wildlife has the right of way, but is oblivious to the approaching turtle. That’s because he is intently studying the colourful corals covering every inch of the rock wall and the minute lifeforms sheltering among their branches, including tiny shrimp and crabs smaller than your little toenail.

I watch as the turtle draws ever nearer then, without the slightest hesitation, somehow glides through the small gap between Leo and the wall. Leo rears back in surprise but a second later is grinning broadly, entertained by the fact that he’s just been mugged by the graceful creature.

Island idyll

Welcome to Palau, one of the world’s last underwater frontiers. A collection of more than 340 forest-covered islands scattered across a remote corner of the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and north of Papua New Guinea, Palau is home to some of the best diving in the world. It is also hoping to establish itself as a new destination for luxury travel, and while the archipelago is yet to open a five-star resort, it does have one enticing option for high-end travellers: the Four Seasons Explorer.

This luxury liveaboard previously offered set diving itineraries in the Maldives, where guests enjoyed the expansive suites with huge windows and the superb food, wine and cocktails – not to mention an on-board spa therapist. Here in Palau, the experience is just as indulgent, although it operates by different rules.

Just like a hotel, you can check in and out any day you like, thanks to the ship’s tender that comfortably transports you out to the catamaran. Don’t plan on staying for less than seven days, however. The diving here is so extraordinary that even if, like me, you are only an occasional diver, you will be enthusiastically showing up for three dives a day. If you don’t dive, or don’t want to do so every day, there are plenty of other ways to explore this under-the-radar country, from visiting local villages to kayaking and snorkelling around beautiful bays.  

Reasons to linger

Perhaps Palau’s most famous on-island attraction is Jellyfish Lake, known for its staggering number of (non-venomous) golden jellyfish that drift through its waters. Jellyfish Lake is a marine lake, connected to the ocean through the porous limestone in which it sits – essentially, an island of sea surrounded by land. Marine lakes are extraordinary ecosystems, and Palau has the highest concentration of them in the world.

Other excursions include trips to view the Badrulchau stone monoliths, at the northern tip of Babeldaob Island; the cave paintings of Ulong Island, part of the Palau Rock Islands World Heritage Site; and the charming Belau National Museum, the oldest of its kind in Micronesia and a place where you can learn about Palau’s chequered history under various powers including Spain, Germany, Japan and the United States. My favourite activities include a village visit where we are entertained by traditional dancers and learn about the beautifully-carved bai meeting houses, made of wood and coral and topped with a thatched roof. It’s also hard to beat the gourmet forest picnic we enjoy by a lush waterfall.

And I do mean gourmet. Meals aboard the Four Seasons Explorer are superb. Seafood is obviously in high rotation, from yellowfin tuna carpaccio to crab tacos and lobster thermidor. But there is plenty of variety – tandoori night proves particularly popular. The beverages, from morning coffees to pre-dinner cocktails, are also fantastic.

I’d like to be, under the sea

But undoubtedly the number-one reason to visit Palau is to explore the underwater world. Palau’s clear waters and thriving coral reefs are home to some sensational marine life. We follow large octopuses and cuttlefish as they traverse the reef, marvel at beds of giant clams (seven of the world’s nine species are found here), and gaze in awe as a giant manta ray heads straight for us, wheels around and come back for more, as if knowing that we’re keen to capture the footage. (The Four Seasons dive team includes videographers who put together nightly highlight reels.)

We tick off plenty of Palau’s most famous dive sites, from Chandelier Cave – where stalactites glitter and corals grow from the ceiling – to German Channel and Blue Corner, famous for huge schools of snapper, barracuda and jacks. Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that at these extraordinary sites, we are the only divers. Only once do we see another tender – but it turns out the divers have just surfaced, and they head off before we tumble into the ocean.

Fierce fighting between US and Japanese troops in World War II left plenty of relics for battlefield tourists to discover, from shipwrecks and downed planes to bunkers and amphibious tanks.

Conservation goals

Palau does not take its natural wonders for granted; it works hard to protect them. Its constitution highlights the importance of “conservation of a beautiful, healthful and resourceful natural environment”, and the government administers a marine sanctuary that stretches across half a million square kilometres – 80 per cent of the country’s marine territory.

As you would expect, the Four Seasons’ dive team is delighted to be working here, and they love it when their guests to make the most of the experience. With their encouragement I tackle my first wreck dive – we visit a Japanese Zero Fighter plane downed during World War II, which lies 30 metres beneath sea level, every surface now overgrown with dazzling corals. They even talk me into doing my first night dive, which turns out to be a delight, the colours vivid by flashlight. When Leo and I surface and wait for the tender to pick us up, we find ourselves floating in tranquil waters beneath a full moon – a moment of serenity that will stay with me for a long time.

Back on board the ship, the customary post-dive greeting of a cold face towel and juice has been replaced by a hot towel and a cup of cocoa. Once again, the Four Seasons team has thought of everything.

Journey Notes

Air Niugini flies weekly from Brisbane to Koror, Palau, connecting in Port Moresby.
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