Micronesia

Upon arrival in Palau, transfer to the Palau Pacific Hotel, our home for the next seven nights.

After a morning briefing and breakfast, we grab bento boxes and depart for a day in the water. Today's snorkel sites are shallow and calm, allowing us to test our snorkel gear and brush up on skills. After a full day with two snorkel excursions, return to the hotel for dinner.

In the true spirit of exploration, daily activities are determined based on current weather and tide conditions to ensure we visit the best sites at the most ideal times. The following is a sampling of locations we hope to experience:

Rock Islands
Board a covered speed boat and enjoy gorgeous tropical scenery en route to Palau’s geologically fascinating Rock Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Jellyfish Lake
Take a short hike through lush forest to the world-famous Jellyfish Lake. Snorkel among thousands of melon-sized jellyfish, that have become stingless through centuries of isolation and relations with symbiotic algae. Swimming alongside these pulsating creatures as they follow the movement of the sun is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

German Channel
During the German occupation of Palau, this channel was blasted and dredged to connect the inner lagoon of Angur Island to the open ocean. Explore these nutrient-rich waters that flow into the channel with the tide as they attract manta rays, schools of sharks, jacks, barracudas, trevallies and snappers. The sandy bottom is home to garden eels and blind gobies.

Ngemelis Conservation Area
A sheer vertical wall runs along the length of Ngemelis Island, providing a habitat for soft, leather and fan corals. Watch for colorful anemones and an abundance of reef fish on the reef's upper layers. Sharks, green and hawksbill turtles, Moorish idols, sergeant majors, and a variety of butterflyfish and angelfish patrol the reef edge.

Long Lake
Conditions permitting, enjoy a kayaking excursion at Long Lake. Paddle through winding mangrove forest, keeping an eye out for kingfishers, herons and fruit doves. The calm waters provide habitat for a variety of juvenile fish with frequent sightings of young spotted eagle rays and feathertail stingrays. Step ashore on a powdery white-sand beach, fringed by rich tropical rainforest, to watch for nesting birds, then go for a snorkel at Einstein's Coral Garden to marvel at its collection of multi-colored brain coral.

Cemetery Reef
Named for an artificial structure in the shape of a cross that was placed on top of the reef, Cemetery Reef is a great snorkel site with many hard and soft corals at shallow depth. The area abounds with small reef fish such as fusiliers, anthias and rainbow runners.

Giant Calm Beach
Hundreds of giant tridacna clams, some weighing up to 500 pounds, line the beach here. With an amazing variation of color and patterns within the clams' iridescent mantles, these beautiful living pieces of art make fantastic subjects for photographers.

Stone Monoliths
Possibly the oldest and largest archaeological site in Palau, the Badrulchau Stone Monoliths are situated on the slopes of Babeldaob Island. Explore the site, consisting of 52 basalt megaliths lined up in two rows, estimated to date back to around the year 161.

During WWII, Palau was the site of a fierce battle between the United States and Japan. Peleliu was the site of one of the Pacific's bloodiest battles as U.S. Marines made an amphibious assault on the beaches in an attempt to liberate the island from Japanese forces. Visit the infamous Thousand Man Cave and the Japanese Shrine, and witness remnants of Japanese buildings, gun emplacements, tanks, planes and weapons still scattered around the island today.

After breakfast at the hotel, board our charter flight to Yap, which includes a sightseeing tour over the Rock Islands for stunning aerial views of the verdant limestone islets. Upon arrival in Yap, transfer to our hotel for lunch. Spend the afternoon snorkeling at Blue Holes. Named for the sandy holes in Tomil Lagoon, they contain large hard coral outcrops and are often surrounded by fields of staghorn coral. Stingrays are often found resting in some of the shallower holes.

After breakfast, take a speed boat to Manta Ridge, a 30-foot ridge of coral that straddles Mi'l Channel. Conditions permitting, enjoy a drift snorkel as the tidal current allows easy access for manta rays to glide in and out of the lagoon. The area is also popular with white-tip and gray reef sharks, as well as schools of jacks and black snappers.

This morning. explore the small town of Colonia and take a cultural excursion to learn how the Yapese have surpassed the rest of Micronesia in preserving their ancient culture. Stroll through a traditional Yapese village and learn about the history, and modern-day life, of the Yapese people. After lunch, enjoy free time before a late afternoon sunset cruise followed by a farewell dinner at the hotel.

After resting at the hotel, depart in the early hours of the morning—shortly after midnight on February 11th—for Yap International Airport to board flights home.