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Strange Scuba Spots / Snorkeling / Active Travel / Palau / Island Travel / → All Tags

Swim with the Weird Fishes at Jellyfish Lake

Palau may have gotten its big break at show business and tourism when the cast and crew of Survivor stuck around for a season, but the island nation has plenty of cool stuff to make it stand out on its own. There’s great year round weather, lush scenery, and beautiful beaches; however, the best thing going might just be its strange scuba spot.

The country is home to Jellyfish Lake, which is a spot that offers an experience that justifies its name. Located among the Rock Islands, it features thousands and thousands of jellyfish that move about the lake on a daily basis. It's a snorkeling-only location, but we think that hardcore divers won’t mind shedding all that gear for a unique experience within this underwater world.

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Island Travel / Travel News / Guantanamo Bay / Palau / → All Tags

Guantanamo Bay Detainees To Get a Permanent Palau Vacation

When it comes to tropical island paradises, the Pacific archipelago of Palau totally fits the bill; it's got world-renowned diving, impressive nature, an average temperature of 82 degrees, and plenty of take-out Asian food.

For this reason, we think we're allowed to be a little jealous of the 17 Uighurs (Chinese Muslims) of Guantánamo Bay who will soon be transferred here and "resettled." After a US court ruled to have them released into the United States, a decision which was eventually overturned, the prisoners' fate has been up in the air while the US waited for any country to take them out of the government's hair. Palau was the only one to jump at it as a "humanitarian gesture," and now the group will be moved from Cuba and repatriated in the Garden of Eden. Says the NYT:

'What they will encounter in Palau is paradise,' said Stuart Beck, an American lawyer who is Palau’s permanent United Nations representative. 'From the time the first British vessel hit a reef in Palau in 1783, it has welcomed refugees.'

Yea, refugees and tourists. The full-time population of the islands is only around 21,000 people, and let's not forget that it hosted not one, but two seasons of Survivor. What a history for a little group of islands; we only hope that this doesn't become a third season of Survivor.

Related Stories:
· Palau To Take Chinese Guantanamo Detainees [NYT]
· Travel News Coverage [Jaunted]

[Palau photo: Cleer; Jail image: Mississippi Family Law Blog]

Survivor: Micronesia / Television Travel / TV Travel / Diving / World War II Travel / South Pacific / → All Tags

Survivor Returning to Palau

After running all those seasons of The Amazing Race and Survivor, seems like CBS has finally run out of places to film. The upcoming Fans vs. Favorites season of Survivor will return to Palau, where season 10 was shot a few years back. The producers are hoping that we don't catch on by calling it Survivor: Micronesia.

While you know what to expect from the competitors on the show--now in its 16th iteration--you probably don't know as much about the South Pacific archipelago. First and foremost, it's a long way from, well, everywhere, and that keeps tourist traffic relatively light. That said, you can get there from New York in about 26 hours, from Houston in about 20 hours and from Sydney in about 19 hours.

Once you're in the islands, the thing to do--if you're not on a hit reality show--is go scuba diving. The Palau Visitors Authority has a big list of all the local outfitters. You can also check out WWII history: The islands of Peleliu and Angaur are littered with materiel from fierce battles that killed thousands in 1944.

Related Stories:
· Palau Visitors Authority [Official Site]
· Survivor: Micronesia [Official Site]
· South Pacific Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikipedia]