Palau
Koror is the beating heart of Palau — a compact, sun-drenched town that serves as the commercial capital of one of the Pacific's smallest and most extraordinary nations. The Republic of Palau, a constellation of over 340 islands scattered across 466 kilometres of the western Pacific, achieved independence from a United Nations trusteeship in 1994, making it one of the world's youngest sovereign states. But Koror's strategic location in the western Caroline Islands has made it a crossroads of Pacific power for centuries: Spanish missionaries, German colonial administrators, and Japanese military forces all left their mark before American forces captured the islands in some of the fiercest fighting of World War II — the Battle of Peleliu in 1944 remains one of the bloodiest engagements in Marine Corps history.
Modern Koror is an unlikely mix of Micronesian village, Japanese efficiency, and American casual — a place where traditional bai (meeting houses) with their carved storyboard facades stand near Japanese-era Shinto shrine ruins and American-style diners serving tuna sashimi alongside hamburgers. The Belau National Museum, the oldest museum in Micronesia, houses a remarkable collection of storyboards — carved wooden panels that depict Palauan legends and histories in a visual narrative tradition unique to these islands. The Etpison Museum offers a more contemporary perspective, with exhibits on Palau's marine environment and the traditional navigation techniques that allowed Micronesian sailors to cross thousands of miles of open ocean using only stars, wave patterns, and the flight of birds.
Palau's underwater world is its supreme attraction, and Koror is the base from which virtually all diving and snorkelling operations depart. The Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprises over 400 mushroom-shaped limestone islets rising from a lagoon of such concentrated beauty that marine biologists have identified it as one of the most biodiverse marine habitats on the planet — over 700 species of coral and 1,500 species of fish inhabit these waters. Blue Corner, widely considered one of the world's top five dive sites, offers wall diving in strong currents where grey reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, and massive schools of barracuda create an underwater spectacle that experienced divers describe as life-changing. For non-divers, Jellyfish Lake — a marine lake containing millions of golden jellyfish that have lost their sting through evolutionary isolation — provides a snorkelling experience found literally nowhere else on Earth.
Palauan cuisine reflects the island nation's position at the intersection of Micronesian, Japanese, and Filipino culinary traditions. Fruit bat soup — yes, the entire bat, wings and all, simmered in coconut milk with ginger and taro leaves — is the most notorious local delicacy, served at traditional feasts and adventurous restaurants. More accessible options include tuna sashimi of extraordinary freshness (Palau's tuna is caught by local fishermen using traditional methods), coconut crab (the world's largest terrestrial arthropod, whose sweet flesh is considered a supreme delicacy), and tapioca in coconut cream, a comfort dessert that transcends cultural boundaries.
Koror's port facilities accommodate cruise ships at the commercial dock, with downtown within walking distance. Palau's tropical climate is warm and humid year-round, but the best time to visit is from November through May, when rainfall is lighter and underwater visibility reaches its maximum of 30 metres or more. The country's pioneering marine conservation policies — including the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, which protects 80% of the nation's maritime territory from fishing — ensure that the underwater experience remains world-class, and Palau's small size means that even a single day ashore can include both cultural sites and a transformative marine encounter.