Manta Ray by Paul St Pierre.
PALAU and YAP
- One of the best places in the world to snorkel or scuba-dive with Manta Rays
- And the chance to swim in a lake full of jellyfish
- And see some of the world’s most spectacular seabirds including White-tailed Tropicbird and White Tern
- As well as some endemic landbirds such as Palau Megapode, White-headed Ground Dove and Rusty-capped Kingfisher
- All in a delightful part of the Pacific
- There is a resident population of about a hundred mantas around Yap. They visit favoured ‘cleaning stations’ where, one at a time, they glide in and stall for a few minutes above coral outcrops where fish pluck parasites and dead skin from their bodies. Although incredible close-up views of this spectacle are most likely while scuba-diving in quite strong currents it is also possible to see Manta Rays while snorkeling on organized boat trips.
- There are numerous other coral reefs, seabirds and endemic landbirds on other island groups in this region of the Pacific, including the Mariana Islands (at least ten possible endemics including a megapode, a ground dove, a fruit dove and a kingfisher, as well as Red-tailed Tropicbird), Truk (three possible endemics; a monarch, a flycatcher and a white-eye) and Pohnpei, (seven possible endemics including a lory and a kingfisher).
Best Wildlife in Palau and Yap
Mammals
Palau and Yap Flying Foxes. Also a chance of Spinner Dolphin.
Birds
White-tailed Tropicbird, White Tern, Palau (Micronesian) Megapode, White-headed (White-throated) Ground Dove,
Rusty-capped (Micronesian) Kingfisher and Yap Monarch, as well as Little Pied Cormorant, Rufous Night Heron, Yellow Bittern, Pacific Reef Egret,
Buff-banded Rail, Pacific Golden Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler, Black-naped, Bridled and Great Crested Terns, Black and Brown Noddies, Palau Ground Dove,
Palau Fruit Dove, Micronesian Imperial Pigeon, Jungle Nightjar, Palau Swiftlet, Collared Kingfisher, Micronesian Myzomela, White-breasted Woodswallow,
Palau (Slender-billed) and Yap (Slender-billed) Cicadabirds, Palau and Rufous Fantails, Morningbird, Palau (Mangrove) Flycatcher, Palau Bush Warbler,
white-eyes and Micronesian Starling. Also a chance of Great Frigatebird, Nicobar Pigeon, Palau Owl, Tropical Shearwater and White-browed Crake.
Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish
One of the best places in the world to snorkel or scuba-dive with Manta Rays is the feeding
area and cleaning station in the M’il Channel on Yap. Numerous colourful coral reef fish occur around both island groups, with over 1500 fish species
recorded from Palau alone, many of which frequent the wrecks left after World War II.
Invertebrates
The remarkable 'Jellyfish Lake', where it is possible to swim amongst thousands of
melon-sized stingless jellyfish, is on Palau. Some people have estimated that there may be 20 million jellyfish in the lake. They follow sunlight and
by mid-afternoon usually concentrate at the western end of the lake.
Best Sites for Wildlife in Palau and Yap
- Palau 'Jellyfish Lake', numerous coral reef fish and 12 endemic landbirds; Palau Megapode, Palau Owl, Palau Ground Dove, Palau Fruit Dove, Palau Swiftlet, Rufous-capped Kingfisher, Palau Cicadabird, Palau Fantail, Morningbird, Palau Flycatcher, Palau Bush Warbler and Giant White-eye, as well as White-tailed Tropicbird, Black-naped, Bridled and White Terns, Collared Kingfisher, White-breasted Woodswallow, and Caroline Islands and Dusky White-eyes. Also a chance of Nicobar Pigeon and Tropical Shearwater.
- Peleliu Manta Ray (German Channel).
- Yap Manta Ray, numerous coral reef fish and five endemic landbirds; White-headed Ground Dove, Yap Cicadabird, Yap Monarch, and Olive and Plain White-eyes, as well as White Tern, Micronesian Imperial Pigeon, Micronesian Myzomela, Rufous Fantail and Micronesian Starling.
Best Times for Wildlife in Palau and Yap
The Manta Rays are resident but from December to April they usually live on the more easily accessible western side of the island, visiting the cleaning stations in M’il Channel, whereas during the rest of the year they are usually found on the eastern side of the island, in Goofnow Channel. January to March is usually the peak time to experience 'Jellyfish Lake'.
Recommended Books etc. for Palau and Yap
Diving Micronesia by E Hanauer. Aqua Quest Publications, 2001.
Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific by G Allen et al. New World Publications, 2003.
A Field Guide to the Birds of Yap Island by J F Clements. Ibis Publishing Company, 2003.
Birds of New Zealand, Hawaii, Central and Western Pacific by Ber Van Perlo. Harper Collins, 2011.
A Field Guide to The Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific by H D Pratt, P L Bruner and D G Berrett. PUP, 1987.
Trip Reports for Palau and Yap
Many trip reports, some for Palau and Yap, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to Palau and Yap. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Palau and Yap' below.
- The best website for trip reports is Travelling Birder
- but these are also worth a look
- Birdtours
- Fatbirder
- Jon Hornbuckle
- Mammal Watching
Local Guides and Tours in Palau and Yap
The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.
Accommodation in Palau and Yap
- Dolphin Bay Resort, Peleliu
- Manta Ray Bay Bay Resort, Yap
- Yap Pacific Dive Resort, Yap
Some Organized Tours to Palau and Yap
There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.
While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.
Tour companies who are running organized tours to Palau and Yap in the next couple of years include the following. Many of these also offer custom tours.
