My 2nd bucket list thing off all the places in the world because of my irrational love for this animal (Yes, I even have a book about jellyfishes and I'm composing a dance piece about them). Palau is a beautiful place with tropical islands and resorts, rest, well, all that things you have when you go to pacific islands. But there is actually much more in this country so less visited by European people... There's actually a lake full of jellyfish that lost their venom, so you can swim with them! Crazy, right?
The jellyfish lake is located in the Eil Malk islands, and it's connected with the ocean through limestone tunnels, but isolated enough to have its own biodiversity: Golden jellyfishes and Moon Jellyfishes that micro migrate every day chasing the solar light, that evolved in a way that they lost their venom in the dangerous cells! Now they eat algae, so no need to poison the fishes. It's only permitted snorkeling here, no scuba diving, since the bubbles of the tanks can hurt the animals and it's dangerous to swim in the lake more that 15 meters deep.
Swimming with the jellyfish was actually forbidden in recent years,
as the jellyfish population was in decline. However, as of 2019, the
jellyfish numbers are on the rise and swimming with them has been
reopened. The Jellyfish Lake is around 12,000 years old. It’s a
remnant of the last ice age where, during that time, the sea level rose
to the point where sea water began to fill the basin. But when the
glaciers receded, there was no place for these jellyfish or other fish
to go.
How to visit:
A 10-day pass for swimming with the jellyfish is $100 USD, though this is not included in the price of most tours.
If
you’re looking to book a day tour (which is the easiest way to visit
the lake) expect to pay between $100-200 USD (plus the $100 permit).
Tours usually include other activities (such as swimming/snorkeling in
other locations) in addition to Jellyfish Lake. The closest place
to depart from is Koror (the Palau's capital).
Be careful with the sunscreen you wear, since wearing certain sunscreens is prohibited during your visit, as the
chemicals will harm the ecosystem. It has to be eco-friendly.
If you're on a budget, I would suggest you visit Palau after Taiwan, since there are cheap return flights to Koror from Taipei.
See the links here:
Happy journeys in Palau!
