Mushroom islands
Narrow bases, green tops.
Luka Peternel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Luka Peternel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Luka Peternel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Luka Peternel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dbuges33 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · amanderson2 — CC BY 2.0
The Rock Islands, or Chelbacheb, are hundreds of small limestone and coral islands in Palau's Southern Lagoon, between Koror and Peleliu. Round green islands covered in forest, many shaped like mushrooms or umbrellas, sit in clear turquoise water among blue lagoons and tiny beaches. There are between 250 and 300 islands depending on the source, with a combined area of about 42 square km and a top height of 207 m. They became a World Heritage Site in 2012. The mushroom shape comes from the bases wearing away at the tide line, eaten by water and sea creatures grazing on algae. It is an important bird area, home to most of Palau's endemic birds. You head out by boat from Koror and weave between the islands, watching the water shift between green and blue. You snorkel over reefs, seeing manta rays, turtles and fish, and sit on a small empty beach. From the air the islands look like scattered green beads on the water. The islands begin about 20 km in a straight line south-west of Koror. Visits are by boat tour, and a Rock Islands permit is needed, which sources give at US$50 per person. Do not touch the coral, and use reef-safe sunscreen.
Narrow bases, green tops.
Mantas and turtles.
Clear turquoise water.
Southern Lagoon between Koror and Peleliu, Koror State, Palau
Yes, a Rock Islands permit, usually collected by tour operators.
On a boat tour from Koror.