Palau Scenic Flight Over The Rock Islands: How To Do It
A scenic flight over the Rock Islands is changing into one of the crucial fashionable issues for vacationers to do within the little nation of Palau, and it’s straightforward to see why: this is likely one of the most stunning landscapes within the Pacific!
Whereas it’s an incredible thought to go to the Rock Islands on a ship tour, the scenic flight provides you a tremendous and distinctive perspective that’s actually exhausting to beat.
I joined one among these flights not too long ago on a bit prop airplane with Pacific Mission Aviation, and the entire thing was such an incredible expertise.
They take the doorways off for photos, and also you get an overhead view of the city of Koror, adopted by unbelievable views of a whole lot of Palau’s nicest islands, lakes, and lagoons. It’s paradise!
This journey weblog will clarify all the things that you must know concerning the Palau scenic flights, together with the reserving course of, costs, security, and what to anticipate while you’re within the air. I’ll additionally share among the photos I took by myself flight!
The place Are The Rock Islands Situated?
The Rock Islands are positioned about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of mainland Koror, Palau, so that they’re straightforward to succeed in by airplane.
With a prop airplane, you will get to the perfect islands in about 10 minutes, though the surroundings begins as quickly as you carry off from Koror!
Flying over Palau is an unreal expertise!
The Firm: Pacific Mission Aviation
Scenic flights in Palau have been pioneered by an organization referred to as Pacific Mission Aviation (PMA), and so they’re presently the one firm that provides scenic flights over Palau.
PMA is primarily a Christian missionary group, and by doing a scenic flight with them you’re serving to to subsidize the humanitarian and medical work they do within the islands, whereas additionally serving to them offset the prices of the inter-island flights they run for Palauan locals.
They’re doing an incredible work in Palau, and with the ability to contribute to that may be a good little bonus of happening one among their scenic flights!
One among my favourite photos of the Rock Islands
Good climate for a scenic flight
Palau Scenic Flight: What To Anticipate
My scenic flight in Palau began with a ten:20 AM pickup from my resort within the city of Koror.
I used to be touring solo, however I had contacted PMA prematurely and so they have been capable of be a part of me with a gaggle of three different passengers doing the Rock Islands flight that day.
I hopped within the PMA van with the opposite passengers (all worldwide vacationers), and collectively we made the short 20 minute drive over to PMA’s hangar on the Palau Worldwide Airport.
For verify in, we spent a couple of minutes filling out a legal responsibility waiver and so they charged our bank cards, after which we went out to the hangar to prepare for our flight within the little Cessna 206.
Palau must be one of the crucial stunning international locations on the earth
The Milky Manner
PMA takes the doorways off of the airplane for all of their scenic flights in Palau, which provides you nice views and picture alternatives. For security, you’ll have a seat belt and there’s additionally a security bar that covers a part of the open doorway.
The principle factor that you must watch out about is sticking your telephone or digicam out the open door. The wind will be robust, so you need to maintain it actually tight with each arms or you can lose it.
If that is your first time flying in a bit prop airplane like this, then it’s possible you’ll be a bit nervous lifting off the bottom at first, however you overlook about that fairly fast when you’re within the air.
Our Cessna 206 airplane on the hangar
It’s straightforward to take photos through the flight, however cling onto your telephone or digicam!
The views are wonderful at the same time as you permit Koror. The city could not appear to be something particular while you’re on the bottom, however from above you’ll be able to see that it’s truly surrounded by every kind of lagoons and limestone rock formations.
PMA offered a headset for every of us to put on, which blocked among the noise from the airplane, and so they gave a commentary explaining all the sights in Palau as we flew over them. The Rock Islands look so good from above. It’s one among my favourite landscapes anyplace on the earth!
We noticed tropical islands of all totally different sizes and shapes, with turquoise lagoons, white sand seashores, barren sandbars, and rock arches. Even with a drone, it might be exhausting to get views like this.
Tropical paradise
Sandbar
A few of the well-known landmarks we noticed alongside the way in which embody the Milky Manner, Jellyfish Lake, German Channel, and the long-lasting ’70 Islands’ formation that you just at all times see on postcards and different souvenirs from Palau.
The entire expertise took about 2 hours together with the pickup and drop-off from my resort, and the flight time is about 40 minutes, however we bought to see and {photograph} so many issues in that period of time!
As a cool bonus after we arrived again on the hangar, we additionally bought to look at a C130 airplane from the Australian Air Power land on the identical runway the place we had taken off earlier.
Coming in for touchdown
When Is The Finest Time To Fly?
The Palau scenic flights usually go within the morning, when there’s one of the best probability for clear climate. The sky was completely clear once we began our tour, and we have been already again on the hangar earlier than some clouds started to construct.
The time of 12 months that you just fly doesn’t matter an excessive amount of, since Palau has loads of rain all 12 months lengthy. The driest months in Koror and the Rock Islands are January to April, however even these months have loads of rain.
I wouldn’t fear about it an excessive amount of both manner, as a result of the rain tends to come back within the night or at evening. You possibly can by no means assure you’ll have good climate regardless of while you go.
I visited Palau in September, which is meant to be one of many extra wet months of the 12 months, however truly the climate was good and there was no rain in any respect for a number of days, so it didn’t have an effect on my travels one bit.
The ’70 Islands’ formation
What Does The Flight Price?
As a solo traveler on this journey, I paid $180 USD plus a 3.5% cost for paying by bank card. They settle for US bank cards, however not American Categorical.
Their flights have a 3 passenger minimal, so that may additionally have an effect on the fee. In the event that they don’t have at the very least 3 passengers in your flight, then you might have to pay further or reschedule it to a different date or time.
You possibly can verify the present costs and different phrases on their web site. They supply free resort pickup and drop-off in Palau, and there’s no cost to take the doorways off the airplane for images.
One of many many lagoons we noticed on our tour
Is It Protected?
Pacific Mission Aviation has been doing flights in Palau since 2012. Along with the scenic flights, in addition they do inter-island flights in Palau to locations like Angaur and Peleliu, so that they have a good quantity of expertise.
A airplane is barely as secure because the individual flying it, however the Cessna 206 is mostly recognized to be a secure and dependable plane. I wouldn’t wish to fly one on daily basis for my occupation, however I feel a brief scenic flight like that is very secure.
The Rock Islands are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Website since 2012
Is It Price It?
Sure, I feel the Palau scenic flight is completely value it! This is likely one of the finest landscapes on the earth, and there’s no higher technique to see it than from above.
It’s a tremendous expertise, and the value may be very affordable for what you get. For comparability, I paid nearly twice as a lot for my Nice Blue Gap flight in Belize, and in addition for the Franz Josef glacier helicopter tour that my spouse and I did in New Zealand.
On the Palau flight, I used to be capable of take a lot of nice photos of the Rock Islands, and general it was significantly better and cheaper than related excursions I’ve finished world wide.
One of many first photographs I took on my Palau flight
Enjoyable Information About The Rock Islands Of Palau
- Why are they referred to as the Rock Islands?
The Rock Islands could not seem like rocks, however they really are the truth is limestone rock formations lined with tropical vegetation.
- What number of islands are there?
In keeping with UNESCO, there are roughly 445 uninhabited islands within the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, and so they cowl a complete space of 100,200 hectares (about 250,000 acres).
- What sorts of animals reside there?
The Rock Islands are dwelling to birds, fruit bats, dugongs, sea turtles, saltwater crocodiles, and lots of sorts of coral, fish, and big clams.
See the tiny boat?
Continuously Requested Questions (Palau Scenic Flight)
- Which airport is used for the flights?
The PMA scenic flight departs from the Roman Tmetuchl Worldwide Airport, often known as the Palau Worldwide Airport in Koror. Nevertheless, for the tour, you’ll go to PMA’s workplace and hangar, which is on the north apron aspect of the Palau airport (map right here).
- Can you are taking photos?
Sure, you’ll be able to take photos to your coronary heart’s content material! I took greater than 200 photographs with my digicam through the flight, plus some movies with my telephone. They have been even cool sufficient to let me mount my GoPro on the airplane wing for an additional perspective.General, as a photographer, this flight was a significantly better expertise than my scenic flight over the Nice Blue Gap in Belize, though that was enjoyable too.
- Which seat is finest?
The 2 proper seats are finest since they usually open the door on the precise aspect of the airplane. In my case, I used to be put in a nook seat on the left aspect of the airplane, however I used to be nonetheless capable of take photos by craning over to the precise aspect. The airplane is sufficiently small you’ll have good views in any seat.
- What number of passengers will there be?
The PMA flights usually have a minimal of three passengers, and a max of 5. In an effort to go along with lower than 3 passengers, you’d must pay further.
- Are you able to fly after scuba diving?
In keeping with PMA, the flights function at an altitude of round 300 meters (1,000 toes) the place there isn’t a decompression required.
- Do I must convey my passport?
You don’t must convey your passport for the scenic flight.
- How can I e-book the Palau scenic flight?
You possibly can e-book a Rock Islands scenic flight on the official web site for Pacific Mission Aviation.
The 70 Islands
One final look out the window
Rock Islands Boat Tour In Palau
Whereas many individuals select to see the islands with a scenic flight, one other nice choice is to go to them with a ship tour.
On a speedboat tour to the Rock Islands of Palau, you are able to do a lot of enjoyable actions like swimming in a brilliant turquoise lagoon nicknamed the Milky Manner, strolling on a tender white sandbar referred to as Lengthy Seashore, and even snorkeling in a lake stuffed with stingless jellyfish!
When you’ve got the time and funds, it is best to attempt to do each actions. The scenic flight and boat tour are very totally different experiences, however they’re each wonderful!
Learn Extra: Rock Islands Palau Boat Tour
Boat excursions in Palau are one other wonderful technique to see the Rock Islands!
Extra Palau Journey Guides
Thanks for wanting! I hope you loved this information for tips on how to do a Palau scenic flight over the Rock Islands. It was one among my favourite experiences within the little nation of Palau.
Don’t overlook to take a look at my Palau Journey Information earlier than you go!
