Rock Islands Southern Lagoon
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon · Lagoon south of Koror, Palau
A mixed heritage site of mushroom-shaped limestone islands and three-thousand-year-old stone villages.
Antes de ir · Know before you go
- Don't touch or take coral or shells
- Palau has banned reef-toxic sunscreens, so use reef-safe products
- at the stone village sites, keep quiet and don't move stones.
Este artículo está «Sin verificar». Consulte los avisos oficiales sobre precios, horarios y fechas.
Culture
Cultura y costumbres
Contexto cultural
Inscribed in 2012 as a UNESCO mixed (natural and cultural) site: mushroom-shaped limestone islands, undercut by the sea, are scattered across a turquoise lagoon, and the stone village sites, rock art and burials on them bear witness to three thousand years of settlement. It sums up the Palauan view that 'the ocean is home'.
Costumbres locales
Palauans practise the traditional 'bul' fishing moratorium, under which chiefs declare certain waters closed to fishing — an idea shared by modern marine protected areas. Every visitor must sign the 'Palau Pledge' on arrival, promising to travel responsibly, and the pledge is stamped in your passport.
Religión y creencias
- Traditionally animist with ancestor worship, and burials at the stone village sites are still respected
- most Palauans today are Christian, with traditional taboos and modern faith coexisting.
Etiquette
Normas y tabúes
No lo haga DON'T
- Don't touch or take coral or shells
- Palau has banned reef-toxic sunscreens, so use reef-safe products
- at the stone village sites, keep quiet and don't move stones.
Lo que aprecian los locales DO
- Locals love kayaking and freediving
- the lagoon is the 'back garden' they grew up playing in.
Plan your visit
Información práctica
Consejos de viaje
- You must join a licensed local boat tour
- check prices and itineraries on operators' official websites. Bring well-fitting snorkelling gear of your own if you can
- UV is strong on the lagoon, so protect yourself from the sun.
Eat nearby
Qué comer cerca
The Rock Islands are an uninhabited protected area with no food on the islands; day trips usually include a packed lunch on board or a barbecue on a picnic island
Imprescindible
- Mangrove crab
- Seafood
- Taro / cassava
Eat back in Koror: mangrove crab, seafood, taro / cassava
| Dónde comer | Restaurants and seafood places in Koror town, meals on boat tours |
|---|---|
| Normas en la mesa | The lagoon is a World Heritage Site — don't take shells or coral, and bring all picnic rubbish back; fruit-bat soup and coconut crab raise conservation issues, so we suggest not ordering them |
| Precio orientativo por persona | A meal in Koror USD 20–35 ≈ CNY 142–249 |
| Consejos | Stock up on water and snacks at a Koror supermarket before going out by boat. |
Los precios son orientativos a octubre de 2026, no presupuestos exactos; en zonas con tipos de cambio muy variables solo se da un intervalo aproximado en yuanes.
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U.S. Marine Corps（Cpl. Casandra Marrero） · Public domain
Photos
Fotos
Peter R. Binter (=Binter); The original uploader was Binter at German Wikipedia. (Original text: Peter Binter) · Public domain
Dbuges33 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dbuges33 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fuentes y notas de verificación
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