Micronesia: Ulithi, Yap, and Palau

• Miles of healthy coral reefs in crystal clear water showcasing a diversity of marine life including sea turtles, sharks, and manta rays.
• Visits to the famous Jellyfish Lake and Rock Islands (Palau), a new manta ray sanctuary (Yap), and sea turtle nesting beaches (Ulithi).
• Our partnership with the people of Ulithi Atoll gives you special access.

Our exploration of Micronesia in the western Pacific will expose you to the pristine reefs, clear waters, tropical landscapes, and vibrant cultural traditions that have lured adventurers here for centuries. Our 14-day coral sea adventure begins with five days exploring Palau's unique Rock Islands, beautiful green mushroom-shaped islets surrounded by magnificent coral reefs. We visit the best shallow water snorkeling sites within the coral lagoon, considered some of the world's best snorkeling, as well as the famous Jellyfish Lake. We then continue to Yap, known as one of the best places to see manta rays on a consistent basis. The reefs and channels surrounding the landmass are home to a spectacular array of fish and corals. The Yapese and the Ulithi communities continue to practice their traditional lifestyles, and our program will include a cultural tour and opportunities to see the local crafts of the island. From Yap, we fly to the remote coral atoll of Ulithi, home to miles of coral reefs with white sand beaches, secluded lagoons, sea turtles, seabirds, and clear waters that abound with coral and colorful tropical fish. Located northeast of Yap, Ulithi consists of one of the world's largest lagoons surrounded by 36 tropical isles, four of which are inhabited. A former military base, Ulithi only recently opened for public use and we invite you be pioneers exploring this breathtaking area. Our comfortable beachfront lodge on Falalop Island offers beach snorkeling, and serves as a base for coral reef snorkeling excursions and day trips to Turtle and Lizard Islands. The idyllic lagoon is teeming with life and the reefs are so pristine that you will feel like one of the first to have explored them. A final afternoon in Yap allows us to visit the stone money banks and local villages.

Wildlife Highlights

Micronesia is known to have 300 species of corals and 1,000 species of fish, and we will make every effort to explore this region's renowned biodiversity on our multi-country journey. With many of the locations we visit under some form of protection, many species that are threatened or absent in other areas can be found regularly here including manta rays, sharks, sea turtles, abundant and large reef fish, giant clams, and much more. The colorful soft and hard corals on the reefs are so pristine in some places that you might think you are the first to explore them, and nudibranchs and other invertebrates are found in abundance. On land we can see several seabird species and unique island inhabitants such as fruit bats and coconut crabs.

Notes on Trip Costs

Trip price does not include international airfare to/from the trip start (Koror, Palau) and end points (Yap, FSM), but does include airfare between Palau, Yap, and Ulithi. Click here for our full expedition terms and conditions.