Combining Palau with...Yap? Truk? ???

[nwflyboy]

I'm starting to plan a trip to Palau for winter 2016 (probably February). I'm leaning towards a week on a Palau-based liveaboard (recommendations?). But I'm thinking...that is such along way to go, and it's not likely I'll be passing that way again...as long as we're out there in the middle of nowhere, would it make sense to add on a second destination for a few more days, and cross a second place off my dive bucket list?

Yap and Truk appear to be the obvious options for an add-on. We will be on the boat a week, so for the land-based extension, I'm thinking something shorter, maybe 3-4 days diving (plus the requisite offgassing day before flying). I'm inclined to look at Yap as a better option for this, since I think it works well as a land-based destination (we will be on a boat for a week in Palau, and will want to be on dry land for a while) - IIRC, Truk may be better suited to a liveaboard (and since the dives are deep, it's a bit more intense - I'm guessing Yap would be more relaxed). True?

How about the order of doing these? Would it make more sense to do one first and the other (Palau liveaboard, Yap land-based) second?

I'm probably limited to about two weeks, maybe a day or two more, for the whole trip including travel time, so it'll be a little tight.

Anyone here done such a thing? Suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[dianebienvenue]

Hi there. I lived in the Philippines for 4 years and didn't manage to get to Palau unfortunately. If you'd like to add another week onto your Palau trip I'd recommend you contact Asia Divers on the island of Mindoro south of Manila.

 

[nwflyboy]

Thanks, but we will do the Philippines on a different trip. I'm looking for the most reasonable "nearby" second destination to add - which I'm thinking is probably Yap. At least that's what I'm leaning towards. The flight connections are fairly limited - as best I can tell, twice weekly between Palau and Yap.

Would be happy to hear from anyone who has done Palau + Yap on the same trip.

 

[Rand]

I was there in 2011 (Palau and Yap). Here is my trip report. My advice would be to skip Yap and just spend more time in Palau. I didn't like Yap and after two days I was ready to go home. Unfortunately, I had to spend another 4 or 5 days there.

The only reason I would tell someone to go to Yap would be if they absolutely had to see Mantas. We saw mantas on all the dives they were supposed to be on, and some came in quite close. However, the rest of the dives were nothing special and got boring quickly.

We flew Continental to Palau from Washington, DC, and stopped on Yap on each way. So, you are landing there anyway. It's just a matter of deciding if you want to depart the plane and dive there.

 

[Damselfish]

We did the Palau/Yap combo like 10 years ago. We stayed 5 nights on Yap (@Manta Ray Bay) and I liked it a lot, except for the departure from the horrible airport in the middle of the night. We saw the mantas, but we also did other dives that were very good. Lots of critters to see, and some great dives out around Yap Caverns (surrounded by huge pods of dolphins most of the ride.) It may have helped that we were with a group and could say where the boat went, rather than being just 2 people on yet another boat full of people there for a few days and focused on seeing mantas. I don't know if getting to a variety of sites is any more common now, or dependent on the op, but after being there I've always thought the pretty much exclusive promotion of the mantas in Yap does the place a disservice. And I thought the island itself was interesting. I wouldn't travel there for weeks of diving, but I think it's definitely worth a visit when you're in the region.

 

[nwflyboy]

I was there in 2011 (Palau and Yap). Here is my trip report. My advice would be to skip Yap and just spend more time in Palau. I didn't like Yap and after two days I was ready to go home. Unfortunately, I had to spend another 4 or 5 days there.

The only reason I would tell someone to go to Yap would be if they absolutely had to see Mantas. We saw mantas on all the dives they were supposed to be on, and some came in quite close. However, the rest of the dives were nothing special and got boring quickly.

We flew Continental to Palau from Washington, DC, and stopped on Yap on each way. So, you are landing there anyway. It's just a matter of deciding if you want to depart the plane and dive there.

Thanks for the input. I have seen a manta once (while snorkeling in Thailand, years ago - it was an unforgettable, very close encounter). Seeing more would be nice, but it's not an all-consuming desire.

We're planning to arrive on Palau via a direct flight from Seoul, and will be skipping the Island-hopper (now a United flight) - unless we tack on a side-trip to Yap.

---------- Post added February 11th, 2015 at 08:42 PM ----------

We did the Palau/Yap combo like 10 years ago. We stayed 5 nights on Yap (@Manta Ray Bay) and I liked it a lot, except for the departure from the horrible airport in the middle of the night. We saw the mantas, but we also did other dives that were very good. Lots of critters to see, and some great dives out around Yap Caverns (surrounded by huge pods of dolphins most of the ride.) It may have helped that we were with a group and could say where the boat went, rather than being just 2 people on yet another boat full of people there for a few days and focused on seeing mantas. I don't know if getting to a variety of sites is any more common now, or dependent on the op, but after being there I've always thought the pretty much exclusive promotion of the mantas in Yap does the place a disservice. And I thought the island itself was interesting. I wouldn't travel there for weeks of diving, but I think it's definitely worth a visit when you're in the region.

Thanks for your input as well. We're thinking about a week on a liveaboard out of Palau, and I'm torn about possibly adding on a few days from a land-based op in Yap (probably Manta Bay - seems like the default choice?). My original thought was do Yap first for a short stint - maybe 3 days of diving. That would give us a chance to overcome jet-lag after flying half-way across the world, and ease us into the whole South Pacific dive experience. Then, after a few days on Yap (and after off-gassing) fly to Palau, get on the boat, and hit it hard for the week. I'm thinking that if we did the Palau liveaboard first, then Yap might be a bit of a disappointment by comparison. I dunno - need to investigate more and figure out the logistics.

Thanks again.

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

We have a deal we are promoting with Palau Dive Adventures and Manta Ray Bay Resort. We have two dates but are currently offering May 2-16, 2015. 15 dives in Yap, 13 dives in Palau. Price is $3599 per person but I am offering a discount off the published price. We have a second trip planned in September but dates not yet released. If these dates don't fit I may be able to get you a similar deal to fit your travel dates.

I have never had any complaints about the diving in Yap and lots of return divers for Manta Fest, sharks and small critters too.

Info on our blog: Liquid Diving Adventures | Yap & Palau - 2 Islands, 1 Trip

 

[Damselfish]

I usually prefer a land stay after a liveaboard, unless travel or jet-lag concerns make me want to get there early - in which case before and after is good. But in the Pacific I think the order is mostly about schedule & logistics, given the limited flights and the weird hours they tend to fly, and of course the jet lag thing. (Are you flying from Seattle through Seoul, or are you already in Seoul for some reason, in which case jet lag shouldn't be a problem?) We did the Palau Aggressor first, staying at PPR before and after, then went on to Yap. Our next trip is actually the Ocean Hunter in Palau, again staying at PPR before and after, but planning to stop in Hawaii this time for other reasons.

We went kayaking in the Rock Islands with Sam's tours, which was a great trip. I highly recommend it if you can work it in while off-gassing. We also did a kayaking tour in the mangroves in Yap, which was ok but not nearly as good or interesting as it sounded.

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

nwflyboy….stop by the Seattle H2O Show April 11-12 and say hi. We will be in booth 829. We will be offering some Palau deals with Palau Dive Adventures. I'm getting deals on Ocean Hunter III for Standard Cabins normally $3495, our price $3145 for 7 night charters. Also 10 night charters in Standard Cabins normally $4990, our price $4490. We can save you some bucks…!

Here's our post with published prices: Liquid Diving Adventures | Ocean Hunter III Palau Liveaboard

 

[Damselfish]

Thanks, but we will do the Philippines on a different trip. I'm looking for the most reasonable "nearby" second destination to add - which I'm thinking is probably Yap. At least that's what I'm leaning towards. The flight connections are fairly limited - as best I can tell, twice weekly between Palau and Yap.

I've recently discovered that getting to the Philippines from Palau is relatively easy - you could go through Guam, but United also has a direct flight 2hr40min to Manila twice a week. Since we've been to Yap we were looking for someplace else logical to go after a Palau trip and are considering this ourselves. Also looking at places like Kosrae or Saipan. (Of course once in Manila you're probably looking at taking a domestic flight someplace else, or at least a ferry.)