Introducing Babeldaob
Babeldaob (or Babelthaup) is Micronesia's second-largest island, weighing in at three-quarters the size of Guam. It's a mysterious place, physically impenetrable for the most part and shielding enigmatic monoliths whose origin and purpose is unknown (save for various theories about God). The east coast has beautiful stretches of sandy beach, particularly north from Ngiwal to Ngaraard, while the west coast has a largely mangrove-studded shoreline. Ancient stone footpaths connect many villages, the roads are dirt, there are no traffic lights, and resort hotels, for the moment, are a world away. You can imagine this is how all of Palau was in the old days. Babeldaob is sparsely populated, too; younger people traditionally make an annual exodus to Koror in search of jobs.
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But none of this is going to last. In fact, it's all about to change in the most dramatic fashion.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Palau, Cook Islands and Tuamotu Islands
by newfie43 10 August 2011
The Palau tourism site(visitpalau.com) will have a list of the accommodations available. There are some inexpensive motels(we stayed…
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Trip report only - Palau April 2011
by stevejoh 18 May 2011
I’ll preface this by saying that I have never read any guidebook on Palau, only what I have read on TT. I took the Continental flight…
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RE: Palau and Yap report
by newfie43 12 April 2011
Great read, Jirikoo! Finding your way around Babeldaob was indeed a challenge - we never did find Ngatpang Waterfalls.
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