uncover the mystery of the wobbles on an alien island

We’re not going to lie, this is a destination only for those who really want to get there. Reached via the Asian nations where it finds its majority of tourists, clients will need to fly from Japan, China, Korea or Taiwan.

But trust us, it will be worth it.

For such a tiny atoll, there are 16 states in Palau. There are also 250 islands in total, with eight large ones making up the majority of land. 70% of the population can be found in the capital of Koror. A history as an American territory and Japanese outpost means that the food is a mix of hamburgers and sushi.  The closest country to Palau is the Philippines.

While most hardened travellers would be hard-pressed to say they have visited Palau, it is famous for one trophy item: a jellyfish lake. A fantasia of floating miasma’s without sting exist in the heart of the island. In a dramatic showcase for evolution, the jellyfish have no predators and therefore no need for a defence mechanism. You can get into the water and swim in what feels like a soupy pool as the jellyfish tickle past with their rubber flux. It’s soup temperature too, which adds to the minestrone sensation.

Rocks branch out from undisclosed trunks beneath the water to appear as if they are hovering just above the water line. The water is some of the most transparent you will see and reminds you of a bottle of Bombay Sapphire. Water that hue of blue is nature-made and beyond reckoning. But that goes for most things in Palau.

They are almost 20 million of them, densely packed and tend to congregate in the centre of the lake. While the sensations may take a little getting used to, it is by all accounts one of the more surreal encounters one is bound to have in a lifetime. It’s a very fragile ecosystem so take certain ecological precautions. Be aware, there’s no sunscreen, cotton, insect repellant or unnecessary kicking when in the water.

Palau is actually a pretty safe place to lay your sunhat. While there are some crocodiles, they’re not fearsome like ours, with only one person ever killed five decades ago.  The jellyfish, however, do retain some vestiges of a sting, and scientists say it is best not to kiss them. Just in case you were planning on a Palau pucker up.

Under the sea you will meet colossal clams and the gargantuan Napoleon Wrasse with their Maori tattoo like skin. The water clarity is conducive to diving, with coral reefs and World War Two wreckage providing ample underwater spying. There is also a range of blue holes – much more appealing in name than their astronomical equivalent – that reel in divers with their cross section of rock and reef. The Big Drop Off is a shelf of undersea land that drops almost 300 metres down into the ocean floor.

More than just paradise, there is an anthropological aspect to Palau that could be overlooked unless you know where to look. It’s not only travellers that are drawn to the archipelago. Human residence dates back four millennia with remains of bodies in a cave suggesting a species dissimilar to homo sapiens. There are also rock drawings that ratchet up the island’s cultural offering beyond flake and bake.  

But then there’s also the adrenaline. There is diving, sport and spear fishing, hiking and surfing. But if you don’t have the requisite skill or ability for these activities, snorkeling is a one size fits all answer. For the more lazily inclined, there’s also a mud bath named the Milky Way.

It seems that in Palau, with its constellations of jellyfish and deep disappearing blue holes, the comparison to galaxies are unavoidable.