Have you seen images of the world famous Seventy Islands of Palau? Also known as Ngerukewid, this UNESCO World Heritage site is a bucket list gem. In this blog post, I’ll tell you how you can fly over these incredible islands thanks to Smile Air Inc. I’ll also share my experience of this flight.
Flight Options
Firstly, you have three flight options: A, B or C.
Your first option is flight A. This is $154 each for two people or $200 solo. This takes you from Koror to Milky Way and takes 25 mins.
Your next option is flight B. This is $209 each for two people or $300 solo. This takes you down as far as Seventy Islands and Blue Corner. If you want to re-create your own Instagram or Tiktok post, this is the option for you.
Lastly, your last option is flight C. This is $286 each for two people or $300 solo. This takes you down as far as Seventy Islands, Blue Corner and Pelelui Island.
Conditions
- Anyone below 10 years old needs parental guidance.
- Bring a copy of your passport or ID.
- You need to sign a liability waiver.
Cancellation
- After 5pm day before the flight you lose 50% of the price.
- If you cancel on the day of the flights, you lose 100% of the price.
My Experience
I was collected by Lolita from my accommodation. She has lived in Palau since the early 90s! Upon arrival, I met Jimmy who was my pilot from Taiwan. He was incredibly friendly and during the briefing he explained the different places he would point into during the flight such as downtown Koror, Milky Way, Jellyfish Lake, Long Beach, German Channel, Blue Corner, Seventy Islands and KB Bridge.
You will be given a life jacket just in case of an emergency landing. You need to be very careful with your items as it is an open door flight. The right side door is removed as well! I used my GoPro and kept it attached to my risk for safety and stability. I genuinely think if I used my phone it would have been sucked out.
The flight lasts about 40 minutes. As soon as you’re up in the air, there is plenty to see. I appreciated that we flew high enough to see the different parts of Palau clearly but low enough that it still felt safe.
Weather Permitting
This flight experience was very high on my bucket list for my Palau trip. However, it’s hard to predict the weather! You can contact Smile Air Inc here to get more information closer to your flight. If the skies are clear, flight reservations will book out very quickly. However, if you’re more flexible (e.g. willing to share a flight, go when it’s cloudy, etc.) it will be easier to get a place.
I did this flight on my final day and it was pretty cloudy to put it mildly. That said, I was more keen on the experience of seeing the Seventy Islands, regardless of the weather. I can’t deny that if it was sunny and the skies were blue that it would have been even better but I was happy nonetheless. If anything, I couldn’t believe how turquoise the water was even with the crap weather!
Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, you may enjoy some more blog posts I have written about Palau.
KAYAKING TRIP TO RISONG BAY | PADDLING PALAU
THE BEST RESTAURANTS TO EAT AT IN PALAU.
PALAU DAY TRIP | ROCK ISLANDS TOUR
SHELL VILLA APARTEL RESORT | AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION IN PALAU
