Angaur Island

Angaur is the southernmost of Palau's main islands, a low limestone island of a few hundred people with the remains of the German and Japanese phosphate workings that stripped much of its surface, now overgrown. It is the only place in Palau with monkeys, crab-eating macaques released during the German period that have bred since. The coast has blowholes and rough surf on the eastern side. The island has its own airstrip, though scheduled services to it come and go.

History

Angaur was traditionally divided among some eight clans, each with stone platforms marking family and clan identity. The Spanish expedition of Ruy López de Villalobos sighted it at the end of January 1543 and charted the islands as Los Arrecifes, "the reefs", and from 1909 until 1954 phosphate was mined here, first by the Germans, then the Japanese and finally the Americans (Wikipedia, Angaur).

What you'll find

• The macaques - the only monkey population in Palau, from a German-era release.
• The phosphate workings - the stripped and overgrown mining ground.
• The blowholes - the surge holes on the rocky eastern coast.
• The isolation - a small island state south of everything else.

When to go

November to April is the drier season and calmest for the crossing. Flights and boats are irregular in any season. The eastern coast is rough year round.

Good to know

Transport is irregular and getting stranded is normal. Accommodation is minimal and must be arranged. The macaques are considered a pest locally and damage crops.

Nearby

Peleliu is north, and Koror is far north.

Key facts