Located in the western Pacific Ocean, the archipelago of Palau – a country made up of 340 islands – is home to an unusual phenomenon.
Palau’s Eil Malk Island houses an ancient 14-acre marine lake, filled with hundreds of thousands of jellyfish, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Both moon jellyfish and golden jellyfish live here, and both are safe to swim with which has made the lake a popular tourist destination over the past decade. Yet, the lake was closed to visitors by the Palau government in 2016 after it experienced a drastic decline in jellyfish numbers due to a drought.
Now, the Ongeim’l Tketau Jellyfish Lake has been re-opened to the public after an estimated 600,000 golden jellyfish have returned to the lake, with numbers expected to rise.
The jellyfish found in this lake are a rare subspecies called Mastigias papua etpisoni and are found only in this marine lake. Luckily, this species also don’t sting so are completely safe to swim with.
To get to the lake, you need to take a 45-minute boat ride from Palau’s most populous island Koror to Eil Malk. Before you head to the lake you need to obtain a permit, these last for 10 days and can be purchased for $100 (£77).
Once there, you’ll find an expansive turquoise lake filled with golden jellyfish. During the day these jellyfish migrate across the lake with the sun, so the best time to visit is midday while they are basking (and staying still) under the direct sunlight.
