Palau Know Before You Go

Kids Sea Camp Palau 
Aug 19-29, 2011

YAP extention is available stay, at Manta Ray Bay Aug 12th, departure date, no additional charge on Continental group space for YAP stop over. 

Additional nights in Palau at Palau Royal also available.  Palau is perfect for kids, and families.  This adventure has things to do and see for kids from age 4 up to 17.  This trip is fun for the whole family!

GETTING TO PALAU
There are several options to fly to Palau and you can fly out of either LAX or Honolulu with Continental Airlines. You will need to depart from either LAX or HNL on Friday August 19 and you will arrive in Palau (ROR) on Sunday, August 21 shortly after 1:00am. If you fly out of LAX you will have a layover in Honolulu and also in Guam. The plane will stop in Yap as well on the way to Palau. 
You will depart from Palau on Sunday, August 28 at 1:45am and will arrive back in LAX on Sunday, August 28 at 5:10 am. There is also an option to fly back to LAX via Tokyo and this gets you back to LAX around 11:00am on Sunday. 

If you have decided to extend your stay in either Palau or Yap, please contact us directly for flight information.  Departure Tax from Palau is $35 pp and is due upon checkin at Palau ROR airport. 
 
HELPFUL LOCAL INFORMATION

Banking & Currency

U.S. dollar is the official currency of Palau. Traveler's checks and all major credit cards are accepted at most businesses, including Sam's Tours. There are several banks (Bank of Hawaii, Bank of Guam, and Bank Pacific) and plenty of automated teller machines around town.

Health & Medical Services

Palau National Hospital is a well-equipped and professionally staffed facility with an experienced Barotrauma Team. In addition there are excellent private clinics, out-patient surgeries and pharmacies on the island. Local supermarkets carry most common over-the-counter medications.

Dress Code

The dress code in Palau makes it great for Kids... casual is in! Palau is a tropical island and a very casual place when it comes to attire. T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops (rubber slippers) are appropriate at all times with very few exceptions (thankfully, ties haven't become a hit here)! For those who want to dress up, a polo shirt, aloha shirt or blouse will usually suffice. Parents can leave the slacks and dresses at home if they want to! Short shorts and swimsuits are okay at the beach, pool and around the dive shop but not appropriate around town. Please keep in mind that many restaurants and the resort are heavily air-conditioned so if you get cold easy you might want to bring something to keep you warm!

What to Bring

Pack lightly Kids Sea Camp! Palau is a warm tropical destination and casual attire (t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops) are perfect! Laundry service is very cheap and low cost T-shirts and shorts are available at almost every store.

Things KSC should not leave home without:

Scuba Certification Card - (if diving) proof of certification is required from all divers.

DAN Membership and Insurance Card - always good to have this when traveling

Sunglasses & Hat - sunglasses, hats and T-shirts are also available at Sam's Tours if you forget.

Rain Jacket - Carry a waterproof rain jacket any time you're on the water. Heavy downpours can happen with little notice and can make for a chilly boat ride, especially after you've been diving.

Prescriptions Medications & Eye Glasses - bring any special medications you require.

Book(s) - If you like to read, bring a book as there are no book stores in Palau!

Sport Sandals (or Teva's) - for walking on the rock islands (or any shoes you don't mind getting wet). Dive booties work fine too! You can also rent hard-soled dive booties at Sam's Tours.


Electricity

110 Volts 50/60Hz with U.S. type flat 2-pin plug or 3-pin (two flat pins and rounded ground pin). There is 220 VOLT service at the dive center for battery charging.

Language

English is spoken by almost everyone on the island. Palauan is the local language. Japanese is also widely spoken. Languages spoken by our multi-lingual staff include Dutch, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Swiss, and Taiwanese.
 

Medical Services

Palau National Hospital is a well-equipped medical center with excellent professional medical staff. There are several private outpatient clinics and pharmacies in town. Should something arise, Sam's Tours staff will be able to help direct you in the right direction.

BELAU MEDICAL CLINIC: bmc@palaunet.com
Tel. No: + 680-488-2688
Fax No: + 680-488-1087
 

FAMILY SURGICAL CLINIC:
Tel. No: + 680-488-6920
Fax No: + 680-488-6922
 

Postal Service

Palau is served by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) so you will be able to send as many post cards back as you would like. It generally takes only 6-9 days to get mail back to the U.S. mainland via first class or priority mail.

Telecommunications

Kids Sea Camp guests will be able to call home whenever necessary. International direct dialing is readily available using Calling Cards from Palau National Communications Corporation (PNCC). Cards are available at Sam's Tours and many other business establishments.

Internet access is available at Sam's Tours and Palau Royal Resort.

Mobile phone service (GSM 900) is available on the island however international roaming is not available and phones will not operate without a SIM card purchased (or rented) locally.

Time Zone

Palau is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) + 9 hours or the same as Japan. At present time we are 13 hours ahead of New York and 16 hours ahead of LA. An hour is added with day light savings time.

Tipping

Tipping is not required but is a common practice for all service personnel, dive guides and boat captains.

Transportation

There is no public transportation system in Palau. Sam's Tours will provide Kids Sea Camp guests with complimentary roundtrip hotel and downtown shuttle service for things outside KSC activities. Taxi service is also readily available up until 10:00pm and fares are very reasonable. Arrangements are easily made in advance for taxi service after 10:00pm.

For all Kids Sea Camp activities transportation is provided as needed.

Quarantine Restrictions

As Palau's unique island eco-system is very susceptible to invasive specifies there are tight restrictions on fresh fruits, vegetables, plants, meats and other possible sources of contamination. Do not bring these items to Palau as they are subject to immediate confiscation.

Drugs

Anti-drug laws are strictly enforced. Prescriptions should be carried for any special medicines or drugs in your possession.

Departure Tax

Palau has a departure tax of 20.00 for each departing visitor. Departure tax of $20.00 has been included in all Kids Sea Camp package pricing and a representative from Sam's Tours will be on hand during departure to organize this.

REMINDER: ALL US PASSPORTS MUST BE VALID FOR UP 6 SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO EXPIRATION DATE TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY. AIRLINES ARE ENFORCING THIS

All schedules, itineraries and package inclusions are subject to