★★★★★
This Island raised me and made me who I am now. Natural Beauty of God Creation. 🙏
City
Angaur
Angaur is the southernmost inhabited state of Palau, a low coral island small enough to walk across in an afternoon, where macaques — descendants of animals that slipped free during the German colonial period — still move through the forest canopy. It is the only place in Micronesia where that is true, and the fact sets the tone: this island accumulates strange, specific history the way the jungle floor accumulates phosphate dust.
The west coast holds the two villages of Ngeremasch and Rois, separated by more than geography. Foxholes and concrete pillboxes surface between the trees. A lighthouse stands abandoned on high ground to the northwest. Angaur rewards the kind of traveller who is comfortable with quiet and doesn't need the infrastructure to match the interest.
Flights to Angaur
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to say the same thing: walk the perimeter road early, before the heat builds. The War Memorial is easy to pass quickly — don't. Stand with it. And if you're timing a boat to Babeldaob, confirm the departure the night before; schedules here answer to tide and weather, not the other way around.
Good to know
Belau Air flies small planes in from Airai; the 6,600-foot strip handles single-engine aircraft only. Boats run irregularly and leave early. Accommodation is guesthouse-basic, around $20–$35 a night. February through April brings the least rain. One to two days is enough for most visitors.
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How Angaur came to be
A Spanish expedition under Ruy López de Villalobos recorded the island in January 1543, though Spain made no real attempt at administration for another three centuries. Germany took formal possession in 1899 after the Spanish-American War, and within six years District Commissioner Arno Senfft had identified the phosphate deposits that would define Angaur for the next half century. Mining began in 1909, continued under Japanese administration after Palau was seized in World War I and mandated to Japan by the League of Nations in 1920, and ran until 1954.
The island's other defining rupture came in the autumn of 1944. The Battle of Angaur, part of Operation Forager, lasted from September into November. Lieutenant Colonel Henry R. Paige's 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion remained as garrison. On 6 November 1944, the 7th Air Force Engineers built a control tower using steel girders salvaged from a Japanese mill. The bunkers, pillboxes, and foxholes they and their opponents left behind are still there.
People & landmarks
Who and what shaped it
People who shaped it
Ruy López de Villalobos
Spanish expedition leader who recorded first Western sighting of Angaur in January 1543.
Arno Senfft
District Commissioner who discovered phosphate deposits in 1905, defining the island's economy for 45 years.
Lieutenant Colonel Henry R. Paige
Commanded 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion; remained as garrison commander after Battle of Angaur in 1944.
Landmark buildings
Angaur Airstrip
6,600-foot runway built during Japanese administration; still in use with daily flights from Airai.
Control Tower
Built 6 November 1944 by 7th Air Force Engineers using steel girders salvaged from Japanese mill.
Phosphate Mining Infrastructure
Principal excavation at Gabayanga with ~12 miles of railroad, refinery at Saipan village, conveyor loading system; operated 1909–1954.
Lighthouse
Abandoned structure on high ground to northwest, constructed during harbor expansion.
WWII Battle Relics
Bunkers, pillboxes, and foxholes scattered throughout island from Battle of Angaur (September–November 1944).
Angaur War Memorial
Small monument honoring those who fought on the island during World War II.
Watch
See Angaur in motion
Practical
Plan your visit
On the map
When to go
Temperatures hold between 78°F and 87°F year-round with humidity around 80%, so the air always carries weight. February through April offers the relative best — fewer downpours, lower typhoon risk — though 'dry season' is a generous description for an island that receives around 2,000 mm of rain annually.
Right now
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28°C
Clear
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Mon
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29°
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Tue
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29°
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Weather data: Open-Meteo
Reviews via Google
What travellers say about Angaur
4.7
19 Google reviews
★★★★★
I truly miss 😢 this 🏝 Island, my home, the food and the people. And most of all, I miss my mother dearest.
★★★★★
PALAU IS SO BEAUTIFUL BUT WE ARE DESTROYING THIS WORLD AND EVERY SINGLE NATURAL BEAUTY MADE BY GOD
★★★★★
I love Angaur!!
★★★★★
When I went for volunteer work I walked along the runway Just enough distance for a light aircraft to take off and land A quiet and calm island It was nice that there were no tourists The strong sunlight beating down from morning was impressive
Background & history adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · specs from Wikidata (CC0) · weather from Open-Meteo · map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · photos from Wikimedia Commons / Unsplash with per-image credit. No third-party reviews or social posts reproduced.