What is it?

Airai is the second-largest settlement in Palau and the first place almost every visitor touches down, since Roman Tmetuchl International Airport sits within its boundaries on the big volcanic island of Babeldaob. But drive past the terminal and Airai reveals itself as something far older and quieter than an arrival hall: a green, hilly state of red-earth roads, taro patches, mangrove-fringed bays and hillside villages where clans still trace their lineage back centuries. Its greatest treasure is the Bai ra Irrai, the oldest surviving traditional Palauan men's meeting house, its gables painted with storyboard legends in ochre, black and white, standing on a stone platform beside ancient monoliths and carved stone backrests where chiefs once sat in council. Scattered through the surrounding jungle are the rusting ghosts of the Pacific War — Japanese communication bunkers, gun emplacements, aircraft wrecks and concrete ruins slowly being swallowed by vines and fig roots. The soundscape is pure Micronesia: cicadas, fruit doves, sudden warm rain drumming on corrugated roofs, and the low rumble of outboard motors heading out through the mangrove channels.

Where is it?

Airai occupies the southern end of Babeldaob, Palau's largest island, in the western Pacific roughly 800 km east of the Philippines and connected to Koror by the landmark Koror–Babeldaob (KB) Bridge. Key sights include Airai village and the Bai ra Irrai, the airport area, the Ngerikiil and Ngerdorch river systems for kayaking, and the Compact Road that loops north into Babeldaob's wild interior. The drier, calmer months from roughly January to April offer the best conditions, though Palau is warm and tropical year-round; visit the bai in the morning before the afternoon heat and rain squalls.

What makes it worth it?

Most travellers fly into Airai and rush straight to the Rock Islands — which means those who linger get Palau's cultural heart almost to themselves. Standing beneath the soaring thatch of the Bai ra Irrai, with a village elder explaining how each painted panel encodes a moral story, is the moment Palau stops being a dive destination and becomes a living civilisation with its own law, mythology and matrilineal order. Visitors often describe it as "the piece we didn't know we were missing" — the human context behind the postcard lagoon. Walking a jungle trail to a moss-covered Japanese bunker, then emerging at a river mouth where kingfishers flash over the mangroves, gives you the whole arc of Palauan history in an afternoon: ancient chiefdoms, colonial powers, and a small nation that emerged proud and independent. Years later, it's not just the reef you'll remember, but the smell of rain on red earth and the sound of Palauan spoken softly in the shade of a hundred-year-old bai.

How accessible is it?

Very accessible — Airai is where you land, and its highlights are all reachable by road within 20–40 minutes of Koror, Palau's main hub. Getting to Palau is the hard part: flights arrive from Manila, Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo and Guam, typically costing US$600–1,500 return depending on origin and season, and most nationalities receive 30 days' visa-free entry (you'll sign the Palau Pledge, stamped into your passport, on arrival). Once there, a rental car runs about US$50–80 per day, taxis are metered and pricey, and guided cultural or WWII-relics tours cost roughly US$60–150 per person; small donations or fees may apply at the bai and village sites. Physical demands are minimal — mostly flat walking, though jungle trails can be muddy, humid and slippery, so wear closed shoes, insect repellent and carry water. It's courteous to arrange visits to the bai and village sites through a local guide or the state office rather than turning up unannounced, as these are living cultural properties, not museums.