Ngeremlengui Waterfalls

On Sunday I went on a biking trip to Ngeremlengui Waterfalls. I don't own a bike, but I borrowed LB's mountain bike which I had previously used to bike around Angaur. For this trip, I joined Phil, Jirka, Sarah, and Tom from the CAT team. They all bike regularly in Palau so I knew I would be at a bit of disadvantage, but our route would mostly be on the Compact Road so I figured I would be able to keep up. To beat the heat, we started just before dawn. As I turned onto the main road I met up with the Phil, Jirka, and Sarah and we headed up and over the KB Bridge and onto Babeldaob. At the KB Shell we met up with Tom and reached the smooth Compact Road, which is finally finished (but the access road to the east side is still under construction).

The beginning of the ride through Airai wasn't too hilly and we stayed together. Once we hit Aimeliik, we hit some uphills and I slipped further back. Phil was kind enough to wait for me and I caught up eventually. When not focusing on the uphills, the scenery was gorgeous with a smattering of fog hanging over the jungle clad hills. At that time of day we had the road to ourselves and it was a fun ride. The further we pedaled the more I tired and it became less fun. The group pulled away from me a few times, but I was able to catch up eventually.

We biked fifteen miles from the bridge until we reached a turn off to the PCC research station in Ngeremlengui State. Nearby was a multi-purpose building where Jirka had held a dentistry clinic. Only one patient had visited during the week he was there so he had used his free time to explore the area. He found the path to the Ngeremlengui Waterfalls, an area really only known by Ngeremlengui residents and not open to tourists. We biked down a dirt path and then through the jungle a little ways until a stream crossing. We parked the bikes and continued the rest of the way on foot.

To cross the first stream we carefully maneuvered over a few logs over an eight foot drop to the stream. The trail began as an overgrown road that had razor grass that scratched up our legs. We then reached a river crossing where the remnants of an old metal bridge spanned the river. All that was left was the support beams which were still crossable, but a little wobbly. We crossed over and continued onto the trail that opened into a large field. Local farmers used the area to grow noni, a naturally occurring herb that lately has become a popular herbal remedy and a cash crop for Palauans. We passed by the noni farm and the trail turned into a stone pathway like the one on the way to the Melekeok Bai.

The stone pathway followed the river and along the way there was a series of waterfalls. The first was the smallest and then they grew progressively larger. The largest was very impressive, it is about half the size of Ngardmau Falls. With it being the beginning of the rainy season the falls were swollen with lots of water. We went down a little path to the top of the falls and took a snack break. We also took the opportunity to swim in some of the pools of fresh water, which is a nice change of pace from the salt water ocean. We took turns jumping off the rocks into the pools. Afterwards, I stayed at the waterfall while the rest of the group explored the river further upstream. They didn't find much and when they returned after a short time we went down to the base of the waterfall. It was an unexpected treat because I had not heard of the waterfall before this weekend. Ngeremlengui wants to develop the area like Ngardmau to attract tourism and I hope they do because it is a beautiful area and with a little trail maintenance it could be easily accessible.

We hiked back down the trail and across the streams back to the bikes. A little rain had made the trail a little muddy, but the bikes make it manageable. We soon reached the Compact Road and it was smooth biking. The first stretch went well until we reached the hills in Aimeliik. There are a couple of punishing hills that seemingly go on forever. I had to take it very slowly and fell behind the group. That part was not fun at all and rather demoralizing. The group met up again at the top for a rest, but I was exhausted and we still had a ways to go. The next part was mostly downhill for which I was very thankful. There was a few short but steep hills in Airai but I was able to get through those and made it back to the KB Shell. Tom was nice enough to let us throw our bikes in his truck and drive us back to Koror so we wouldn't have to bike the hill up to topside. When I got home I relaxed the rest of the day at home because after biking thirty miles and hiking for a few more, my legs didn't want to do anything else. Except for the punishing hills, the trip was a lot of fun and an completely off the beaten track experience.