Philippines
Palawan
November to May (dry season)
$60-250 USD
Filipino, Cuyonon, Tagbanwa and English
UTC+8 (Philippine Standard Time)
About
Discover Palawan
Palawan is the Philippines' westernmost province — a long, narrow island stretching about 450 km from north to south between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea, with hundreds of smaller islands and islets within its boundaries. It is consistently voted one of the world's best island destinations and was declared the Philippines' last ecological frontier due to its extraordinary biodiversity: the province is home to five UNESCO-listed or Man and Biosphere Reserve sites.
For most international visitors, Palawan is synonymous with two distinct destinations: El Nido in the north and Puerto Princesa in the centre-south. El Nido is the gateway to the Bacuit Archipelago, a cluster of about 50 limestone karst islands and outcrops rising dramatically from the Bacuit Bay. The area's hidden lagoons, pristine beaches, and extraordinary marine biodiversity make it a dream destination for snorkellers, divers, and island-hopping enthusiasts. El Nido town itself is a small, unpretentious place with a growing selection of beachfront restaurants and accommodation ranging from basic guesthouses to high-end island resorts.
Puerto Princesa is the provincial capital and a UNESCO-designated city. Its most famous attraction is the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature — featuring a navigable underground river that flows through a spectacular cave system for about 8.2 kilometres before emptying into the sea. The underground river is visited by permit, with tour operators in the city organising day trips that include a boat ride through the cave interior.
Coron, in the northern part of Palawan province on Busuanga Island, is a third major destination and one of the world's premier wreck diving locations. The bay contains several Japanese warships sunk during a US air attack in 1944, now colonised by corals and teeming with marine life. Coron's lakes — particularly Kayangan Lake, often cited as the Philippines' cleanest lake — are also a major draw for snorkellers.
The wildlife of Palawan is distinctive: the island chain has its own endemic fauna including the Palawan bearcat, the Philippine pangolin, and the Palawan peacock-pheasant. Turtle Islands in the southern province supports one of the largest nesting populations of green sea turtles in Asia. The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea, is accessible only by liveaboard dive vessels from Puerto Princesa and represents some of the most pristine coral reef ecosystems in the world.
The best time to visit Palawan is from November to May during the dry season, when seas are calm enough for island-hopping and the weather is consistently sunny. The wet season from June to October brings rough seas that can ground island-hopping boats for days at a time, though Puerto Princesa remains accessible year-round.
Where to Stay
Best Hotels in Palawan
Luxury Hotels
El Nido Resorts Lagen Island
El Nido Resorts Lagen Island is a luxury eco-resort built within a rainforest-covered island in Bacuit Bay, featuring 50 rooms and water cottages on stilts over the lagoon. The resort operates on solar energy, has its own marine sanctuary, and offers outstanding snorkelling directly from its jetty with rays, turtles, and reef fish visible in the crystal-clear lagoon. Its island-only exclusivity and pristine natural setting make it one of the Philippines' most distinctive luxury addresses.
El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island
El Nido Resorts Miniloc Island is the original El Nido Resorts property, opened in the 1980s and set on a small island with a protected cove. Its 51 rooms include beach cottages and water cottages positioned directly over the sea, and the resort's house reef provides snorkelling with outstanding visibility and biodiversity. The Big and Small Lagoons of Tour A fame are a short boat ride away and Miniloc guests have priority access.
Discovery Coron (formerly Club Paradise Palawan)
Discovery Coron — formerly Club Paradise — is a beachfront resort occupying its own private island (Dimakya Island) in the Calamianes Group north of El Nido. The resort offers 48 rooms set along a white sand beach fringing a house reef accessible by steps from the beach, with sea turtles a regular sighting. Its remote location and private island setting make it one of Palawan's most sought-after eco-luxury properties.
Dos Palmas Island Resort and Spa
Dos Palmas Island Resort occupies Arreceffi Island in Honda Bay, about 30 minutes by boat from Puerto Princesa. The resort's 72 rooms and villas are set on a palm-fringed island with house reef snorkelling, mangrove kayaking, and a full-service spa. It is an affordable island resort experience within easy reach of Puerto Princesa's mainland attractions including the underground river and Iwahig Firefly Watching.
Maremegmeg Beach Club
Maremegmeg Beach Club (also known as Las Cabanas Beach) is a boutique resort on the Taytay–El Nido National Highway, about 4 km south of El Nido town on a quieter beach with a long strip of white sand. The resort offers accommodation alongside its beach club facilities, and the zipline from a clifftop to a small offshore platform is one of the most photographed activities in the El Nido area.
Two Seasons Coron Island Resort
Two Seasons Coron Island Resort is a beachfront property on Bulalacao Island near Coron town, offering overwater bungalows and beach villas in a serene island setting. The resort is well positioned for Coron's wreck dives and the Kayangan Lake snorkelling circuit, and its dive centre is one of the best-equipped in the area. The resort's commitment to marine conservation includes reef restoration programmes.
Boutique Hotels
Cauayan Island Resort
Cauayan Island Resort occupies a private island in Bacuit Bay, offering 10 villas with individual private pools and panoramic views of the surrounding limestone karst formations. The resort's emphasis on exclusivity and privacy — with a maximum of 20 guests at any time — makes it one of the most intimate luxury experiences in Palawan. Kayaking, snorkelling, and sunset cocktails at the clifftop bar are standard activities.
Huma Island Resort and Spa
Huma Island Resort is a boutique eco-resort on a private island in Busuanga Bay, near Coron. The resort's 55 water villas and beach suites feature sustainable construction using bamboo, wood, and native materials, and the island's house reef hosts sea turtles and diverse reef fish. The proximity to Coron's famous wreck dive sites and Kayangan Lake makes it an excellent base for divers and nature travellers.
El Nido Mahogany Beach Resort
El Nido Mahogany Beach Resort is a small boutique property on Corong Corong Beach, about 3 km south of El Nido town on a quieter stretch of coastline. The resort's elevated restaurant and bar has become a popular spot for sunset viewing over the bay, and the beach below is significantly less crowded than the main El Nido town beach. Boat tours to the Bacuit Archipelago can be arranged directly from the resort.
Mid-Range Hotels
El Nido Garden Resort
El Nido Garden Resort is a mid-range property in the town of El Nido, offering 56 rooms set among tropical gardens a short walk from the beach and the island-hopping booking desks. The resort's outdoor pool, restaurant, and attentive service provide good value for a Palawan mid-range property, and the gardens are well maintained. It is a practical base for day tours into the Bacuit Archipelago.
Microtel by Wyndham Puerto Princesa
Microtel by Wyndham is one of the best-known mid-range hotels in Puerto Princesa, located in San Manuel on the city's main highway. The hotel provides clean, standardised rooms, a small pool, and a restaurant at predictable Wyndham-brand quality. It is well positioned for accessing both the underground river tours and the Honda Bay island trips, and is a reliable choice for travellers spending a night or two in the city.
Holiday Suites Puerto Princesa
Holiday Suites is a three-star hotel on the North National Highway in Puerto Princesa, offering suite-style rooms with kitchenettes at prices competitive for the Puerto Princesa market. The hotel's pool, restaurant, and proximity to commercial areas make it a comfortable base for city exploration and underground river day tours. It is a popular choice for budget-conscious travellers wanting slightly more space than a standard hotel room.
Ipil Suites Puerto Princesa
Ipil Suites is a three-star property on Rizal Avenue in Puerto Princesa, conveniently located in the commercial heart of the city near the port area and major tour operators. The hotel offers clean, practical rooms and is a good starting point for organising underground river permits, Honda Bay boat trips, and other Palawan excursions through the city's tour operator network.
Budget Options
Hotel Centro Puerto Princesa
Hotel Centro Puerto Princesa is a three-star budget-to-mid-range property on the National Highway in Puerto Princesa offering functional accommodation with consistent standards. The hotel provides easy access to minivan transport north to El Nido and to the tour operator cluster on Rizal Avenue. It is a practical overnight stop for travellers passing through Puerto Princesa rather than staying for more than a day or two.
El Nido Viewdeck Cottages
El Nido Viewdeck Cottages is a budget guesthouse in El Nido town offering basic but clean fan and air-conditioned rooms at prices well below the island's resort properties. The property's elevated position provides views over El Nido Bay and the surrounding limestone formations. It is a long-standing backpacker favourite and well suited to travellers who spend most of their time on island-hopping tours.
Sunlight Guest Hotel Puerto Princesa
Sunlight Guest Hotel is a three-star property on Malvar Street in Puerto Princesa, offering clean rooms in a quiet residential-area location. The hotel's restaurant serves good Filipino breakfast and the staff are well-practised at assisting with underground river tour bookings and other Palawan excursions. It is a consistently well-reviewed budget-to-mid option in Puerto Princesa.
Coron Wrecks and Reefs Resort
A small dedicated dive resort near Coron town on Busuanga Island, offering basic but comfortable rooms oriented entirely toward the diving community. The resort's dive centre runs regular excursions to the WWII Japanese wrecks (Okikawa Maru, Kogyo Maru, and others) and to Barracuda Lake and Kayangan Lake. It is a straightforward, no-frills operation favoured by experienced divers who want maximum time underwater.
Experiences
Things to Do in Palawan
El Nido Island Hopping Tour A — Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon
Tour A is the most popular of El Nido's four official island-hopping routes, visiting the Big Lagoon (navigable by kayak or bangka), the Small Lagoon (accessible only by kayak through a narrow cave entrance), Secret Beach (a hidden cove inside a limestone rock), and Shimizu Island snorkelling spot. The Big Lagoon's reflective turquoise water framed by dramatic limestone walls is one of the Philippines' most photographed landscapes.
Puerto Princesa Underground River Tour
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature — an 8.2 km underground river flowing through a cave complex before reaching the sea. Tours paddle visitors by paddle boat through the illuminated cave interior, passing enormous stalactite and stalagmite formations, nesting swiftlets, and chambers of extraordinary scale. A permit is required and must be arranged through an accredited operator.
Private Underground River Tour with Ugong Rock Cave and Zip Line
This private tour combines the Puerto Princesa Underground River with the Ugong Rock Cave and Adventure Park, where visitors can cave-climb through limestone formations and then zip-line back down. The private format provides a more flexible and personalised experience than group tours. The tour includes hotel transfers, permits, and the boat ride into the UNESCO cave system.
El Nido Island Hopping Tour C — Hidden Beach and Matinloc Island
Tour C covers different destinations to Tour A, visiting the Cathedral Cave (a wide sea cave with dramatic light shafts), Hidden Beach (reachable only through a cave or by swimming), the Helicopter Island snorkelling reef, and the sandy shores of Matinloc Island. Many experienced El Nido visitors rate Tour C's destinations as more impressive than Tour A's, though it is slightly less well-known among first-time visitors.
Coron Wreck Diving
Coron Bay in Busuanga contains more than a dozen Japanese warships sunk in September 1944, now transformed into some of the world's most famous wreck dive sites. The wrecks — ranging from the 160-metre tanker Okikawa Maru to the supply ship Kogyo Maru — are festooned with soft corals and inhabited by enormous schools of glass fish, barracuda, and batfish. Several PADI dive centres in Coron town offer guided dives for all certification levels.
Kayangan Lake and Barracuda Lake Snorkelling
Kayangan Lake, frequently cited as the Philippines' cleanest lake, sits inside a limestone karst island accessible via a short hike through jungle from the Coron Bay shoreline. The lake's crystal-clear water over a rocky bottom is ideal for snorkelling and free diving. Nearby Barracuda Lake has a unique thermocline where warm and cold water layers meet, creating surreal visibility effects and a halocline effect popular with underwater photographers.
Honda Bay Island Hopping
Honda Bay, 15 km from Puerto Princesa city, contains a cluster of small islands with white sand beaches and coral gardens accessible by 15–30 minute outrigger boat rides. The most visited islands include Cowrie Island, Starfish Island, and Luli Island (which disappears at high tide). The snorkelling around Starfish Island is particularly rewarding, with large sea stars, turtles, and colourful reef fish visible in shallow water.
Iwahig Firefly Watching River Cruise
The Iwahig River, 15 km south of Puerto Princesa, hosts one of the Philippines' most accessible firefly watching experiences. Silent electric boats carry small groups along the mangrove-lined river after dark, when the trees flicker with thousands of synchronised fireflies (Pteroptyx tener) in a dazzling bioluminescent display. Tours depart after sunset and the 45-minute cruise requires no hiking or physical exertion.
El Nido to Coron Island Hopping Ferry
The multi-day inter-island boat journey between El Nido and Coron is one of the Philippines' most scenic boat experiences, stopping at remote beaches including Port Barton, Flower Island, and various uninhabited sandbanks along the way. The journey takes 2–3 days depending on the operator, with overnight accommodation in simple beach cottages or aboard the boat. It is the most scenic way to travel between the two destinations.
Puerto Princesa City Tour and Heritage Museum
A private guided city tour of Puerto Princesa covers the Palawan Museum (housing exhibits on tribal cultures and natural history), the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre (crocodile farm), the provincial capitol grounds, and the Rizal Avenue food and souvenir strip. The tour is a good introduction to Palawan's cultural and natural heritage before heading to El Nido or Coron.
Tubbataha Reefs Liveaboard Dive Trip
The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea, accessible only by liveaboard dive vessel from Puerto Princesa during the open season from March to June. The reefs support extraordinary marine biodiversity including reef sharks, hammerheads, manta rays, whale sharks, and vast colonies of pristine coral. Liveaboard trips typically last 4–7 nights and are aimed at experienced divers seeking one of the world's premier dive destinations.
El Nido Kayaking Through the Lagoons
Rent a kayak in El Nido town or hire one through an island-hopping tour and independently explore the network of sea caves, lagoons, and hidden beaches in the Bacuit Archipelago at your own pace. The Small Lagoon on Tour A is navigable only by kayak, and several other formations require low-profile craft to enter through narrow cave passages. Guided kayaking tours can also be arranged for groups seeking instruction and safety support.
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