Palawan Travel Guide
Palawan has one of the best islands in the world. This line is enough to make you want to visit it right? If not, then let me give you more! There are two popular destinations in Palawan; El Nido and Coron and both of them have their own major attractions.
Personally, I prefer El Nido for its islands and beaches but Coron also has the lagoon! Each one of them also has its own airport which flies to and from the major airport hubs in the Philippines. If you’re planning to visit one island after another, all it takes is one ferry ride. Some of the amazing things to do in Palawan include endless Palawan island hopping, exploring the underground river, viewing the amazing rock formations and limestone cliff, sailing to the secret beaches, and of course, devouring native Filipino cuisines.
Palawan Attractions
One thing to understand is Palawan is a big island with many places still unexplored. There are hidden beaches, islands, waterfalls, and mountains that are yet to be visited. To list its attractions means that I’m just going to list down the popular ones, but we will also try to give you the local’s favorites.
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The following attractions/activities are great to check out:
- Go under Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
- Explore Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park – one of the most impressive marine biodiversity in the world
- Visit Kayangan Lake in Coron – considered the cleanest lake in the Philippines
- Kayak around the crystal clear lagoons in El Nido
- Visit the local fishing community of Port Barton
- Island hop around the many islands of El Nido
- Visit the longest beach in the country – Long Beach in San Vicente, Palawan
| GO AROUND PHILIPPINES USEFUL TIPS AND LINKS |
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| BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS To travel around the Philippines, there are 3 local commercial airlines. Cebu Pacific Air, AirAsia and Philippine Airlines. Smaller airlines called AirSwift (El Nido, Boracay) and Royal Air also fly to limited destinations. Book your local flights here. For international flights, I found Kiwi and Trip.com have cheaper flight options to the Philippines. |
| BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION There are many choices of hotels, hostels, apartments and guesthouses to stay in the Philippines. Book through AGODA for the cheapest options and Booking.com. I also use Hotelscombined to see all prices from different websites to choose from. |
| BOOK YOUR BUS/FERRY/VAN/CAR The Philippines can be difficult to go around because many buses, ferries and even private vehicles are offline. The best websites to book them are through Bookaway.com and 12GoAsia – they have many partners in different destinations and you can purchase tickets online. Car rentals are also available for you to choose from here. |
| BOOK YOUR PACKAGE TOURS If you don’t know where to go and just want a hassle free trip to the Philippines, you can find package trips to different destinations with Klook – I recommend them for local tours and activities or Get Your Guide. |
| DON’T FORGET YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE |
| It is very important to be safe and ready whenever accidents happen, especially in the Philippines where some places don’t have quality hospitals and clinics. I use Safety Wings for whenever I travel in the Philippines or abroad. |
| Have you got any questions about traveling to the Philippines? Join our Philippines Travel Planning FB Page to get your answers. Don’t know how to start planning your Philippines trip? You can start here. |
PALAWAN TRAVEL ARTICLES
HOW TO GET TO PALAWAN
The biggest airport in Palawan is located in Puerto Princesa City. People usually fly there for cheaper flights with the local airlines. From Puerto Princesa, there are minivans or buses that can take you to El Nido or Port Barton. There are also smaller airlines like Airswift flying from Manila directly to El Nido or Coron. These flights are usually fully booked early so better book at least a month before your flight.
If you want a cheaper way to get to Palawan, you can take a ferry from Manila. These are overnight trips which are comfortable too. You can do this if you have time to spare. Around Palawan, the best way to travel is by bus, van, private car or I’d recommend renting a car to go around the island.
