Most folks consider Thailand or Bali for seashores and islands, however should you ask me, Palawan is on one other stage \u2013 an underrated journey locations<\/a> you\u2019ll genuinely fall in love with. <\/p>\n With its lush rainforests, white sand seashores, hidden caves and lagoons, and quite a few unbelievable snorkel- and dive websites, Palawan is without doubt one of the true highlights of the Philippines.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll share the most typical journey route by way of Palawan with suggestions for all key stops alongside the way in which, together with El Nido and Coron.<\/p>\n Your first choice is whether or not to remain solely in El Nido or to discover a number of locations in Palawan.<\/p>\n El Nido is well essentially the most scenically situated city on the island, nestled between steep limestone peaks and hugging a stunning bay. Boat excursions right here can take you to hidden seashores, coves, and beautiful lagoons. It is normally the primary place folks wish to go.<\/p>\n That mentioned, El Nido can also be the epicenter of tourism in Palawan, and so it may be fairly packed at instances. It\u2019s a bustling backpacker city with quite a few lodges and hostels (and small-scale resorts exterior the city as nicely). The bay is commonly brimming with bangkas<\/em>, the native catemaran-style boats.<\/p>\n If you could have only a few days, El Nido is a good selection. <\/strong>It may be reached immediately by aircraft from Manila, and you should utilize El Nido as a base for day journeys to close by seashores and waterfalls.<\/p>\n If you could have 10 to 14 days,\u00a0<\/strong>you possibly can observe my itinerary to get all one of the best of Palawan, together with El Nido. Places like Port Barton and Coron are blissful and my private faves.<\/p>\n It\u2019s straightforward to independently plan your Philippines journey<\/a>. All transport may be booked on-line<\/a>, and native excursions may be booked on-line or in particular person. This 10-day Palawan itinerary takes you thru the must-see islands, with one of the best locations to remain alongside the way in which.<\/p>\n To shorten the journey, you might determine to chop the primary few days and give attention to El Nido and Coron by flying straight to El Nido. But I feel 10 days is the proper minimal time to get essentially the most out of Palawan.<\/p>\n There are not any scheduled ferries to Palawan (and they’d take too lengthy anyway), so that you\u2019ll should fly. You have 3 choices.<\/p>\n By the way in which, all flights from Manila to Palawan take roughly 90 minutes, and there are not any direct flights or boats connecting Palawan to Indonesia or Malaysia. You should all the time journey by way of Manila or Cebu City.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s check out the important thing locations in Palawan, from south to north<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Palawan is an archipelago made up of round 1,780 islands, with Palawan Island being the largest and the guts of all of it. The province of Palawan contains not solely the primary island but in addition a bunch of smaller islands and islets which are a part of its territory. <\/p>\n This record highlights a number of the coolest cities and villages throughout the Palawan province\u2014every one providing one thing distinctive, and collectively they make up the proper 10-day itinerary by way of this tropical paradise\u2026<\/p>\n The gateway to Palawan, value a stopover<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a complete lot to see or do in Palawan\u2019s capital and solely metropolis (inhabitants: round 200,000). Most folks say it\u2019s their least favourite vacation spot alongside this route. However, it\u2019s nonetheless value spending an evening simply to take pleasure in two enjoyable actions.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Firstly, many eating places serve an iconic dish often known as tamilok\u00a0(or woodworm), a slimy mollusc discovered on mangrove timber. It could not sound precisely interesting, however there\u2019s an important probability you\u2019ll be bullied into tasting it! It doesn\u2019t style unhealthy, only a bit bizarre \u2013 like creamy, slimy jelly. Think oyster, solely richer and a bit saltier. Another uncommon factor to strive is croc\u00a0sisig<\/em>, which is minced crocodile meat served on a\u00a0scorching\u00a0plate.<\/p>\n At night time, contemplate taking a firefly-watching tour to\u00a0the Iwahig River<\/a>.<\/strong> You can hire a ship and benefit from the serenity of paddling by way of the darkness till reaching the spot the place the fireflies dance across the mangroves. I don\u2019t typically name journey experiences \u201cmagical,\u201d however this one really deserves the label.<\/p>\n However, the island-hopping excursions to Honda Bay will not be actually a should<\/strong>. While the seashores are good and I nonetheless had a enjoyable time, the opposite islands in Palawan will blow these out of the water (so to talk). I really feel these excursions are maybe extra for Puerto Princesa residents who need a enjoyable time out. In the north of Palawan, there are various seashores which are wilder and have vistas with extra karst mountain surroundings.<\/p>\n Canvas Boutique Hotel<\/a> is completely positioned for sampling these unique native dishes earlier than heading to your firefly tour and past. It\u2019s additionally solely 5 minutes away from the airport, so it\u2019s ultimate to\u00a0kick issues off earlier than diving into Palawan\u2019s extra epic locations.<\/p>\n It\u2019s essential to notice that vans sometimes don\u2019t depart after 4 pm, and visiting the Underground River requires permits that must be organized upfront. Many vacationers discover it helpful to keep in a single day in Sabang<\/a> reasonably than trying a rushed day journey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A laid-back seaside city subsequent to a World Heritage Site<\/p>\n Millions of years in the past, the Puerto Princesa Underground River snaked its approach beneath the St. Paul Mountain Range and have become one of many few of its sort that flows on to the ocean. It is now a protected space that has been acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site<\/a>.<\/p>\n The cave boasts 8km of underground channels, about half of which may be explored. You can take a day journey from Puerto Princesa to the river cave<\/a>, however it\u2019s additionally a pleasant choice to remain within the city of Sabang. More than the creamy sand and the clear waters, I used to be amazed by the seclusion of the place. You can sip recent coconut whereas watching the waves crash on the shore.<\/p>\n In Sabang, you too can go mountaineering, chicken watching, paddling throughout the mangrove forest, and seeing wild animals of their pure habitat.\u00a0I cherished taking an early morning paddle boat tour of the mangroves and seeing quite a few birds, yellow-banded snakes, and reptiles.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As you stroll alongside the seaside, crabs of various sizes and colours scatter into their holes within the sand. Near the cave entrance had been a number of wild monkeys and big monitor lizards. The space positively felt fairly wild and alive!<\/p>\n It will get quiet after the day trippers have left, and I loved spending a bit of additional time right here, so I feel it may be value staying the night time.<\/p>\n There are two methods to the doorway<\/strong> \u2013 taking a 6-kilometer trek by way of wealthy rainforest or taking a 20-minute scenic boat experience overlooking karst mountains. Both start in Sabang. Visitor numbers are restricted by a each day quota, so should you don\u2019t get a tour with a allow included, you\u2019ll have to get your allow in Puerto Princesa a day earlier than. You can e book today journey from Puerto Princesa<\/a>, however should you\u2019re staying in Sabang, it\u2019s higher to e book domestically.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a brief however eerie and magical 45-minute boat experience<\/strong> by way of the alternating large chambers and slender channels of the cave. Stalagmite and stalactite formations are mentioned to resemble figures starting from Jesus Christ to Hollywood stars. An audio information is offered for many who wish to perceive the cave higher, however possibly you\u2019d a lot reasonably benefit from the sounds of water dripping, swallows chirping, and bats flying above.<\/p>\n The journey from Sabang to Port Barton requires some planning, as they don\u2019t join immediately by highway. Most vacationers want to attach by way of Puerto Princesa, with the entire journey taking 4 \u2013 5 hours to cowl roughly 120 km. Transportation may be organized on-line<\/a>.<\/p>\n A extra handy however pricier choice is hiring a non-public automobile or constitution for $45.00 to $63.00, lowering journey time to 2-3 hours. Some non-public autos may be booked on-line<\/a>. Some resorts in Port Barton provide pickup providers from Sabang, so it\u2019s value asking about.<\/p>\n Otherwise, it\u2019s finest to backtrack to Puerto Princesa and change transport there. Vans depart to Port Barton commonly all through the day, costing round 350-600 PHP. Some buses additionally cowl this route, that are cheaper however slower.<\/p>\n![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/www.indietraveller.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/el_nido.jpg\")
Destination choices: El Nido or all of Palawan?<\/h2>\n
10-Day Palawan itinerary<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.indietraveller.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Tropical-beach-and-rainforest-on-Palawan-Island-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nHow to get to Palawan<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nBest locations in Palawan<\/h2>\n
1. Puerto Princesa<\/h3>\n
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2. Sabang & Underground River<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.indietraveller.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/palawan-transport-1-1024x682.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.indietraveller.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/palawan-sabang-3-1024x683.jpg\")
How to go to the underground river<\/h4>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.indietraveller.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/palawan-sabang-6-underground-river-1024x683.jpg\")