Palawan - a tale of the lost islands. Philippines Resorts

We didn’t plan to write such a post, but we regularly receive letters in the mail with a similar question, despite the fact that there seems to be enough information on the Internet on this topic. There are two options - by sea and by plane. The first one is cheaper, but long, suitable if you have a lot of time. The second one is somewhat more expensive, but much more comfortable and faster. Therefore, most people should probably prefer air travel.

But, if you still want to travel by sea, then know that there are several options, both by company and by port of departure/arrival. Describing them all would require a separate post, so we’ll limit ourselves to just the names: 2 Go (Super Ferry), Atienza Shipping Lines, Montenegro, San Nicolas Shipping, Milagrosa Shipping, Negros Navigation. It is quite possible there are others.

Does Air Asia fly to Palawan?

In fact, the most frequently asked question is “... is it true that you can now get to Palawan with Air Asia?”

- Yes, you can.

How much does a plane ticket cost?

From Cebu to Palawan

If you are vacationing in Cebu, you can get to Palawan by direct flight with Cebu Pacific.

From Boracay to Palawan

As far as we know, there are no direct flights of scheduled airlines, all are operated on the Boracay - Manila - route. Departure airports from Boracay are Kalibo and Caticlan. It is noteworthy that from Kalibo it can be half the price!

In addition, they regularly ask how we got from Puerto Princesa to El Nido. In the future we will try to write a detailed report, for now we will only give one piece of advice - use the bus, not a minivan - it is cheaper and more comfortable, the travel time is the same.

From Karon Island to Palawan

No, don’t think about it, you don’t need to fly here (although you can with Air Juan), just take one of the many boats plying between these two islands. True, the sail is long, as we were told, about 6 - 7 hours. There is no point in describing what, how and how much; you can easily find out everything on the spot.

Thank you and enjoy your holiday on the wonderful island of Palawan!

updated: April 11, 2017 by: Sergei

The island of Palawan, located in the western part of the Philippines, attracts tourists with magnificent beaches, tropical rain forest, and beautiful scenery. There is a huge protected area of ​​coral reefs here. Palawan is ideal for those who seek unity with nature, trying to get away from the hustle and bustle.

How to get to Palawan

The best way to get to the island is by air. In the administrative center of the province of Puerto Princesa there is an airport of the same name. You can fly here from the capital of the Philippines - Manila, the journey will take about an hour. The hotel can be reached by car or by boat.

The cheapest tickets from Moscow to Manila and back

Where to stay

Palawan is special in that there are no middle-class hotels here. You can rent an inexpensive bungalow with a minimum number of amenities or give preference to luxury apartments.

Club Paradise is a convenient hotel for a family holiday. It offers cozy cottages. There is a tennis court, a swimming pool, and an excellent dive center.

Daluyon Beach And Mountain Resort 4* is a cozy hotel located in the eastern part of the island, near the famous national park and the provincial capital.

El Nido Lagen Island Resort is located in one of the picturesque bays of the island. The hotel features separate cottages on the beach, in the garden and on the water. Cozy rooms, friendly staff, magnificent views from the windows - everything is provided here for a comfortable, complete rest.

Weather

Between March and May, the weather is consistently dry and hot. The rainy season begins in July and lasts until November. After the rains, warm, sunny weather sets in until February. The average annual temperature is +26+29 degrees.

The best period to visit Palawan is considered to be from December to May. At this time, short-term precipitation cannot be ruled out, but it will in no way affect the quality of your vacation.

Entertainment and attractions in Palawan

The island of Palawan is a recognized natural reserve on a global scale. Impressive rocks, impenetrable jungles, mysterious caves, underground rivers, exotic fauna and flora - everything here breathes calm and tranquility.

This corner of the planet is chosen not only by fans of quiet family time. Active recreation is also widespread here.

Palawan is a true paradise for scuba diving enthusiasts. Divers not only admire the colorful reefs, but can also see shipwrecks dating back to World War II. Palawan's many small islets and reefs are considered the best diving in all of Asia.

There is a lot to go and see here.

• The main attraction of the island is an extensive network of numerous caves, connected by an underground river. This miracle of nature is protected by UNESCO as a natural landscape monument.
• You can get into the spirit of wild nature by going to the small island of Ursula, where there is a real reserve where rare and endangered sea turtles and dugongs exist. Here you can also visit a crocodile farm.
• The Palawan Museum, located in Mendoza Park, is of interest to tourists.
• To better understand the peculiarities of life and everyday life of the local population, you can visit the capital of Palawan - the city of Puerto Princesa.

Palawan is an exotic island where nature itself has provided luxurious conditions for relaxation. The gentle sea, warm sun, picturesque nature are a real paradise for tourists. Visit here just once, and you will never leave the desire to come back here again.

Undoubtedly, the wonderful island that we will now talk about is different from many other islands in the World, and you definitely won’t find anything like this. The island of Palawan is a series of small islands consisting of one archipelago. The islands of Palawan are located in the west of the tourist country. ( 11 photos)

The territory of all the islands of Palawan is about 15,000 km². The length of the islands of Palawan stretches for 425 km, and the width reaches 40 km. Palawan is the largest province of the Philippines. The center of Palawan is one of the most visited areas of Palawan, the city of Puerto Princesa. The archipelago consists of more than 40 small but amazingly different islands.

Palawan, first of all, is a unique natural property of all humanity, the fact is that the vibrant flora and fauna that we see on these islands cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Nature has tried to create a wonderful picturesque corner, and surrounded it on two sides by seas, from the south by the South China Sea, and the Sulu Sea, which separates Palawan from the middle part of the Philippines.

Lush and dense tropical forests here harmoniously combine with the rich aquatic world, and do not interfere at all with the ancient limestone rocks, which have protected the local islands like a shield for thousands of years. Small hills and mountain ranges that have grown out of the ground serve as a place for the existence of trees, which in some places literally hang over the water, and this creates the illusion of sharp rocks emerging directly from the water, decorated with lush crowns.

But what attracts tourists here so much, gathering people from all over the world on its beaches? The answer is simple, it is this effective nature that draws lovers of thrilling experiences here like a magnet. It so happens that Palawan today is one of the least known islands in the world, and as a result, one of the sparsely populated. Of course, there are residents here, but only in some parts of the island, and even then they live in their own world, and do not willingly succumb to the influences of civilization.

First of all, Palawan is great for tourists who love a secluded holiday with nature. Of course, there are expensive hotels with fun nightlife and other entertainment, but the main advantage of Palawan is the wonderful unearthly nature. The rich fauna includes numerous animals, and some of the species found here are found nowhere else except on this island.

The island also became a habitat for birds, of which there are more than 200 species on the island. The island also has a rich fauna of butterflies, there are more than 600 species. In order to preserve the unique flora and fauna on the island, the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park was created, founded in 1999. And in 2007, the national park was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The main component of the park is a unique underground river that flows directly into the sea. But before that, the river passes through stalactite and karst caves, the beauty of which cannot be expressed in words. The length of the river is 8 km, currently some part is equipped for tourists, and you can sit in a boat and enjoy all the beauties of the unusual caves.

As for the fauna of Palawan, we can talk about it forever; around the island there are amazing coral reefs with an area of ​​11 thousand sq. km. this is one third of all Philippine reefs. An unforgettable atmosphere reigns here; it’s not for nothing that divers all over the world have at least once heard about the rich diving experiences in these waters. The underwater world of Palawan is extremely rich, along with common marine animals of which there are quite a lot, very rare representatives of the fauna also live here, for example, you can find sea cows and ancient sea turtles, which may have met dinosaurs in their lifetime.

Boat trips are very well organized and are in great demand among tourists. You can either just take a ride on a luxury boat among the colorful islands, or dive under the water and see with your own eyes how rich and diverse the marine life of Palawan is. Crystal clear water will only accompany you on this dive. The purity of the local waters allows you to clearly see the bottom at a distance of up to 15 meters.

For New Year 2017 we decided to go to the Philippines. Going there for the winter holidays, we found ourselves at the very peak of the tourist season, when the weather is completely favorable for relaxation. You don't need a visa for the Philippines, since we were going there for only 14 days. After looking through many options, we decided to go to the island of Palawan in the largest city of Puerto Princesa (Philippines). First of all, we needed to select air tickets, insurance and an appropriate hotel.

Palawan Island: how to get there

We always book tickets ourselves and save money on it. This is especially true for trips to Asia. Flights to the Philippines are not cheap, so we used a proven service. By going to the search engine's website, we entered the point of departure and arrival, as well as the dates and number of travelers. The system offered several flight options. The most ideal option was to fly via Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways, and then with Philippine Airlines, connecting in Manila and flying on domestic airlines of the same company to Puerto Princesa, Philippines. The cost of round-trip tickets for two people was about 100,000 rubles. And the total travel time amounted to 36 hours, which were too tiring. The airlines provided excellent service, especially Etihad. At the airport we arrived at terminal 3 and flew back from there. The airline passengers were offered free juices and water, and they could take blankets to cover themselves in the waiting room (since the air conditioning works very well, blankets can also be taken from the plane). You can get vouchers from the Etihad counter to eat on the second floor, but not all food outlets. The shower is also free, and wi-fi worked almost everywhere.

At the Manila airport everything was much simpler, but we spent relatively little time there. Arriving at Puerto Princesa Airport, a transfer was waiting for us from the hotel where we had booked the rooms.

Hotel Palawan, Philippines

Finding a good hotel in Palawan (Philippines) is problematic. Most of the hotels that we were able to find had a rating of 2-3 stars. Their average cost varies from 17,000 to 50,000 rubles for 14 days. To find a hotel, we used a free search engine. We managed to find a very good hotel, which mainly had luxury rooms and villas. The hotel is called . The cost of this hotel in Palawan (Philippines) is almost 100,000 rubles for two people for 13 nights. The rooms are spacious, with excellent furniture, wide plasma TVs, satellite channels, minibar, free Internet, air conditioning and all the attributes of a decent hotel. As soon as we arrived, we were offered welcome drinks while a hotel representative completed paperwork.

The Palawan (Philippines) Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa occupies a large area with a huge swimming pool, along the perimeter of which there are good sun loungers and umbrellas, under which you can hide from the heat. The layout is executed at the highest level, this also applies to the entire hotel area. The spaces between the villas are connected by limestone walkways in the middle of a wide grassy lawn. There are many tall palm trees on the territory that create the atmosphere of a tropical paradise. Palawan (Philippines) Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa is located on the first coastline and has a small private beach.

Cheap hotels in Palawan (Philippines)

During our stay, we noticed cheap hotels in Puerto Princesa. First of all, this one cost 650 pesos. Very quiet place, located 10 minutes drive from the airport and everything you need - market, souvenir shops and restaurants. This hotel is owned by 4 girls who are very hospitable.

Other budget hotels in Puerto Princesa, Philippines

Prices start at 750 pesos.
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Beaches of Puerto Princesa, Philippines

We were lucky with the beaches, since there are not many places for swimming in Puerto Princesa (Philippines) and they are located at a considerable distance from most hotels, so you have to take a taxi or rent a scooter to get to them. To be honest, it’s not entirely clear how you can swim on them, because they are practically not equipped, although they don’t look bad at all. In the eastern part of Puerto Princesa you can swim at BM beach, Kalayaan beach and Pristine beach in the southern part. Almost everywhere the water is ankle-deep, so the beaches are more suitable for walking than for swimming. But you can try.

Things to do in Puerto Princessa

Diving

The most popular entertainment for tourists coming to the island of Palawan is diving, which we enjoyed doing, since we both have certificates. There are many companies here that offer equipment rentals and transfers to popular dive sites. The most popular location is the west coast. From Puerto Princesa (Philippines) most of these places are relatively close. There is a huge number of sunken ships from the Second World War. In addition, you can dive at the reefs of Basterra and Tubbataha.

underground river

During our trip to the West Coast, we took an amazing boat ride on an underground river. Transfer there can be organized by excursion companies located in the city. The transfer is carried out by minibus, which picks up tourists from the hotel in Palawan (Philippines). Next, a distance of about 50 kilometers is covered, which takes less than 1 hour. You can only ride in one place and, despite the fact that this is the longest underground river in the world, you can only swim for about 1 kilometer, but that's enough. The tour costs 1,200 pesos and includes a buffet lunch.

City Tour

While on vacation in Puerto Princesa (Philippines), you can go on a city tour. I highly recommend that you do this yourself. You can rent a bicycle or motorcycle and hit the road. In the city you can see the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a butterfly garden and a crocodile farm.

Crocodile Farm and Butterfly Garden

One day we decided to diversify our stay in Puerto Princesa (Philippines) by visiting a crocodile farm. We went there by chance, after lunch. We arrived by taxi, since the distance from the city is 12 km. There are no shows there, but it is interesting to look at the reptiles. There are many aquariums here for breeding these descendants of dinosaurs.

On the way back we stopped at the butterfly garden, which is located along the road in the Santa Monica area. Rare species of butterflies living on the island are collected and breed here. Here you can watch the process of their breeding or simply admire the rare species of these island inhabitants. Scorpions, reed switches and others also live in the garden.

Islands

You can go on a boat trip in Puerto Princesa (Philippines). Excursions to Honda Bay are sold on the street. It costs 1000 pesos and includes lunch. But you can take a boat yourself for 1,500 pesos and see the islands and bay on your own.

Food in Puerto Princesa (Philippines)

Puerto Princesa, Philippines has all the food you can find in Asia. Here you will find all sorts of fast food restaurants like Jollibee, McDonalds, Chowking and Razon's.

To our surprise, we only saw two supermarkets on Palawan Island. But we didn't really need them. And what was strange was that there was very little fresh fruit. You can buy bananas, coconuts, oranges, pineapples, watermelons, apples. There wasn't even a very wide variety of vegetables: small tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants and green beans. But the signature dish here is seafood, of course. We were at the night market, where you can buy all kinds of fish, crabs, prepared vegetables and of course rice, which is served on a large banana leaf.

Palawan Island is the westernmost island of the Philippine archipelago. Some of its features include the following: Palawan- the third largest island of the Philippines and the largest province of the state. In addition, it is one of the safest islands in the region. There are no active volcanoes, earthquakes are very rare, and the famous Philippine typhoons almost always bypass it.

Palawan Island- this is, in fact, a huge piece of pristine tropical territory, not yet spoiled or destroyed by the tourism industry.

Those who expect from their holiday the most beautiful landscapes a la Bounty, peace and quiet on the shores of the cleanest and warm sea, beautiful deserted beaches - can safely go to Palawan.

Belonging to the category of just such tourists, we headed to this island. And let’s admit right away – we never regretted it later. Moreover, Palawan enchanted us so much that it became one of those places to which we really and truly want to return again. Yves Cousteau was probably right when he expressed the opinion that the seascapes of Palawan are some of the most beautiful in the world.

It is believed that the main tourist attraction of the island is its natural reserve El Nido, in turn, consisting of 39 islands, which are almost all uninhabited.

I think everyone has heard and seen, at least in a photo, the world-famous Ho Long in Vietnam. Isn't it beautiful? So, El Nido no worse!

And most likely even more beautiful.

But besides this popular and crowded place, we also recommend visiting a village called and commit a walk around its islands. We are sure that many will like it. Generally in Port Barton Worth a look for those who are looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday and intend to live in Palawan longer. This is exactly the place where you want to stay for a long time.

Snorkeling in Palawan

Don't say what it is best snorkeling which we saw in life, but we have to give it its due - it’s very good here. Of course, these are not the reefs of the Maldives, not crystal waters Menjanganana Bali and not even Adang in Thailand, but still – very beautiful! We especially enjoyed snorkeling in the Port Barton area, where, among other things, we finally managed to meet a huge sea turtle, which we were not able to see .

Beaches of Palawan

Many, having arrived to El Nido from Puerto Princesa, remain admired by the beauty of the marine park, but at the same time form the erroneous opinion that the island of Palawan and a beach holiday are poorly compatible things. We are convinced - Palawan Island - great place for a beach holiday! But with one caveat - for relaxing on Bounty-style beaches, and almost to the maximum unencumbered by the “benefits” of civilization and mass tourism.

Those. for lovers of serenity who are not fixated on the fact that the quality of relaxation depends on the “star rating” of the hotel, the buffet and the availability of a free sun lounger on the beach. A striking example of such a Bounty beach is Palawan is Nacpan Beach. And about everyone, read the post Beaches of El Nido.

But there are also many other beaches, both large and small, both on the island itself and on the many small islets nearby.

By the way, some of them can be reached independently by kayak from El Nido.

Palawan Hotels

Hotels in Palawan, for the most part, concentrated in Puerto Princesa And El Nido, which is quite natural, given that the bulk of tourists arrive from Manila precisely to and through.

But there are also hotels on small islands, in the island-hotel format, i.e. like in the Maldives. The price may not be inferior to the Maldivian, however, beauty and, apparently, comfort, too.

To the south the cuisine improves. In Roxas, Port Barton, the menu in local cafes is much more interesting. Closer to Puerto Princesa, in a roadside cafe you can easily be offered a portion of the freshest crabs for 40 pesos. Well, Puerto Princesa itself is a paradise for gourmets and gluttons, especially for seafood lovers. Well, where else will they offer you moray eel for 120 pesos per 1 kg or lobsters for 200 pesos per 1 kg?

Have a nice adventure!

updated: September 14, 2018 by: Sergei