Trip highlights
- 1Puerto Princesa Underground River — UNESCO World Heritage, 8.2km navigable cave system
- 2El Nido Tour A: Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, and Secret Beach by kayak
- 3Coron's Japanese WWII wreck diving at Okikawa Maru and Skeleton Wreck
- 4Kayangan Lake — the cleanest lake in Asia, reached through limestone cliffs
- 5Nacpan Beach — 4km of undeveloped white sand with almost no crowds
Daily spend
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Day-by-day plan
Arrival in Puerto Princesa & Palawan Orientation
Monday, November 1
Est. spend
$90
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive Puerto Princesa International Airport
Puerto Princesa International Airport, Palawan
Puerto Princesa is the capital of Palawan province and the main gateway island. The airport is small and efficient — bags arrive quickly and taxi booths outside arrivals offer fixed-price rides into the city centre (300–400 PHP). Check into your hotel in the city and orient yourself on a map: Puerto Princesa is your base for Days 1–2, El Nido for Days 3–5, and Coron for Days 6–7.
Book accommodation in El Nido and Coron before arriving — room availability in peak season (Dec-May) is tight, especially the better mid-range options.
Iwahig Prison & Penal Farm
Iwahig Road, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Unusual but genuinely fascinating — Iwahig is a minimum-security prison farm where inmates live without bars in a 37,000-acre reservation, grow their own food, have families, and sell handmade crafts to visitors. The model has been studied by prison reformers worldwide. Tours are permitted and the craft market sells genuinely excellent carved wooden items, woven baskets, and painted coconut shell art directly from inmates.
Purchasing crafts directly benefits inmate rehabilitation programs. The carved wooden boats and animals are particularly good quality. This is 15km south of the city — hire a tricycle for the round trip.
☀️ Afternoon
Baker's Hill & Mitra's Ranch
Baker's Hill, San Pedro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Baker's Hill is a bakery complex with manicured gardens, life-size cartoon statues, and a hilltop viewpoint over the city — quirky, photogenic, and distinctly Filipino. The bakeries produce excellent hopia (mung bean pastries) and polvoron (crumbly milk cookies) to take as snacks. Then visit Mitra's Ranch next door: a working farm with organic produce, buffalo, goats, and panoramic views across the Sulu Sea at the right time of day.
Buy a box of polvoron from Baker's Hill — they travel well and make good gifts. The hilltop view of Puerto Princesa Bay is best in late afternoon.
Puerto Princesa City Walking Tour
Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
The compact city centre around Rizal Avenue and the public market is pleasant and unhurried. Visit the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, built in the Spanish colonial era, and walk the seafront promenade along Palawan Bay. The evening public market is where locals shop and the street food selection is good: isaw (grilled chicken intestines), fish balls, and fresh balut (fertilised duck egg, if you dare).
The city is very walkable and safe. Tricycles (the Filipino motorbike-with-sidecar) are the standard local transport — negotiate 50 PHP per short trip in advance.
🌙 Evening
KaLui Restaurant Dinner
369 Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
One of Puerto Princesa's most atmospheric dining experiences — a hillside open-air restaurant built on stilts, reached by removing your shoes at the entrance. The menu is traditional Filipino and fresh seafood: kinilaw (raw fish cured in vinegar and ginger, the Filipino ceviche), grilled maya-maya (red snapper), sinigang (tamarind-sour broth with prawns). Tables are on the open deck overlooking a garden. Book by phone in advance.
Arrive at 6:30pm for the best table positions. Order the whole grilled fish — the kitchen sources directly from the bay fishermen each morning.
🍽️ Meals
Café Bilao
Filipino · $10 · Café Bilao on Rizal Avenue serves classic Filipino set meals on a bilao (woven rattan tray) — adobo, sinigang, kare-kare, and fresh rice. Affordable, generous, and locally loved.
KaLui Restaurant
Filipino seafood · $22 · Hillside stilted restaurant with fresh seafood and traditional Filipino dishes. See activity description.
Puerto Princesa Underground River (UNESCO)
Tuesday, November 2
Est. spend
$110
per person
🌅 Morning
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Sabang, Palawan
The UNESCO World Heritage underground river is 8.2km of navigable cave — one of the longest in the world — flowing directly into the South China Sea. A small paddle boat takes you 1.5km into the cave system (the navigable limit for tourists) while a guide illuminates stalactites the size of cathedrals, a beach inside the cave, and colonies of swiftlets and bats. The cave entrance involves a 45-minute boat ride from Sabang Beach through sea stacks draped in jungle.
Book through your hotel or a licensed agency — the park requires a permit and self-booking is complicated. Tours depart Puerto Princesa at 7am. Bring insect repellent for the jungle walk at Sabang Beach — sandflies are fierce.
☀️ Afternoon
Sabang Beach & Mangrove Paddle
Sabang Beach, Palawan
After the underground river tour, the remaining afternoon at Sabang gives time for the beach and a short mangrove kayaking tour. The beach here is rougher than El Nido but completely undeveloped — thick jungle meets the sand. Local operators offer one-hour mangrove paddles through a narrow channel behind the beach where monitor lizards sun on the roots and kingfishers are frequent.
The mangrove channel paddle is typically offered for 500 PHP per person by local boat operators on the beach. Negotiate slightly. Wear closed shoes — the mangrove roots are sharp.
Return to Puerto Princesa & Evening Preparation
Puerto Princesa → El Nido, Palawan
The return van to Puerto Princesa departs Sabang at 3pm, arriving in the city around 4:30pm. Use the evening to arrange your morning flight or boat to El Nido, pack a day bag, and confirm accommodation. El Nido is 240km north — accessible by daily flights (35 minutes, $50) or van (5-6 hours, $15–20). The flight is strongly recommended for Day 3 departure.
Air Swift operates the only scheduled flights between Puerto Princesa and El Nido — book weeks ahead as the planes are tiny (18-seat Cessna). Alternatively, book a seat in a shared van through your hotel.
🌙 Evening
Kinabuchs Restaurant & Grill
2 T. Abad Santos Drive, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Puerto Princesa's best-known restaurant for crocodile meat — farmed, sustainable, and tasting like chicken crossed with fish. But the real draws are the fresh seafood grill platters and the remarkably strong coconut wine served in shell cups. The open-air setting along the bay road is a good Filipino festive atmosphere with live music most evenings.
Order the seafood platter for two (800 PHP) — it includes whole grilled fish, squid, and prawns with garlic rice and four dipping sauces. The tamilok (woodworm, a local delicacy) is an acquired taste but worth trying.
🍽️ Meals
Underground River tour lunch
Filipino · $0 · Lunch is included in most organised underground river tours — a simple but adequate buffet at Sabang Beach before the return.
Kinabuchs Restaurant
Filipino seafood · $18 · Grilled seafood platters and crocodile specialties on the bay. See activity description.
Fly to El Nido & Arrive in the Bacuit Archipelago
Wednesday, November 3
Est. spend
$160
per person
🌅 Morning
Fly Puerto Princesa to El Nido
Lio Airport, El Nido, Palawan
The 35-minute flight on Air Swift's small prop plane is itself a highlight — low enough to see the coastline's detail, the islands of the archipelago appearing below like scattered jade fragments. El Nido's landing strip is a cleared field ringed by mountains. The town is a 20-minute tricycle ride from the airstrip. Check into your hotel and head immediately to the beach to book the next day's island hopping tour.
Window seat on the right side of the plane heading north gives the best views over the archipelago karsts. Confirm flight the evening before — Air Swift has a cancellation policy and weather diversions are occasionally necessary.
El Nido Town Exploration
Calle Hama, El Nido town, Palawan
El Nido town is tiny — a single main street, Calle Hama, runs along the beach. Walk the length of it, book island hopping tours A and C (book both — one for today afternoon, one for Day 4), and find a good snorkelling mask rental if you have your own snorkel. The main beach, Corong-Corong, faces the karst headland and is beautiful in morning light even if not swimmable due to boat traffic.
Book island hopping directly with a banca (outrigger canoe) operator on the beach — 1,500–2,000 PHP per person per tour includes boat, snorkelling stop, lunch, and guide. Avoid hotel-packaged tours which add significant markup.
☀️ Afternoon
El Nido Tour A: Big Lagoon & Small Lagoon
Bacuit Archipelago, El Nido, Palawan
Tour A is the most famous El Nido route and for good reason — Big Lagoon is a wall-enclosed turquoise expanse navigated by kayak through a narrow gap in the cliff, Small Lagoon is even more enclosed and even more startlingly blue, and the Seven Commandos Beach is a white sand strip for lunch. The water colour in the lagoons — caused by white sand reflecting sunlight through shallow turquoise water — is genuinely one of the most beautiful things in Southeast Asia.
The lagoons can only be entered by kayak — the banca drops you at the entrance and you paddle in. Bring waterproof bags for your phone. The light in the lagoons peaks between 10am and 1pm — Tours A start at 8:30am for the best lagoon light.
🌙 Evening
Alternative Gourmet El Nido
Sitio Maligaya, Corong-Corong, El Nido, Palawan
El Nido's best restaurant by a significant margin — a small, eclectic café run by long-term European expats using local ingredients. The menu changes with available fresh produce but typically includes home-cured tapas, wood-fired pizza, and excellent Filipino-influenced pasta. The wine selection is genuinely good for a beach town, and the no-Wi-Fi policy creates actual conversation. Book a table by 5pm as they seat only 12.
Walk or tricycle to Corong-Corong Beach area — 10 minutes from the main town. The restaurant has no sign — look for the string lights between the trees. Ask locally for current opening hours as they close some days of the week.
🍽️ Meals
Airport or in-flight snack
Filipino · $5 · Light breakfast before early flight. Air Swift provides snacks on the 35-minute flight.
Tour A beach lunch
Filipino · $0 · Included in island hopping tour price — freshly grilled fish, rice, and fresh fruit served on Seven Commandos Beach.
Alternative Gourmet
European / Filipino fusion · $28 · El Nido's finest — wood-fired, market-fresh, genuinely excellent. Reservations essential.
El Nido Tour C: Secret Beach & Helicopter Island
Thursday, November 4
Est. spend
$110
per person
🌅 Morning
El Nido Tour C: Secret Beach & Star Beach
Bacuit Archipelago outer islands, El Nido, Palawan
Tour C covers the outer islands with arguably the most dramatic scenery — Secret Beach requires swimming through a narrow underwater gap in a cliff face to emerge in a hidden cove open to the sky. It sounds terrifying and is in fact safe even for nervous swimmers (the gap is at the surface level). Star Beach has powder sand and calm shallows, and Matinloc Shrine offers a ruined chapel perched above the sea on a 70m cliff face.
Wear a rash vest for Secret Beach — the limestone opening scrapes swimwear. Snorkelling on the coral patches at Entalula Island (Tour C stop) is some of the best accessible snorkelling in the archipelago. Bring a reef-safe sunscreen.
☀️ Afternoon
Nacpan Beach
Nacpan Beach, El Nido, Palawan
One of the finest beaches in the Philippines — 4km of undeveloped pale sand backed by coconut palms, facing calm water, with almost no infrastructure except a handful of simple beach shacks selling cold drinks. Reached by 45-minute drive north of El Nido town on a bumpy road (hire a habal-habal motorbike for 500 PHP round trip). The beach is part of a twin beach with Calitang — walk the narrow sand isthmus between them.
Arrive at Nacpan by 2pm to have the afternoon light on the right side of the beach. The beach shacks serve cold San Miguel beer and fresh coconuts but not cooked food — eat lunch before leaving El Nido town.
🌙 Evening
El Nido Sunset at Corong-Corong Beach
Corong-Corong Beach, El Nido, Palawan
The sunset from Corong-Corong Beach — the long beach south of El Nido town facing the karst headland of Tapiutan Island — is one of the most painterly in the Philippines. The limestone cliffs catch the last light in shades of amber and rose while bancas return across the lagoon. Buy a San Miguel from a beach vendor, sit on the sand, and watch it in peace.
The best sunset position is 200m south of the town along Corong-Corong Beach — away from the main food stalls. Bring a beach towel.
🍽️ Meals
Sari-Sari General Store breakfast
Filipino · $5 · Filipino breakfast from any of the main street cafes — tocino (sweetened cured pork), garlic fried rice, and a fried egg. Filling and costs 150-200 PHP.
Tour C beach lunch
Filipino · $0 · Included in island hopping tour — grilled fish, rice, pineapple served on the beach.
El Nido Boutique & Art Café
Filipino / International · $20 · Hama Street, El Nido town. Rooftop dining with karst views, good cocktails, and a menu balancing Filipino classics with Western comfort food.
Travel to Coron — WWII Wreck Diving Capital
Friday, November 5
Est. spend
$120
per person
🌅 Morning
Speed Boat El Nido to Coron
El Nido Port → Coron Port, Palawan
The fast ferry from El Nido to Coron takes 3.5–4.5 hours through the Linapacan Strait — one of the most spectacularly beautiful sea journeys in the Philippines, passing dozens of uninhabited limestone islands. The boats are large fast catamarans and depart at 8am. Arrive in Coron town around noon. Bring a light layer — the A/C cabins are cold and the top deck is windy.
Book the ferry in advance through 2Go Travel or Island Shipping (the main operators) — seats sell out in peak season. Top deck gives the best views but is exposed to sea spray. Bring seasickness tablets if you're susceptible — the open strait can be choppy.
☀️ Afternoon
Coron Town Arrival & Diving Briefing
Coron town, Busuanga Island, Palawan
Check into your hotel in Coron town and visit a dive shop to book the next day's wreck dive. Coron Bay contains 24 Japanese warships sunk in a single day — September 24, 1944 — when US aircraft attacked a Japanese naval fleet sheltering here. The wrecks are now the most diverse war wreck dive site in Asia. Even non-divers can snorkel the shallower wrecks. Book through Sea Dive Coron or Divina Dive Centre for the best guides.
Even if you're a certified diver, the Coron wrecks require an orientation dive or experience check with the local dive operator — this is safety standard, not bureaucracy. Budget $80–100 for a 3-dive WWII wreck day including equipment.
Kayangan Lake
Kayangan Lake, Coron Island, Palawan
Reached by a 10-minute banca ride from the town pier and then a steep 200-step climb over a karst headland, Kayangan Lake is a freshwater lake entirely enclosed by limestone cliffs with the clearest water in Asia. The water is so clear that visibility underwater exceeds 10 metres — you can see the lake bottom from the surface 8 metres above. Swimming is permitted and the warm freshwater is remarkably silky after a day of saltwater.
Arrive at the dock by 2pm — Kayangan Lake banca tours fill by early afternoon in peak season. The 200-step climb is worth every step for the view from the top of the ridge before descending to the lake. Freshwater shoes are provided.
🌙 Evening
Coron Town Night Market
Don Pedro Street Night Market, Coron town, Busuanga
Coron's small night market on Don Pedro Street sets up at 5pm with grilled seafood, chicken inasal (marinated grilled chicken), and fresh lumpia (spring rolls). Eat at plastic tables beside local families and watch the fishing boats return to dock. The market is modest but authentic — a very different atmosphere from El Nido's backpacker scene. Try the grilled squid stuffed with garlic and tomatoes.
The freshest seafood goes first — arrive before 6pm for the best selection. Bring cash; no card machines at the stalls.
🍽️ Meals
On-board ferry food or packed meal
Filipino · $5 · The fast ferries have limited snack service — buy a packed meal from an El Nido bakery before boarding.
Don Pedro Night Market
Filipino street food · $10 · Grilled squid, chicken inasal, lumpia, garlic rice. Coron at its most local.
WWII Wreck Diving & Coron Island Tour
Saturday, November 6
Est. spend
$170
per person
🌅 Morning
WWII Wreck Diving — Okikawa Maru & Skeleton Wreck
Coron Bay WWII Wreck Sites, Busuanga, Palawan
The Okikawa Maru is a massive Japanese oil tanker — 160m long, lying between 10–45m depth — covered in hard and soft corals, teeming with reef fish, and penetrable through the engine room and cargo holds. The 'Skeleton Wreck' (officially IJN Vessel 3) is shallower and more accessible for snorkellers, with the ship's structure fully visible from the surface. The morning dive briefing starts at 8am; boats depart by 8:30am for a 3-dive day ending around 1pm.
Request the Okikawa Maru as your first dive — the deepest and most dramatic, and divers are freshest for deep penetration. Nitrox is available at most Coron dive shops for extended bottom time on deeper wrecks. Torch/dive light is essential inside the holds.
☀️ Afternoon
Barracuda Lake
Barracuda Lake, Coron Island, Palawan
A volcanic lake on Coron Island with one of diving's most unusual phenomena — a halocline thermocline where freshwater and saltwater create a shimmering visual distortion at the meeting point. The water temperature jumps from cool to 38°C in the thermocline layer. Non-divers can snorkel the entrance and experience the temperature change. The approach through the mangroves and up the volcanic rocks is a small adventure in itself.
Barracuda Lake is typically combined with Kayangan Lake in one island tour if you didn't do Kayangan yesterday. Combine both in one afternoon island hopping tour for 800-1000 PHP per person.
Twin Lagoon, Coron Island
Twin Lagoon, Coron Island, Palawan
Two connected lagoons separated by a limestone wall — you swim or kayak through a submerged gap at low tide or traverse a short climb over the rocks at high tide. The outer lagoon is seawater; the inner lagoon mixes freshwater from underground springs creating the same temperature stratification as Barracuda Lake. The inner lagoon is completely enclosed by 50m limestone cliffs — one of the most dramatic enclosed spaces in the Philippines.
Twin Lagoon is usually included in Coron island hopping tours. The passage between lagoons is tight — claustrophobic travellers should assess the gap size before committing. The freshwater layer in the inner lagoon is noticeably warmer than the seawater layer below.
🌙 Evening
Sunlight Restaurant & Bar Coron
San Agustin Street, Coron town, Busuanga
The best sunset viewing spot in Coron town — a simple rooftop bar above a family restaurant with unobstructed views over Coron Bay. The kare-kare (oxtail and vegetable stew with peanut sauce served with bagoong, fermented shrimp paste) is excellent. Order a pitcher of calamansi juice and watch the WWII wreck dive site calm down at golden hour.
The best view tables face west — take the exterior stairs and claim a table by 5:30pm.
🍽️ Meals
Post-dive lunch on banca
Filipino · $0 · Grilled fish and garlic rice served on the dive banca between dives — included in the dive package price.
Sunlight Restaurant
Filipino · $18 · Kare-kare, sinigang, and fresh seafood with rooftop bay views. See activity description.
Departure — Final Morning & Fly Home
Sunday, November 7
Est. spend
$95
per person
🌅 Morning
Maquinit Hot Springs
Maquinit Hot Springs, Coron, Busuanga, Palawan
One of the world's only saltwater hot springs — Maquinit sits 7km from Coron town, accessible by tricycle. The natural geothermal pools range from 39–42°C and are set in mangroves with jungle above. An early morning soak after a week of physical activity — diving, kayaking, hiking — is deeply restorative. The springs open at 6am; arrive early before day tourists arrive from 9am.
Tricycle from Coron town: 150 PHP each way. The pool closest to the entrance is hotter than the one nearer the sea. Take a saltwater dip in the adjacent cove between hot spring soaks to cool down.
Coron Airport Transfer & Departure
Francisco B. Reyes Airport, Busuanga, Palawan
Francisco B. Reyes Airport (Busuanga Airport) is 22km from Coron town — a 45-minute tricycle or van ride. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific operate multiple daily flights to Manila, connecting to international routes. The Manila connection takes about 1 hour. Allow 2 hours at the airport for check-in.
Tricycle to the airport with luggage: negotiate 400–500 PHP in advance. The airport has basic food and one souvenir shop — do airport shopping before the flight, not after the gate announcement.
☀️ Afternoon
Depart Philippines
Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila
Board your Manila connection and onward international flight. Palawan is genuinely one of the most beautiful places on earth and most visitors leave planning a return trip to see the islands they missed.
🍽️ Meals
Early morning breakfast at hotel
Filipino · $8 · Eat before the hot springs visit — most hotels serve from 7am. Bring a bottle of water for the hot spring soak.
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
November to May — the dry northeast monsoon season. December to March is the sweet spot: calm seas, minimal rain, and excellent visibility for diving. June to October brings southwest monsoon with rough seas that can cancel island hopping.
🛂 Visas
Most Western nationals receive visa-free entry for 30 days on arrival with an onward ticket — extendable for 90 days more at a Philippine Bureau of Immigration office. Citizens of some countries need a visa in advance. Always carry a printed or digital copy of your return or onward ticket as immigration occasionally asks to see it.
💱 Currency
Philippine Peso (PHP). 1 USD ≈ 56 PHP. ATMs are available in Puerto Princesa and Coron town but scarce in El Nido — withdraw enough cash in Puerto Princesa to cover El Nido entirely. Card acceptance is improving but remote areas are still largely cash only. Western Union and GCash app are useful for top-ups.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 117
ambulance: 911
coastguard: 5100
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Palawan operates on 'island time' — transport schedules are suggestions rather than guarantees, especially for ferries. Build buffer time into connections.
- Reef-safe sunscreen is now required in Palawan — standard chemical sunscreens containing oxybenzone are banned. Bring mineral sunscreen from home as it's hard to source locally.
- Island hopping tours use bancas (outrigger canoe boats) — the wooden plank seats are hard after 6 hours. Bring a small cushion or fold a towel.
- El Nido has one ATM that frequently runs out of cash on weekends — bring 5,000–8,000 PHP cash from Puerto Princesa for your El Nido stay.
One thing worth not skipping
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