Palawan

⚠️ Timetables, opening hours, prices and access conditions may change without notice, for reasons beyond our control (season, weather, decisions by operators, venues or local authorities). Before every trip, check the information with the relevant authorities and service providers. Entry requirements and local rules (reserves, quotas) are subject to the same caveat.

Palawan is a long, slender island in the western Philippines, stretching some 450 km between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. It brings together three unmissable stops: the lagoons and limestone cliffs of El Nido, the lakes and Second World War wrecks of Coron on neighbouring Busuanga, and the UNESCO-listed underground river near Puerto Princesa. Travellers come for island hopping by bangka, world-class diving and beaches that still feel wild. The best season runs from December to May, before the monsoon returns.

Where is Palawan?

Palawan is the largest province in the Philippines, lying on the western side of the archipelago in the Mimaropa region. The main island is about 450 km long and no more than 50 km wide, and the province counts some 1,780 islands and islets. To the north-east, the Calamian group gathers Busuanga, Culion and Coron Island; to the south, Palawan points towards Borneo and Malaysia. A forested mountain range runs along its whole length, peaking at Mount Mantalingahan, 2,086 m above sea level.

Puerto Princesa, on the east coast, is the main city and the island’s chief air gateway. El Nido sits at the northern tip, facing Bacuit Bay and its dozens of limestone islets, five to six hours away by road. Coron is not on the main island at all: the town stands on Busuanga, roughly three and a half hours by ferry north of El Nido. In between, Port Barton and San Vicente make quieter stopovers. Palawan has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since the early 1990s.

History and culture: from Tabon Caves to the Tagbanwa

People have lived on Palawan for tens of thousands of years: the Tabon Caves, in the southern municipality of Quezon, have yielded some of the oldest human remains in the Philippines. Indigenous peoples such as the Tagbanwa, Pala’wan, Batak and Tau’t Bato still live here from fishing, foraging and farming. The northern Calamian islands came under Spanish rule long before the south, which the Sultanate of Brunei only ceded to Spain in 1749. The province took its present name in 1905, under American administration.

The Second World War left deep marks. On 24 September 1944, US Navy aircraft sank a Japanese fleet in Coron Bay; on 14 December 1944, around 150 American prisoners of war were massacred in Puerto Princesa, at the site of today’s Plaza Cuartel. Today the island blends Tagalog, Cuyonon and indigenous cultures, with settlers from across the archipelago. Coron Island is an ancestral domain of the Tagbanwa, recognised in 1998, and its lakes and beaches are visited under their rules, so treat the place with respect.

What to see and do in Palawan

In El Nido, everything revolves around island hopping in Bacuit Bay, organised into four standard tours: A for the Big Lagoon and Secret Lagoon, B for the caves and Snake Island, C for hidden beaches and the Matinloc Shrine, and D for the Small Lagoon and Cadlao. In Coron, boat trips link Kayangan Lake, famous for its crystal-clear water, the Twin Lagoons and Barracuda Lake, where layers of fresh and salt water meet. Climb Mount Tapyas for sunset over the bay.

Around Puerto Princesa, the star attraction is the Underground River in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999: from Sabang village, a paddle boat glides into a limestone cave inhabited by bats and swiftlets. Daily visitor numbers are capped and a permit is compulsory, so book ahead. Round off your stay with island hopping in Honda Bay, firefly watching on the Iwahig River after dark and, in northern Busuanga, the Calauit Safari Park.

Beaches, sea and nature

Palawan’s beaches rank among the finest in Asia. North of El Nido, Nacpan unrolls about 4 km of golden sand fringed by coconut palms, 45 minutes from town by road; closer in, Las Cabanas is the sunset spot, with a zip line strung between two islets. In Bacuit Bay, Seven Commandos, Hidden Beach and Helicopter Island are reached by bangka. Further south, the vast Long Beach at San Vicente and the coves of Port Barton remain far quieter and more relaxed.

Underwater, Palawan is a diver’s paradise. Coron Bay hides around ten Japanese wrecks sunk in 1944, from just below the surface to about forty metres: from the Lusong gunboat, visible with a snorkel, to the Irako or Akitsushima for experienced divers. Around El Nido, reefs, turtles and sea caves unfold along the tours. The lagoons are protected: no motorboats inside, daily quotas and compulsory life jackets. Single-use plastic is banned on El Nido’s island-hopping trips, so bring a reusable bottle.

Getting to Palawan and getting around

There are no direct flights from Europe: fly to Manila or Cebu with a stop, for example in Doha, Dubai, Singapore or Hong Kong, then catch a domestic flight. Puerto Princesa (PPS), the main gateway, has jet services from Manila and Cebu with Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific. Since 29 March 2026, the propeller planes to El Nido-Lio (ENI) and Busuanga-Coron (USU) leave from Clark, north of Manila, or from Cebu; AirSWIFT flights have been operated by Cebgo since July 2026.

From Puerto Princesa, shared vans reach El Nido in five to six hours for around 600 to 800 pesos, and slower buses cover the same route. Between El Nido and Coron, fast ferries (Atienza, Jomalia, Montenegro and others) take about three and a half hours, and there is also a 40-minute flight. Locally, you get around by tricycle, rented scooter (roughly 400 to 500 pesos a day) or bangka to the islands. Schedules and rules change often, so check with operators and authorities before you travel.

Best time to go, budget and entry requirements

The dry season, from December to May, is the best time: calm seas and clear skies, with peak crowds and prices from January to April. From June to October, the south-west monsoon brings rain and swell, and many trips are cancelled on some days, starting with El Nido’s exposed Tour C. Typhoons strike Palawan less often than the north and centre of the country, but Typhoon Odette (Rai) hit it hard in December 2021. November is a pleasant shoulder month.

The currency is the Philippine peso (PHP). Carry cash: ATMs in El Nido and Coron sometimes run dry, and many fees are payable in cash only. As a rough guide, a shared island-hopping tour costs 1,200 to 1,800 pesos, plus El Nido’s 400-peso eco-tourism fee, valid for ten days. French citizens enjoy a 30-day visa exemption, extendable locally, and most EU citizens have the same rule. You need a passport valid for six months, an onward ticket and free eTravel registration within 72 hours before arrival.

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Nearby islands: Siargao, Bohol, Bali and Phu Quoc.

Photo : Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons