Palawan’s 3 Beautiful Places in 6 Glorious Days (Palawan Trip 2014)

Underground River, El Nido and Coron in six days: possible? I’d say a big yes to that.

At first, I was skeptical of our plan but YES we did it! We were able to go from Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Coron in six days with a budget of roughly P25000 (for two)!  You may think everything was done in a rush but NO. We were able to do a lot of things and have a chillin’ time in the evening. It only takes careful planning, meticulous budgeting and a "believing" heart (naks!)

Since I've been getting a lot questions about this trip, I'll share with you how we did it:

Day 1: Arrival and Puerto Princesa City Tour

To save time and money, you may just take a tricycle tour

(Cost: P600 for the tricycle; Estimated time: 3-5 hours). 

City Tour includes:

Crocodile Farm: A conservation center not just for crocodiles but also for bear cats, wild boars and other extinct animals. You may also try the crocodile sisig if you want to. Entrance Fee: P40/ person

Baker’s Hill: A restaurant with a park and mini-zoo. You can buy the famous Palawan-made hopia in their bakery. No entrance fee

The Peacock in the Baker's Hill mini zoo

Buttefly Haven and Tribal Village: It is a small garden with different kinds of butterflies. You’ll also have a tour to the Tribal Village where they’ll show how Palaw’an indigenous people live. The Palaw’an men will show how they hunt and get food while the women will show how they weave. Entrance Fee: P100/person

Basket woven by Palaw'an Women

Mintra’s Ranch: It’s more of a private ranch but at the front of the house, you can have a picture overlooking Palawan sea and there’s a zipline also. No entrance fee

Honda Bay: You can just stroll at night and see the sunset.

Option 2: Honda Bay Island Tour (for P1200/person)

Option in the Evening: If you still have the time and energy, you may do the Iwahig Firefly Watching 

(P1200 rental of boat).

Day 2: Underground RiverTour

You’ll need at least a day for you to do this (the underground river is located in Sabang area-around 2 hours from the city)

P1500/person (with buffet lunch and transportation)

For my complete post about this, read Puerto Princesa’s Underground River.

 From Sabang, you can ride a van (P750) directly to El Nido.

Day 3: El Nido Day

In El Nido, we only took  the famous Tour A (7 Commando Beach, Big and Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon)(See my complete post about El Nido here)

P1200/person with a sumptuous lunch

P100 environmental fee (this is P200 but you can haggle if you’ll only spend one day in El Nido)

The tour will end at around 4 pm so you after resting for a while, you can go and witness the rays of the sun in Bacuit Bay or enjoy coffee in one of the many restaurants in the area. Alternative Restaurant has always been recommended by travel bloggers. 

Note: Remember to secure your ticket to Coron (the boat schedule to Coron is only during Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Your hotel can help you with this so don’t hesitate to ask :)

Day 4: Travel to Coron

8 hours in the sea--I'll tell you, it isn't an easy ride! Remember to buy enough food.

The boat usually leaves at 8:00am, ETA in Busuanga is 5pm. It costs P1500 for Filipinos and P1800 for foreigners.

If you're still okay after the long boat ride, roam around Coron town and look for agencies that offers hiring private boat for P1500. (See my complete post about Coron here)

Day 5: Coron IslandTour

The private island tour usually includes the following:

Kayangan Lake (P200 entrance fee)

Baracuda Lake (P100 entrance fee)

Atwayan Beach (P100 entrance fee)

Twin Lagoon (P100 entrance fee)

CYC Beach (Free entrance)

The private tour costs P1500 (boat, tour guide and boat man). The travel agencies in Coron also offer group tour (P600-P1500/head depending on the destination). 

Usually you'll end at around 4pm (depends on how long you’ll stay swimming). You can try Mt. Tapyas climbing after to see the sunset and then head to the Maquinit Hot Springs to relax your tired body.

Day 6: Chill Time

To witness the sunrise, you may opt to try Mt Tapyas again. Then head to the market to buy some pasalubongs like cashew nuts (Palawan’s local product), pearls and other memorabilia.

Try a sumptuous lunch in one of the famous local restaurants. Get ready for the 45-minute travel to the airport. Hotels’ check out time is usually 11:30am. 

For this trip, you’ll spend P10000-P15000/person, depending on your hotel and food budget. It’s all worth it. Palawan is a paradise.