PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN

Hi my Nomadic Traveler Friends!

Today's travel guide, we hop on to the sunny island of PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES!!!

Philippines is a country consisting of 7,107 islands (low tide), geographically divided into 3 main islands as Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

And our destination for today, we are heading to the western Visayas area. Palawan is a popular tourist destination boasting it's clear beaches and abundant fresh seafood.

ENTER PALAWAN

Fly to Palawan via any local airline. You will arrive at Puerto Princesa International Airport.

Traverse the seven seas and you will arrive to the Port of Puerto Princesa.

Mode of transportation in Palawan are mainly tricycles, jeepneys and vans for hire.


SLEEP WHERE?

Being one of the top tourist destinations, Palawan has many beach resorts, hotels and inns for guests to stay. I travelled with my bestfriend and boyfriend and we stayed at DEEP FOREST GARDEN INN located somewhere in the forest thus the name but it's only 5min drive from the airport. We stayed there for 4D3N. A very cozy place. And they provide each room with an umbrella in case of rain just like what happened during our last night in Palawan. They also provide free wifi! Yey!!!

THE APPLE PIE. A VERY MUST TRY IN THE INN. I LOVE THIS PIE! SO YUMMY!!!

FREE WIFI..

WHAT TO DO? WHERE TO GO?

Puerto Princesa has a lot of things to offer and places to go.

On our Day 1, we went on a half day city tour since we arrived at the hotel at about 10am. Our rooms were not yet ready. So we had lunch there first and then book a city tour for the afternoon. Places covered were:

Plaza Cuartel where in history it was a garrison where Japanese soldiers burned the American prisoners of war inside a tunnel. Very grim! The tunnel is however close to public.
We visited their own version of Baywalk. Immaculate Conception Cathedral. Crocodile Farm. Mitra's Ranch. Bakers Hill & the Iwahig Prison & Penal Farm.

WELCOME TO PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN. BRUNCH AT DEEP FOREST GARDEN INN.

CROCODILE FARM

While on tour, I wasn't quite feeling well. Guess I had too much to eat and my tummy was becoming more violent. Awww I was in pain!!! At the last leg of our tour I couldn't take it anymore. I had to sleep my pain away. I couldn't even walk properly. I just wanna head back to the inn and rest. My bestfriend had to drop off to the city to get me some meds.

Back to the hotel, i dropped the bomb! Foul! My goodness! My bestfriend came back with the meds and I took them and went to sleep. Bff & Bf stayed outside for a while and chitchat while waiting for the air in our room to be cleared.

I am never gonna indulge so much ever again! Hahaha.. Next time, I'm gonna bring some charcoal meds. Knowing me, I can't say NO to good food!

Day 2. We woke up to a beautiful morning. And my tummy is feeling a way lot better. Bf kept telling me don't eat so much. Hahaha.. So the entire day we spent it doing the Honda Bay Tour. Luckily, it was not so hot. BF hates hot weather. We went on snorkeling, I went for a massage, BF didn't want me to go sun tanning, the tour provided us with lunch at the beach. It was a fun day.

HONDA BAY ISLAND TOUR

MR KRABBY PATTY

Upon going to Honda Bay Island, the tour guide will stop at this for-rent gears. So you can rent snorkelers and the shoes i think the snorkelers costs PHP150 and the shoes PHP150. Return them once the tour is done.

Day 3. We were supposed to go to Irawan Eco Adventure. BUT there seems to be a problem with our transport. So we ended up canceling the tour and stayed in the hotel the entire day. Which was probably a good decision because that late afternoon it was raining and raining heavily at night.

The famed underground river is located at Sabang, 2 hours away from Puerto Princesa. We were suppose to go there as it was the main purpose of the trip BUT sad to say we didn't make it there. Unfortunately, there was a new rule regarding the visit. You have to BOOK THE UNDERGROUND TOUR 2 MONTHS IN ADVANCE!!! That's because, since the Underground River has made it to the list of 7 wonders of Nature. Thus the government has issued a limited slots to visit the Underground Cave. Slots of 900 pax per day!!! And yet for that 900 pax, there was no room for us! Fudgingly disappointed yes we were! My BFF however has been there so she was fine. But for me and BF it was horrible. Anyways, that's another reason to visit Palawan back again.

As for nightlife, we didn't explore much as we were kinda tired. Plus it's quite difficult to get a trike.

So expenses for this 4D3N trip:

Accommodation: 4D3N (2 deluxe rooms) SGD 395.59 or PHP 13, 821.78
                            (Booking was made through Agoda Philippines.)
Return Trip Airfare: Cebu-Palawan PHP 10,575.36
Tours: PHP 1,940.00/pax x3 = PHP 5,820.00
Food: estimated PHP 3,000.00 (we eat big! Don't judge!)

Total Pocket Damage for 3 pax: PHP 33,217.14

Other Tour Rates:
Underground River Tour : PHP 1,540.00
Honda Bay Island Tour   : PHP 1,340.00
Firefly Watching Tour     : PHP 1,100.00
Dolphin Watching Tour   : PHP 1,100.00
Whale Shark Watching    : PHP 1,700.00
Dos Palmas Day Tour      : PHP 2,500.00
City Tour (half day only) : PHP 600.00
Tubbataha Reef Diving    : PHP 3,000.00

It's not a really on the budget trip. But I guess you guys can lower down the expenses by checking-in at cheaper hotels. Check Agoda Philippines for discounted hotel rates. Or if you know anybody staying in Palawan, maybe you can crash in with them.

Other than that, just enjoy your vacation! Chill and unwind.. And don't forget to book the Underground River Tour 2 MONTHS ahead of time! Plan ahead.

Thanks for reading!

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN TO LATELY?!?!

Much Love!