Honda Bay
Port Barton
San Vicente (Long Beach)
Balabac (Onuk Island)
Culion Island
Kayak the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
Snorkel Honda Bay’s reef islands
Watch fireflies on the Iwahig River
Climb Ugong Rock Cave
Paddle the mangroves at Sabang
El Nido
Coron
Puerto Princesa
Port Barton
Balabac
The dry season from November to May offers the calmest conditions, with December to April the most settled. The southwest monsoon brings rain and rougher swell to the western coast, including El Nido, from roughly June to October, though Palawan lies south of the main typhoon belt and is generally more sheltered than islands further north. Puerto Princesa’s eastern side stays comparatively calm even during the wetter months.
Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS) is the main gateway, around one hour fifteen minutes by direct flight from Manila. El Nido has its own small airport, Lio (ENI), with limited direct Manila flights, while Coron is served separately by Busuanga’s Francisco B. Reyes Airport (USU). Many charters begin in Puerto Princesa and cruise north to El Nido and the Calamian Islands.
Honda Bay’s cluster of reef islands near Puerto Princesa makes an easy first stop, followed by the limestone islets of El Nido’s Bacuit Bay further north. Port Barton offers a quieter, less-visited alternative with calm, shallow water, while the Calamian Islands around Coron combine dramatic karst anchorages with historic wreck sites. Balabac, in the far south, rewards guests willing to make the longer passage.
Ten nights allows a realistic loop covering Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Coron, since the distances between them run to several hours even by fast boat. A shorter charter of five to seven nights works well focused on just one area, most commonly El Nido’s Bacuit Bay or Coron’s Calamian Islands, rather than rushing between all three regions.
Yes. The UNESCO-listed river requires a permit booked in advance, since daily visitor numbers are capped and slots fill quickly in high season. The standard paddled tour covers roughly the first one and a half kilometres of the cave’s 4.3-kilometre navigable length. A broker or local agent typically arranges the permit and boat ahead of arrival, so this stop is worth confirming early when planning the itinerary.
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