Island hopping in Palawan, Philippines
My 10-days smart itinerary around El Nido, Coron, Port Barton discovering crystal-clear lagoons, remote islands, paradise beaches.
South-East Asia has always been one of my top “Winter escape” destinations. Great food, friendly people, good value for money and that “tropical” feeling so hard to find anywhere else. The Philippines are no exception.
We had planned this trip to Palawan with a mix of snorkeling, excursions and relax in mind. It turned out to be a relatively intense journey (due to many transfers and excursions), but in return the scenery we saw was far beyond our expectations.
Sounds exciting? Let’s go!
My 10-days smart itinerary in Palawan, Philippines
Day 1: New year’s Eve in Puerto Princesa
After a long flight with a stopover in Hong Kong we land in Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Philippines, shortly before midnight. Our flight via Hong Kong was long, but we flew Business Class and had prepared in advance to limit the effects of Jet lag.
Tonight it’s New year’s Eve, so we rush to our hotel, leave our luggage there and head out right in time to join the celebrations happening at the market on the main square.
Day 2: El Nido
We have a packed program for today. We’ll travel from Puerto Princesa to El Nido by bus (booked on Bookaway.com), leaving early morning. It’s a 6-hours drive on curvy, bumpy roads, with one lunch stop at a local restaurant, before reaching El Nido.
El Nido, Palawan, is a small town by the sea with many cafés and restaurants, mostly offering international cuisine, and a base for excursions to the nearby lagoons and islands.
Hotels in El Nido are relatively pricey considering that many accommodations do not have hot showers or private bathrooms. We stayed at the Peak House Garden Pension, which was just fine, offered a good breakfast and was close to the town center.
We can’t wait to be on the beach, so after dropping our stuff at the hotel we take a taxi to the beautiful Las Cabañas Beach, avoiding Corong Beach who we’d been told is usually much busier.
The first day in El Nido is also a good opportunity to buy some accessories that you’ll need on the excursions -or you can buy them online before starting your trip.
A water-dry bag and rock shoes were essential; I’d also encourage bringing a waterproof camera with you (I have a GoPro + Floating grip, but there are other options too), as most of the excursions by boat or by kayak are in very humid environments.
Resources for Content Creators
If you are struggling to fit all the items for your trip to Palawan into your suitcase, check out my suitcase packing tips.
Day 3+4: Full day excursions around El Nido, Palawan
We’ll dedicate the next two days to exploring the lagoons, beaches and islands around El Nido.
The main activities in El Nido are boat excursions, snorkeling, kayak rental and other water sports. We chose to do two full-day boat excursions with El Nido Boutique Artcafé and were very happy with the service and program of both tours.
My highlights around El Nido, Palawan:
Kayaking in the Big Lagoon and floating about the corals;
Discovering the Secret Lagoon (can be only accessed by crawling through a small hole!);
Exploring the beautiful beaches of Pasandingan Cove, Seven Commandos beach and Bukal Island.
Day 5: Transfer to Coron
Two and a half days were enough to explore the areas around El Nido.
Next stop: Coron.
What are the options to get from El Nido to Coron?
By plane: It’s a 40-minutes flight from El Nido Airport to Busunanga Airport, plus another 40 minutes drive to reach Coron town. Schedule and frequency might change during the year.
By ferry boat: It’s a 5-hours boat ride from El Nido to Coron Town, depending on the sea conditions. Schedule and frequency might vary during the year.
Depending on your schedule and budget, you might prefer plane or ferry, or a combination of the two. Be aware that it’s quite a long trip by ferry, and the sea can get really rough (it happened on our return journey and it wasn’t fun).
We had booked the ferry to Coron at 06:00AM (Montenegro Shipping lines, booked online on Bookaway.com) and the trip went smoothly.
Once in Coron we went for an afternoon excursion to Siete Pecados (a snorkeling site), which did not particularly impress us.
We’ll stay at the One Averee Bay Hotel, conveniently located next to the pier of Coron Town and the main restaurant area -and most importantly, it has hot showers!
Day 6+7: Full-day excursions around Coron, Palawan
The area around the Coron market is where you’ll find most guides for boat excursions. Tip: Don’t spend too much time negotiating the excursion price, as most guides have a “menu” with fixed prices.
Instead, try finding some peers that will join the excursion and share the costs!
Some places around Coron, Palawan that I recommend visiting:
Twin lagoon: Beautiful lagoon that can be fully explored with the kayaks loaded on our boat;
Green lagoon: Another impressive lagoon where we stopped for a swim and to have lunch on the boat;
Kayangan lake: Famous for its crystal clear waters and definitely worth visiting!
Pass island: Beautiful small island with some basic facilities. Keep in mind that you’ll spend 3-4 hours at sea to reach it.
Our tour guide recommended us a preferred route, but offered to make changes change if we had special requests.
Boat excursions around Coron can be amazing -and weird.
If you are curious, read here what happened to me on a boat excursion from Coron.
Day 8: Transfer Coron-El Nido-Port Barton
Two/three days are enough to explore the areas around Coron (you could add one extra day). Next stop: Port Barton.
Our ferry to El Nido leaves at 07:30AM. After a 6-hours, bumpy ride in rough seas, we finally arrive in El Nido. From there, it’s another 5-6 hours drive to Port Barton, in a very uncomfortable minivan.
It’s not over yet: There’s still a 30-mins boat drive before arriving, but this time it’s a beautiful, quiet journey. Our hotel, Prince John Lodging, is located on a remote beach, surrounded by palm trees.
Finally at destination!
Day 9: Full day excursions around Port Barton, Palawan
The area around Port Barton feels more laid back, and less crowded, than El Nido and Coron. As such, it was great to finish our holiday in Palawan on this side of the island.
We dedicated our last day to a full-day excursion to Inoladoan Island, very close to Port Barton. We spent most of the time relaxing by the beach, discovering hidden corners of the island and enjoying a fresh lunch!
On our way we also stopped at Starfish island and the Turtle Sanctuary -to be honest we didn’t see many, but this was still one of my preferred excursions.
Closing the day with an amazing dinner with grilled fish by the beach.
Day 10: Departure
Breakfast at the Hotel, and then boat+taxi transfer back to Puerto Princesa, where we had the return flight waiting for us.
Bye bye Philippines !
Full Palawan itinerary + Highlights on Google Maps
Premium subscribers have access to the Google Maps version of the full itinerary + highlights of my trip to Palawan, Philippines.
Click here to see my full itinerary on Google Maps.
About me:
As a passionate traveler and airline & hospitality expert I've been lucky to experience travel from behind the scenes -From crossing the Andes by bus, to flying Business class to the Maldives.
Some fun facts about my trips:
I’ve visited 5 of the 7 New World Wonders
Lowest point I’ve reached: Death Valley, California at -86 mt (-282 ft) altitude
Highest point I’ve reached: The Andes, 5,050 mt (16,568 ft) altitude
I've stayed at 100+ accommodations, from a tent in the Savannah to a houseboat on a French river
I’ve travelled 350,000+ km across 45+ countries and 5 continents by bus, car, boat, bike, hiking and so much more…
In my blog Beating Jetlag I share my travel experiences, insider tips and behind-the-scenes content for smart adventurers, as well as travel marketing recommendations for Creators. You can read more about me here.