Palawan, Philippines
Overview
Palawan is a long, narrow island province in the southwestern Philippines — approximately 450 kilometers from tip to tip, sheltered from the Pacific typhoon belt by its northwest orientation — that has been voted the World's Best Island by Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and dozens of other publications more times than any other destination on earth. Its three primary tourism zones each offer distinct experiences: El Nido in the north, known for its dramatic Bacuit Archipelago of limestone karst formations, hidden lagoons, and world-class island hopping; Coron in the northeast, regarded as one of the world's finest wreck diving destinations with Japanese World War II ships accessible to recreational divers; and Puerto Princesa in the center, gateway to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the world's most navigable underground river.
Palawan welcomed 2,126,434 tourists in 2025, a 7.76 percent increase over 2024's 1,973,306. International visitors accounted for 48 percent of arrivals — 1,027,601 international tourists — with the US at 7.13 percent, France at 5.92 percent, UK at 4.50 percent, Germany at 3.83 percent, and Spain at 3.58 percent as the leading foreign markets. El Nido alone received 642,385 visitors in 2025, making it one of the fastest-growing beach destinations in Southeast Asia. Travel publications consistently feature Palawan prominently — it was included in several 'Best Places to Go in 2026' lists globally.
The Philippines Department of Tourism has set visitor caps and timed entry requirements for El Nido's most sensitive lagoons — the Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon now require pre-booked entry slots. This regulation reflects a genuine commitment to sustainable tourism that is protecting the very features that make Palawan worth visiting. Start planning your Palawan trip at palapavibez.com for curated itineraries and the best resort rates.
Fast Facts
Palawan has a dry season from November through May and a wet season from June through October. The dry season — particularly January through April — delivers the finest conditions: calm seas, excellent snorkeling and diving visibility, and manageable crowds. December is popular with Christmas holiday travelers. Typhoon season officially runs June through October but Palawan's northwest orientation provides natural protection — it is significantly less typhoon-prone than the rest of the Philippines. May is the transition shoulder month — crowds thin, the sea remains calm, and accommodation rates begin to drop.
No visa is required for US, EU, UK, Canadian, and Australian citizens visiting the Philippines for stays up to 30 days — extendable to 59 days at the Bureau of Immigration. The Philippine Peso is the official currency; ATMs are available in Puerto Princesa and El Nido town but less reliable elsewhere. Cash is essential in smaller villages and on boats. The time zone is PST (UTC+8) — the Philippines does not observe daylight saving time.
El Nido lagoon tours now have regulated visitor numbers and pre-booking requirements — this is recent (2024-2025 implementation) and essential to understand before arriving. Tour boats operate in groups for specific time slots at the Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, and Secret Lagoon. Booking through licensed tour operators who have pre-assigned entry times is the only way to guarantee access. Walk-up day-of booking is not reliably available during peak season.
Top Attractions
El Nido's Bacuit Archipelago island hopping tours are the defining Palawan experience — four standard tour routes (Tours A, B, C, and D) covering different clusters of the 45+ islands and islets of the archipelago, each stopping at beaches, snorkeling spots, lagoons, and hidden coves. Tour A — the most popular — includes the Big Lagoon (accessible by kayak through a narrow gap in the limestone karst) and the Small Lagoon (entered by swimming through a rock corridor), both with water of extraordinary color and clarity. The Big Lagoon at dawn, with mist rising from the karst walls and sea kayaks the only vessels present, is one of the most transcendent landscape experiences in Southeast Asia. The lagoons now require pre-booked timed entry — book Tour A with a 7am departure.
Coron in northern Palawan is considered one of the world's top five wreck diving destinations — a World War II maritime cemetery where 12 Japanese warships and supply vessels were sunk by US aircraft on September 24, 1944, and now lie in 10 to 40 meters of water, most accessible to recreational open-water divers. The wrecks — including the Okikawa Maru (massive tanker now covered in corals), the Irako (refrigerated supply ship), and the Kogyo Maru (cargo ship with intact machinery) — have been colonized by extraordinary marine life in the 80 years since sinking. Barracuda Lake, a meromictic lake accessible by a hike over volcanic rocks on Coron Island, contains water of alternating temperatures (from cool surface to warm alkaline thermocline) and extraordinary visibility, making it one of the most unique dive experiences in Asia.
Recommendations
El Nido Big & Small Lagoon
Kayak through karst gaps into limestone lagoons — pre-book Tour A at 7am before crowds, most beautiful water in Asia
Coron Wreck Diving
12 WWII Japanese warships — Okikawa Maru and Irako accessible to open-water divers, extraordinary marine life
Puerto Princesa Underground River
8.2km underground river — paddle boat tour required, advance permit booking essential, unique cave system
Nacpan Beach
4km undeveloped white sand — top 10 beach worldwide, 45km north of El Nido, tidal river, clear water
Barracuda Lake (Coron)
Meromictic lake with alternating water temperatures — hike over volcanic rocks, one of Asia's most unique dives
Island Hopping Tour C (El Nido)
Secret Beach (swim through rock tunnel), Hidden Beach — El Nido's most dramatic Tour, fewer boats than Tour A
Twin Lagoon (Coron)
Two connected lagoons at different levels — swim through a gap at low tide, extraordinary colors, accessible day trip
Kayangan Lake (Coron)
Philippines' clearest lake — hike to viewpoint for the most photographed shot in Coron, snorkel the clear water
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and New 7 Wonders of Nature — an 8.2-kilometer underground river flowing through a massive cave system directly into the South China Sea, navigable by paddle boat with certified guides for approximately 1.5 kilometers of the underground passage. The cave system contains multiple cathedral-sized chambers, rock formations of extraordinary variety, and a colony of bats. The experience of drifting through a vast underground river, headlamps catching the stalactites, with sounds of dripping water and distant ocean echoing through the cave, is unique in all of Southeast Asia. Advance booking through the Puerto Princesa City tourism office is required — permits are limited and sell out.
Nacpan Beach — approximately 45 kilometers north of El Nido town on a dirt road — is the finest undeveloped beach in Palawan: a 4-kilometer stretch of white sand with a tidal river at one end, coconut trees along its length, and water of exceptional clarity with no reef gear needed to see tropical fish in the shallows. TripAdvisor named it one of the top 10 beaches in the world in 2016, and it has retained its relatively undeveloped character — a few small beach bars and basic cottages provide shelter from the sun, but there is no resort development that changes the beach's character.
Where to Stay
Palawan accommodation divides across three geographic zones with distinctly different characters. El Nido town and the surrounding beachfront accommodations are the most visited base — ranging from budget guesthouses in town to the private island resorts of the Bacuit Archipelago. Coron town is the base for wreck divers. Puerto Princesa is the airport hub with the widest range of business hotels and the most practical base for touring the Underground River.
The most acclaimed accommodations in Palawan are its private island resorts — properties that occupy their own islands in the Bacuit Archipelago near El Nido, accessible only by private boat transfer. El Nido Resorts operates four private island properties: Miniloc Island (35 units, most established), Pangulasian Island (42 units, most beach-facing), Lagen Island (50 units, jungle setting), and Apulit Island (50 units, Taytay area further south). These resorts combine spectacular natural settings, excellent snorkeling directly from the shore, and a level of seclusion that is impossible to achieve in El Nido town itself.
Recommendations
El Nido Resorts — Miniloc Island
Most established private island resort in El Nido — water cottages over lagoon, direct snorkeling, complete isolation
El Nido Resorts — Pangulasian Island
Most beach-facing of the El Nido Resorts properties — villa-style rooms, white sand, eco-focused
Amanpulo (Pamalican Island)
Private airstrip, 40 villas — most exclusive property in the Philippines, complete seclusion, Aman service
Angkla Beach Club & Boutique (Nacpan)
Directly on Nacpan Beach — small pool, beach access, best value with most beautiful beach proximity
Two Seasons Coron Island Resort
Private island in Coron Bay — best luxury base for wreck diving itineraries, over-water villa option
For travelers who prefer El Nido town access alongside quality accommodation, Nacpan Beach has several small boutique resorts including Angkla Beach Club & Boutique Resort (highly rated, direct beach access, small pool). In Coron, Two Seasons Coron Island Resort & Spa on its own island in Coron Bay provides the finest base for wreck diving itineraries. For a fully immersive luxury Palawan experience, Amanpulo on Pamalican Island (southwest Palawan) is the most exclusive property in the Philippines — a private airstrip, 40 villas on a pristine island, and Aman's signature service level.
Food & Drink
Palawan seafood is the finest in the Philippines — the island's relatively pristine fishing grounds produce fresh tuna, grouper, snapper, squid, lobster, shrimp, and crab of extraordinary quality. The fishermen's catch from the morning boat often appears on the evening menus of El Nido's restaurants. The seafood barbecue — fresh fish grilled over charcoal on the beach at sunset — is the most specifically Palaweño dining experience, available at the beachfront restaurants of Sitio Bulalacao and along El Nido's main beach.
The Filipino dining tradition of kamayan — eating with the hands from a shared spread of food served on banana leaves — is practiced at several restaurants in El Nido and Puerto Princesa that recreate the communal feast tradition. Lechon (whole roasted pig) is the Philippines' most celebrated special-occasion dish; Palawan lechon uses the local pigs and local spice traditions. Sinigang (sour tamarind broth with fish or pork) and adobo (vinegar and soy-braised chicken or pork) are the foundational Filipino dishes available everywhere.
Recommendations
Fresh Seafood Barbecue
Grilled fish and squid from the morning catch — Sitio Bulalacao or main beach restaurants, sunset timing essential
Kamayan Feast
Hands-only eating from banana leaf spread — communal Filipino feast tradition, ask hotels to arrange
Seafood at Coron Town
Freshest crab, shrimp, and grouper in the Philippines — Coron's morning wet market supplies the local restaurants
Sinigang
Sour tamarind broth with fresh Palawan fish — the most refreshing Filipino soup in a tropical climate
Local Rice Turo-Turo
₱150–250 for a full meal at point-and-serve local cafeterias — most authentic and affordable Palawan eating
El Nido town has a growing independent restaurant scene beyond the beach barbecue standard — Artcafe El Nido (Filipino and international cuisine in a garden setting) and The Kookoolan Village (organic garden-to-table) are the most celebrated. The price gap between local Filipino restaurants (₱200 to ₱400 for a meal) and tourist restaurants (₱600 to ₱1,200) is significant — eating at where locals eat is both significantly cheaper and often more authentically satisfying.
Getting There
Palawan's main airport is Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS), which handles the majority of domestic flights from Manila and some from Cebu. El Nido has a smaller airport (Lio Airport, ENI) served by AirSwift airline from Manila — a premium boutique airline specifically serving El Nido that provides the most direct and comfortable connection. Coron is served by Francisco Reyes Airport (USU) with connections to Manila. There are no direct international flights to any Palawan airport — all international visitors must connect through Manila.
From Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), flights to Puerto Princesa take approximately 1 hour 20 minutes with Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia. Flights to El Nido (Lio Airport) with AirSwift take approximately 1 hour 10 minutes and cost approximately $130 to $200 each way — more expensive than PPS but avoids the 5 to 6-hour overland journey from Puerto Princesa to El Nido. Flights to Coron (USU) from Manila take approximately 1 hour with Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.
From Puerto Princesa to El Nido, a shared van takes approximately 5 to 6 hours over a mountain road — scenic but long. A private van is approximately 4 hours. Many visitors opt for the AirSwift direct Manila-Lio Airport flight to save the overland journey. From El Nido to Coron, an inter-island ferry (approximately 4 to 5 hours on the Atienza ferry) or a chartered speedboat provides a scenic connection through the archipelago islands.
Practical Info
The El Nido lagoon pre-booking requirement is the most important logistics update for 2025/2026 visitors — the Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon now have daily visitor caps and timed entry slots. Book Tour A with a licensed operator (not a budget walk-up boat) specifying the earliest available entry time (typically 7am departures). The difference between 7am and 11am at the Big Lagoon is the difference between near-solitude and 50 other tour boats. This early morning rule applies equally to the Secret Beach, Cathedral Cave, and other high-traffic Tour C sites.
A practical Palawan itinerary for 7 to 10 days: 2 nights Puerto Princesa (Underground River day trip, city orientation), fly or van to 3 to 4 nights El Nido (Tours A and C, Nacpan Beach day), inter-island ferry or fly to 2 to 3 nights Coron (wreck diving, Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon), fly Manila from Coron. This circuit covers all three major Palawan experiences in a logical geographic sequence.
Recommendations
Book Lagoon Tours at 7am — Critical
Pre-book Tour A with 7am departure — first hour in Big Lagoon before crowds is a completely different experience
Classic Circuit: Puerto Princesa → El Nido → Coron
7–10 days covers all three zones — end at Coron and fly Manila from USU airport
Underground River Permits Must Be Pre-Booked
Book through Puerto Princesa City Tourism Office — permits sell out, especially January–March
Carry Cash (Pesos)
ATMs limited and unreliable outside Puerto Princesa — carry sufficient PHP from Manila
Dry Season Timing
November–May ideal, January–April best — avoid June–October for boat-dependent activities
Travel Insurance for Water Activities
Cover wreck diving, speedboats, and medical evacuation — standard travel insurance often excludes diving
Boat safety: all island hopping tours should be conducted with licensed operators wearing life jackets. The sea between El Nido and Coron can be rough during the transition months of May and November. Travel insurance covering water activities and medical evacuation is strongly recommended for any Palawan trip involving boat transport and diving. Always check weather conditions before booking same-day boat tours.
