The first thing tourist will tell you at the moment about the Philippines will be: “Boracay is closed”.
Well yes, but that doesn’t matter at all – the Philippines is so much more than only Boracay! Boracay may have some amazing beaches – but the Philippines is blessed with a stunning nature including waterfalls, pristine breaches and awe inspiring limestone formations.
Yep, okay – I get it. Now I understand the hashtag #itsmorefuninthephilippines 😁 ::: Today we visited the underwater river – one of the seven wonders of nature – and already the surrounding area was breathtaking! I've not been in many places with water that was so blue and so clean! ❤❤❤ ::: Where was the nicest water you have encountered? ::: P.S. I posted a new blog entry and a vlog (link in bio) on my hotel in Taiwan. I think the vlog came out pretty funny 😆 . . . . . #philippines #palawan #visitphilippines #puertoprincesa #beautifuldestination #speechlessplaces #wonderfulplaces #speechless #earthporn #earthpix #naturephotography #naturelover #natureporn #travelmore #nomadstories #traveltheglobe #travelingtheworld #travellerslife #travellifestyle #girlgetters #travelbloggeres #travelwoman #wanderlust_tribe #womentravel #roamingwomen #girlsmeetglobe #girldiscoverers #wanderwoman #wheretofindme
A post shared by Sarah (@fernwehsarah) on May 18, 2018 at 8:48am PDT
So for me and Markus the closure of Boracay just made our itinary decision easier – we were going to go to Cebu and Palawan!
Having made this decision, we realised that even this still leaves us with too many possibilities and we really struggled hard to find out, how much time we would like to spend where. In the end, we came up with an itinary that we really loved and that why I am sharing this now with you:
My ultimate guide to three weeks in Palawan!
1) Puerto Princesa (D1-4)
Puerto Princesa is an easy and cheap entry point to Palawan and that why we started there. The town itself is rather unspectacular but it is the start base for some really cool tours – the Underground River and Honda Bay. The Underground River is a UNESCO World Heritage site and was voted as one of the seven new wonders of nature – and seeing it, this is fully understandable!
Tours from Puerto Princesa cost around 1,700-1,900 Peso, including lunch. You will be driving and waiting quite long for your boat tour through the Underground River – but in my opinion, it was worth it!
The second day, we went to Honda Bay – again this is an organised tour, including lunch for 1,500 Peso. You could organise it yourself, but it likely won’t save you much money. Take your own snorkeling gear though – otherwise you will be charged extra to rent it! The tour will take you to some really nice island – though we felt it was crowded compared to Port Barton and the snorkeling spots were also only good but not excellent.
We stayed at Masters Pension Guesthouse – which we liked due to it proximity to the city center and the small pool that they offer for a pretty low price. If you are looking for something more luxurious, Princesa Garden Island is probably your best bet!
One important thing before you move on – take cash from Puerto Princesa! Port Barton and El Nido are famous for travelers running out of cash because there are very few ATMs. And we never had such big problems withdrawing money with any of our five (!) credit cards (Visa, MasterCard and Amex!) in any other country of the world! Another trick is to pre-book your accomodation with credit card (that’s why all links refer to Agoda and not Booking – Agoda is always pre-payed) – if you are unsure if you like the place just take one or two nights and then do the same again when you know where to stay!
2) Port Barton (D4-8)
If you never heard of Port Barton, don’t be surprised – it is still a pretty laid back, original small beach village. But everyone that has been there, said they genuinely liked it – and i am no different! Port Barton is original where El Nido is already completely developed and tourism focused. Port Barton also has Tour A,B,C and D – but they are more similar. However, they only cost 700 Pesos, you might have lots of the beaches entirely to you and the snorkeling is stellar! We even came super close to big turtles!
Guys I am going on an island tour with Tao tomorrow! I am super excited – but I might be offline for a few days! ::: Tao (@taophilippines) is a social business that offers boat trips from El Nido to Coron and they only stop on remote islands during those five days. ::: When have you been offline for five days the last time? 🤗 . . . . . #philippines #itsmorefuninthephilippines #tao #palawan #elnido #coron #travelgirlsgo #girlaroundtheworld #shetravelz #SeeTheWorldWithMe #pinktrotters #girlsthatwander #shetravels #girlsabroad #girlsjustwannatravel #traveltagged #citizenfemme #globelletravels #sheexplores #letsgoeverywhere #beachgirl #travellikeagirl #TravelingLady #girlswhowander #girlgetters #travelbloggeres #femaletraveller #travelwoman #wanderlust_tribe #womentravel
A post shared by Sarah (@fernwehsarah) on May 26, 2018 at 8:38am PDT
There is no such things as "too much time on the beach" 😁 Today we chilled the whole day at the beautiful beach of Port Barton until we rented a scooter and drove to the nearby waterfalls (What an adventure!) – and we will probably use our beachfront location for a night ocean dip later- the water is warm anyway ❤ . . . . . #beachtime #palawan #philippines #itsmorefuninthephilippines #portbarton #beachgirl #sheisnotlost #wearetravelgirls #darlingescapes #ladiesgoneglobal #femmetravel #dametraveler #passionpassport #womenwhoexplore #glt #travelgirl #travelgirlsgo #girlaroundtheworld #shetravelz #SeeTheWorldWithMe #pinktrotters #damestravel #roamingwomen #GLTLove #girlslovetravel #babeswhowander #girlsmeetglobe #girldiscoverers #wanderwoman #wheretofindme
A post shared by Sarah (@fernwehsarah) on May 22, 2018 at 8:37am PDT
And the other difference to El Nido is, that you can actually go swimming at the beach upon your return after the tour because the water is super clean and the beach is fine sand! I call that a deal! Only thing you should know: there is no electricity in Port Barton for most of the day – mainly only from 6pm-midnight. Some upscale places have generators – but I felt like we didn’t need it at all!
In order to get to Port Barton you simply take a shared mini van from Puerto Princesa for 400 Pesos – every hotel can organise that for you! Trip takes about 4 hours and departure are around three times a day with the last usually around 1pm.
We didnt book in advance and did a walk in but based on the season you might want to prebook. We stayed at a lovely place called Elsas Cottages – their garden rooms are a real bargain at 1000 Pesos – Beachfront isn’t expensive as well (1.500 Pesos), but it is directly next to the reggae bar with live music until 11pm. Another great place to stay is Deep Moon – we went there multiple times for their awesome healthy food options (but they were fully booked when we arrived) – they also rent SUP boards for 100 Pesos/h.
You know the sad story behind this pic if you have seen my story today: This might actually have been the very last shot of our Drone "Sir Sparkelot". Seconds after @borborad took this shot, the drone became unsteerable and was slowly decending into the ocean! 😭😭😭 ::: It was a horrible sound when it touched the water but I was too far. However, not all hope is lost right now because thanks to the help of two amazing French girls who where watching us, they helped us find where it approximately went down and then the amazing thing happened: Markus was actually able to dive it up again! (I tried while he got the goggles but failed) ::: It was in the water though for probably 5-10 minutes so I guess we need all our luck. We rinsed it with fresh water, disassembled it, removed the battery and put it into rice. ::: Keep your fingers crossed for our little baby! 😢 . . . . . . #djispark #dji #drone #dronestagram #dronephotography #djiglobal #sup #standuppaddling #palawan #portbarton #philippines #itsmorefuninthephilippines #travelgirlsgo #girlaroundtheworld #shetravelz #pinktrotters #damestravel #globelletravels #sheexplores #letsgoeverywhere #lovetotravel #TravelingLady #NomadGirls #girlswhowander #girlsthatwander #shetravels #girlsabroad #girlsjustwannatravel #traveltagged #citizenfemme
A post shared by Sarah (@fernwehsarah) on May 23, 2018 at 8:20am PDT
Besides the island and snorkel tours (and beach bumming) you can also rent a scooter and drive to some waterfalls – but be warned – the roads are not for the faint hearted! And don’t forget to wear a helmet (even though the locals don’t) – safety first! 😘
3) El Nido (D8-11)
Next stop is the famous El Nido – the scenery of the limestone karst bays is definitely worth visiting. Just be aware that you will share the place with lots of other tourists. And i mean LOTS of them!
Dont try this at home – naaa, it actually looks way more steep than it was and there is stairs from the other side as this is an official lookout! No risk here! 🤗 ::: Those stunning limestone formations are at the Martinloc Shrine – a former nuns convent on an island in the area of El Nido – our next stop on our journey through paradise. ::: Today we joined a group tour (veeeeeery crowded!) and tomorrow we have chartered a private boat that will hopefully bring us to the lagoons without the masses 😊 . . . . . . #elnido #palawan #itsmorefuninthephilippines #philippines #earthporn #earthpix #naturephotography #naturelover #natureporn #sheisnotlost #wearetravelgirls #darlingescapes #ladiesgoneglobal #femmetravel #dametraveler #passionpassport #womenwhoexplore #glt #travelgirl #travelgirlsgo #girlaroundtheworld #shetravelz #SeeTheWorldWithMe #globelletravels #girlsthatwander #shetravels #girlsabroad #girlsjustwannatravel #traveltagged #citizenfemme
A post shared by Sarah (@fernwehsarah) on May 24, 2018 at 7:57am PDT
There is four different tours (creatively named A,B,C,D – you know this already from Port Barton) that take you one a day tour including lunch for 1,300-1,500 Pesos. With connections you might actually get them for 700-900 but don’t count on that! The other (and highly recommended) option is to charter a boat for yourself – the price without lunch is just 3,500 Pesos (although agencies will start haggling around 6,000 – stand your ground and walk to the next if they are stubborn – it just took us 15min to find a fair one 🙂 ). The good thing about the private boat is that your captain will be able to go to the places at different times then the huge crowds – but you will probably still have to share the location with a few other boats. Concerning the route, every local will tell you tell that tour A and C are the most interesting ones and I agree on that. Friends of us also took a new route called “Tour Z” that takes you to other spots and includes e.g. kajak rental and runs on a bigger boat. It’s priced at 1,500 Pesos and is a little bit more a party crowd according to them! 🙂
I am such a sunset person! What is it for you – sunset or sunrise? ::: Today I took a ferry to make my way to Siquijor- and island still unspoilt by mass tourism but already well known to backpackers (check my story 🤗) ::: Unfortunately there is a tropical storm over the Philippines right now- so I wasn't gifted with a sunset like in El Nido. ::: But who cares – the next amazing sunset will come anyway! Always think positive – the world is amazing! 🌍 . . . . . #sunset #elnido #palawan #philippines #itsmorefuninthephilippines #sunsetgoals #winelover #fernweh #reiselust #reiseblogger #travelgirlsgo #girlaroundtheworld #shetravelz #SeeTheWorldWithMe #pinktrotters #damestravel #girlsthatwander #shetravels #girlsabroad #girlsjustwannatravel #traveltagged #citizenfemme #globelletravels #sheexplores #letsgoeverywhere #lovetotravel #travellikeagirl #TravelingLady #NomadGirls #girlswhowander
A post shared by Sarah (@fernwehsarah) on Jun 9, 2018 at 7:09am PDT
On thing to be very aware of in El Nido is food poisoning. Markus and me have traveled to over 50 countries, we have eaten all kinds of street food everywhere and we know that sometimes you will need a toilet more often then you like. But we never ever had such a bad reaction ever – we both were completely knocked out for two days and we don’t have any clue what it was that caused it. I didn’t eat any meat or seafood – so don’t think you are safe if you don’t. Take extra precautions – more than in Thailand, Vietnam or Indonesia! Otherwise you might participate in the “El Nido Diet” (that’s what we call it now!) for a few days!
Since El Nido town is really crowded, we opted to stay outside in Corong Corong at Greenviews Beach Resort
What I really miss in Coron right now, is that there is no beach near the city at all. El Nido might not have been the most prettiest beach – BUT there was one 😊 ::: The main reason to come to Coron is diving through – and today I was diving along a 130m long Japanese shipwreck from WWII – pretty amazing! ::: Btw – did you see that I uploaded a new vlog? It's about "how to not make a fool of you when staying in a Japanese Ryokan". Tell me if you found it helpful! . . . . . #elnido #palawan #goldenhour #philippines #itsmorefuninthephilippines #beachtime #beachgirl #travelgirlsgo #girlaroundtheworld #shetravelz #SeeTheWorldWithMe #pinktrotters #damestravel #girlsthatwander #shetravels #girlsabroad #girlsjustwannatravel #traveltagged #citizenfemme #globelletravels #sheexplores #letsgoeverywhere #lovetotravel #travellikeagirl #TravelingLady #sheisnotlost #NomadGirls #girlswhowander #fernweh #reiselust
A post shared by Sarah (@fernwehsarah) on Jun 4, 2018 at 6:57am PDT
4) Cruise with Tao to Coron (D11-15)
I promise – this WILL be the highlight of your whole trip! Tao is an eco-friendly, sustainable, non-profit company that offer 5D4N boat trips between Coron and El Nido. You will go on a trip with up to 23 other guests and 10 crew members (called the lost boys). During the days you will stop on pristine beaches and amaxinf snorkeling spots and then you will sleep in Taos base camps in simple iconic wooden huts on the beach. Your trip includes all activities and three meals + some snacks and unlimited water/tea/coffee. Tao invests all the money they make into the villages on the islands, building schools and community centers, training farmers on organic farming and empowering women. All the food you eat comes from Taos own organic farms and you will taste the difference! Check Tao’s website early enough when planning to schedule your timing according! You can also do my itinary the other way round if it better fits with Taos sailing dates. DON’T SIMPLY TAKE THE FERRY! If you lack the time for the full itinary – cut somewhere else! 🤗 You can read about my own trip with Tao here.
Hey there – hope you are enjoying your weekend! Did you know that the water of Linapacan were rated to be even clearer than the water on the Maldives? I couldn't really imagine that until I saw it myself! ❤ Tomorrow i will go diving here in Coron and i am super excited to see the shipwrecks! What was your favorite dive/snorkel spot so far? ::: 🇩🇪 Hallo ihr Lieben – wie ist euer Wochenende bisher? Wusstet ihr, dass das Meet bei Linapacan als noch klarer bewertet wurde als das der Malediven? Ich konnte mir das nicht vorstellen, bevor ich es selbst gesehen hatte! ❤ Morgen geht's für mich mal wieder tauchen – freue mich schon super darauf, die Schiffswracks hier zu erkunden! Was war euer schönster Ort zum Tauchen oder Schorcheln bisher? . . . . . #snorkeling #linapacan #palawan #philippines #itsmorefuninthephilippines #underwater #splitpic #gopro #goprohero6 #hero6 #diving #underwaterphotography #taophilippines #coralreef #adventuregirl #mermaid #sheisnotlost #womenwhoexplore #fernweh #reiselust #girlgetters #travelbloggeres #femaletraveller #travelwoman #wanderlust_tribe #girlvsglobe #shetravelz #sheexplores #girlsjustwannatravel #travelgirlsgo
A post shared by Sarah (@fernwehsarah) on Jun 3, 2018 at 8:53am PDT
5) Coron (D15-19)
One thing you should know right from the start about Coron: there is no beach at the city! For a day at rhe beach you actually have to book a day tour again. To me that made Coron somewhat less interesting than El Nido – how ever there are a few reason, why you still can’t miss Coron:
1) Diving
2) Kayangan and Barracuda Lake
3) Hot Springs
To be able to cool off after a hot day i strongly suggest getting a hotel with a pool – Coron city doesnt really offer much of interest. We stayed at Sunz en Coron and found them to be very good value. They have a pool, nice garden cabanas to chill out, super friendly staff and a small restaurant. They are a little bit outside but they offer free tricycle rides should you want to go to Coron city anytime. They even drove us to our next hotel when we had to check out because Sunz was fully booked (and we had only booked few nights)!
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If you are looking for healthy food (not easy in the Philippines…) try Brujita or the Harvest bowl at Buzz Express (They also have Pizza but the best Pizza is inarguably found at Altrove!)
This article contains affiliate links – I will always only recommend places that I personally think are awesome!
Palawan in three weeks – the ultimate itinary to this beautiful Filipino island The first thing tourist will tell you at the moment about the Philippines will be: "Boracay is closed".