Destination: Philippines

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: The Last Frontier: Palawan

TWO TO FOUR WEEKS

From Puerto Princesa up to Busuanga Island, take in Palawan’s most stunning features: the Subterranean River, the Bacuit Archipelago, and the wrecks, islands and lakes of Busuanga Island. The route covers approximately 500km, not including the journey to and from Manila, and takes two to four weeks.



If you see nothing more in the Philippines than Manila and Palawan, you won’t feel short-changed. Indeed, Palawan packs more adventure and beauty into a small space than any other region of the Philippines. We recommend starting in Puerto Princesa , which is accessible by boat and plane from Manila, and by plane from Cebu. Spend a day or two in Puerto (as it’s locally known), setting your body clock to island time (and enjoying the great food on offer). Then, head up to visit Sabang and the Subterranean River. The riverine cave here is one of the most bizarre and fascinating attractions in all of the Philippines and is not to be missed. If you’d like to do some island hopping, then a day trip to the Honda Bay islands is good for a quick beach fix.

From Puerto, head overland or fly up to El Nido, to explore the fantastic Bacuit Archipelago. Spend a few days here taking day trips around the islands, searching for that perfect bay or beach to call your own. From El Nido, take a boat or fly up to Busuanga Island. Based in or near Coron Town on Busuanga Island, you can explore the fantastic lakes of Coron Island, Makinit Hot Springs, and the islands and beaches near Coron.

Of course, the real attraction here is wreck diving, and there are few experiences in the world that compare to descending into the depths and seeing a vast sunken hulk coalesce out of the gloom. From Busuanga, you can either take a ferry or fly back to Manila.