Are you planning a short getaway from Manila? You can consider a short trip to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It is a beautiful city, famous for its diverse wildlife and stunning landscape. My family and I had an opportunity to visit this city. Although the weather was not in our favor, we still enjoyed our stay and had a great time.
Puerto Princesa Airport
Palawan has three popular destinations, namely El Nido, Coron and Puerto Princesa. Among the three, Puerto Princesa is the most accessible. Puerto Princesa Airport is the main gateway to Palawan. Before our trip, we booked an airport transfer with our hotel. But public transportation is also available, you can take a taxi or van to your hotel.
Accommodation
We stayed at Southwind Palawan, a 3-star resort that is about 15 – 20 minutes away from the airport. Although it does not have a lot of facilities, the room was clean and comfortable, staff was accommodating and helpful with our requests. Secondly, there is an outdoor swimming pool, which was well managed and very clean too. Lastly, there is a restaurant in the hotel where we had our continental breakfast every day. One of the reasons we booked Southwind is because they have a family room that fits 5 people.
Day 1 – Puerto Princesa City Tour
We had a really early flight, so after checking in to our hotel, we joined a city tour. The tour included some of the highlights of the city. We visited the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Palawan Rescue Center, Baker’s Hill, Binuatan Creations Weaving Center, etc.
Puerto Princesa Baywalk Park
The Bay Walk is open to the public. Locals and tourists can enjoy a leisurely walk along the park. In addition, there are some restaurants nearby and a seafood market. Unfortunately, our time here is limited and we did not have the chance to further explore the park.
Plaza Cuartel
Plaza Cuartel is a historical landmark in Puerto Princesa. It was built by the Spaniards as a garrison to protect the country.
During World War II, hundreds of American soldiers were held captive at this site by the Japanese soldiers. The American soldiers were burned to death on the 14th of December, 1944.
There were story panels installed near the plaza to let tourists know about the history of the Philippines.
Also, this place serves as a memorial for the soldiers who were massacred and a reminder of a gruesome history happened.
Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Immaculate Conception Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral located in front of the Plaza Cuartel. Furthermore, this is where Puerto Princesa’s first mass was held in 1872.
Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center
The tour included a visit to Palawan’s wildlife rescue and conservation center. It aims to conserve the Saltwater crocodiles and Philippine crocodiles in the country. The tour guide showed us the crocodiles that were kept in the facility. What’s more, we got a chance to hold a baby crocodile and take a picture with it.
Baker’s Hill
Filipinos buy gifts to bring home after a trip, they call it “pasalubong”. The trip to Baker’s Hill is for us to buy our pasalubong. It is well known for its pastry called hopia.
According to our guide, Baker’s Hill started with a small bakery. It became so popular that the owner decided to open the park to the public. Besides being a bakery, tourists can wander inside the park. The park is so well-decorated, it looks like a mini theme park (without rides). In addition, there are a lot of Instagrammable spots around the premises. I understand why it has become a popular tourist attraction in Puerto Princesa.
Besides selling pastries, there are also merchandise items such as t-shirts, keychains, and other knick knacks.
Binuatan Creations Weaving Center
As technology advances, a lot of tedious tasks are being replaced by machines. However, the weaving technique is passed on from generation to generation and is kept alive by the locals here in Palawan.
Binuatan Creations Weaving Center is a famous handicraft gift shop that manufactures hand-woven products using Palawan’s fiber. In fact, it is a great place to buy pasalubongs and support their business.
The local weavers we met were happy to share how they make the products using the loom device. We even had a chance to experience it firsthand. It was really complicated as it required full coordination of the hand and foot, and you have to think about the design of the product while doing it.
Mitra’s Ranch
Mitra’s Ranch was privately owned by the late Senator Ramon Mitra Jr. When the family opened the ranch to the public, it became one of the tourist attractions in the city. Because the ranch has a viewing deck with a sea and city view, it has a peaceful and relaxing vibe. In fact, I think this place is perfect for a picnic!
Day 2 – Underground River and Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour
Underground River
We can’t tell anyone we went to Puerto Princesa without going to the underground river, right? It is the most popular destination and thing to do in Puerto Princesa. Underground River was chosen as one of the seven wonders of the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Because there were so many people waiting to get on the paddle boat, we were assigned to sit separately as they needed to balance the boat. We were given helmets and life jackets to wear before the tour began.
Because it was completely dark inside the cave, the tour guide used a flashlight to show us some of the rock formations and limestones. Unfortunately, we could not get a decent photo of the rock formation in the dark, the photos turned out really blurry. After a few attempts, I decided to just enjoy the rest of the tour without using my camera. There were constant water drippings from the cave, and the tour guide reminded us to close our mouths when we looked up, as it may be water or bat poop. Another thing I didn’t expect from the tour was how bad the smell was when we entered the cave.
Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour
While we waited for our turn to go to the Underground River, we joined the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour. In this tour, the guide explained to us the importance of mangroves in Palawan. We also spotted a snake and lizard along the way.
There were so many mosquitoes in this area, so be sure to pack insect repellant when you come.
Day 3 – Island Hopping
On our last day, we went island hopping. Puerto Princesa is also known for its crystal clear water and beautiful beaches. The Honda Bay Island hopping included three islands – Cowrie Island, Luli Island, and Starfish Island. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, we had to cut the trip short and skip Starfish Island.
Cowrie Island
Our tour guide told us that most of the tours usually came to this island last, so he arranged for us to visit this island first. When we arrived, we had the whole island to ourselves, which was really cool. One thing to note is that there were no lifeguards around, so supervise your children. Although the visibility of the water was not that clear when we snorkeled, we did see some of fish and starfish.
Luli Island
Next, we visited Luli Island. The water visibility was much better here and there is a lot more to see in this area. On the beach, there was a sand sculpture for photo taking.
Unfortunately, the weather was really bad on our last day. Even though we skipped the Starfish island, we still were not able to avoid the heavy rain.
Nevertheless, we had a really great time in Puerto Princesa.
I hope this post helped you pack and prepare for your trip. You can read more about other Philippines destinations here.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit is during the dry season, which is from November to May. The hottest months in the Philippines are from March to May, which is perfect for going to the beach.
Things to bring for water activities
- Sunscreen
- Cap
- Snorkeling gears
- Water shoes
- Underwater camera
- Swimwear/rashguard
- Beach towels
- Mosquito Repellant (this is extremely important, especially if you will go on the mangrove boat tour)
- Ointment for insect bites