Palawan having been declared as a nature sanctuary of the world is blessed with so many natural attractions. There are just so many things to see and to do, and we wished we had more time. We knew all along that one week would not be enough to explore all the scenic grandeurs and wonders of this island province of the Philippines so we had to carefully plan our trip in order for us to be able to visit as many places as we could in just 7 days.
Here is the summary of our 7-day Palawan adventure.
ITINERARY
First Day
9:00AM – 9:15AM Puerto Princesa Airport to San Jose Central Terminal
11:00AM – 5:00PM San Jose Central Terminal to El Nido
5:00PM – 7:30PM Check in at the hotel/ Rest
7:30PM – 9:00PM Dinner
Second Day
7:00AM – 8:00AM Breakfast
9:00AM – 5:00PM Island hopping: Tour A
5:00PM – 7:30PM Shower/Rest
7:30PM – 9:00PM Dinner
Third Day
7:00AM – 8:00AM Breakfast
9:00AM – 5:00PM Island hopping: Tour C
5:00PM – 7:30PM Shower/Rest
7:30PM – 9:00PM Dinner
Fourth Day
6:00AM – 6:15AM Breakfast
6:20AM – 8:30AM Climb Taraw Cliffs
9:00AM – 5:00PM Island hopping: Tour C
5:00PM – 7:30PM Shower/Rest
7:30PM – 9:00PM Dinner
Fifth Day
6:00AM – 6:30AM Breakfast
7:00AM – 1:00AM El Nido to San Jose Central Terminal
4:00PM – 6:00PM San Jose Central Terminal to Sabang ( We were originally told that the jeep would leave at 2PM)
6:00PM – 7:00PM Check In/Rest
7:30PM – 9:00PM Dinner
Sixth Day
6:00AM – 8:30AM Breakfast/Morning Walk at Sabang Beach
8:30AM – 9:00AM Registration
9:00AM – 9:20AM Sabang beach to Underground River
9:20AM -10:00AM Underground River Tour
10:00AM -10:20AM Underground River to Sabang
10:20AM -12:20PM Sabang to San Jose Central Terminal
12:20PM – 12:40PM San Jose Central Terminal to Puerto Princesa City
1:00PM – 2:00PM Lunch
2:00PM – 5:30PM City Tour (Baker’s Hill, Mitra’s Ranch, Bee Farm, Crocodile Farm)
5:30PM -6:00PM Market
6:00PM -7:00PM Cook Dinner ( We stayed at a friend’s house so we were able to cook)
7:00PM – 8:00PM Dinner
8:00PM -9:00PM Shower/Rest
Seventh Day
6:00AM-7:00AM Breakfast
7:00AM- 7:30AM Puerto Princesa to Honda Bay
8:00AM – 1:30AM Honda Bay Tour
1:30AM- 2:00PM Honda Bay to Puerto Princesa City
2:00PM-4:30PM Shower/ Rest
4:30PM-4:45PM Puerto Princesa City to Airport
6:00PM to 7:30PM Puerto Princesa to NAIA
TRAVEL EXPENSES FOR TWO
Transportation
Taxi fare from house to NAIA – P165.00
Taxi fare from NAIA to house- P160.00
Airfare – P2,800.00 ( P1,400.00 each, round trip PAL promo fare)
Tricycle to San Jose Central Terminal – P120.00 (tricycle rent)
Van from San Jose Central Terminal to El Nido – P1,400.00 (P700.00 each)
Tricycle to Bacuit Bay – P30.00
Van from El Nido to San Jose Central Terminal -P1,000.00 (P500.00 each)
Jeep from San Jose Central Terminal to Sabang – P240.00 (P120.00 each)
Boat rental from Sabang to Underground River – P350.00 ( P175.00 each. Cheapest boat costs P700.00. There were two tourists who shared the boat with us)
Jeep from Sabang to San Jose Central Terminal -P240.00( P120.00 each)
Tricycle from San Jose Central Terminal to Puerto Princesa- P60.00
Tricycle rental for the city tour – P350.00
Tricycle rental to Honda bay – P300.00 (round trip)
Tricycle from Puerto Princesa city to airport -P30.00
Accommodation:
Og’s Pension at El Nido – P2,800.00 (P700.00 a night X 4 nights)
Robert’s at Sabang Beach – P700.00
Puerto Princesa City – Free. We stayed at a friend’s house.
Tours/Permits/Entrance Fees
Terminal Fee NAIA- P400.00 (P200.00 each)
Terminal Fee Puerto Princesa- P100.00 (P50.00 each)
El Nido Island Hopping Tour A – P1,200.00 (P600.00 each)
El Nido Island Hopping Tour B – P1,300.00 (P650.00 each)
El Nido Island Hopping Tour C- P1,400.00 (P700.00 each)
Taraw Cliff Climb- P300.00 ( It was just me)
Underground River Permit – P300.00 ( P150.00 each)
Crocodile Farm Permit -P150.00 for 3 persons ( P50.00 each)
Honda Bay Tour Boat Rental- P1,300.00
Pandan Island Entrance Fee -P75.00 for 3 persons (P25.00 each)
Food and Other Expenses
Breakfast and lunch is free at El Nido. Free breakfast is included in our hotel accommodation, and lunch is included the island hopping tour.
Fist Day
Snacks and Lunch – P380.00
Dinner- P520.00
Second Day
Snacks – P116.00
Dinner- P450.00
Third Day
Snacks- P60.00
Dinner- P225.00
Beer- P200.00 ( 4 bottles, P50.00 each)
Fourth Day
Dinner- P250.00
Fifth Day
Breakfast- P100.00
Lunch- P250.00
Snacks- P70.00
Dinner- P250.00
Sixth Day
Breakfast- P260.00
Lunch- P165.00
Unaccounted expenses: P1,240.00 ( market expenses, snacks, pasalubong, etc)
Seventh Day
Lunch- P330.00
Total Expenses for two including airfare: P21,506.00.
Each of us spent P10, 753.00 each. If I add my guide fee for my Taraw cliff climb, my total expenses was P11,053.00.
Good ideas photos.
im planning to go to palawan this weekend for a 5day,4night stay. i was wondering if you can give me the info on the person(s) that handled your tours. Im hoping you can reply quickly because i leave for palawan in 2 days
Hi jeff, thanks for dropping by. All of these were DIY’s so I’m afraid I couldn’t give you any contact info. Just in case you want to do it on your own too, there are some tips that you may find helpful in my other entries. have fun!
Im sorry… whats DIY?
Do-it-yourself. I usually plan my own itineray whenever I travel. It saves me money and I get to learn more about the places before I visit them. If you have 5 days to spend in Palawan, I suggest you go to El Nido. You will love it there.
Hi,
I didn’t see you secured entry permit before going to underground river. Does securing entry permit necessary?
Hi Annie,
It is necessary. The fee is listed in this post under Tours/Permits/Entrance Fees. 🙂
Hi there,
I am intending to stay a few days in Sabang in February, however until now I haven’t succeed to contact any affordable accomodation. How did you manage that with Roberts? How would rate the place? Would you please give me some accomodation advices in Sabang?
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Most of the cheaper accomodations in Sabang are nipa hut cottages with no aircon. We went to Sabang without a reservation and just looked around for a place to stay when we got there. Robert’s seemed to be better as compared to others of the same type. this may help. http://www.gopalawan.com/central-palawan/sabang/roberts-resort-sabang/
May i know is there any fixed hour for carter boat to Honda Bay?
The seafoos u buy at market at everning still fresh?
Cheu Leng, you may use the boat probably until 4 or 5PM only and you’re only limited to go to the destinations specified in the Honda bay tour.
Yes, the seafoods were fresh 🙂
Hi,
I am planning to visit Coron and I want to include Caluit Island to see the Safari Wildlife. Any suggestion about it?
Btw, your blogs are well-written,clear and very informative. I always visit different travel blog sites as it helps me to my DIY trip. And I must say you’re one of the reader-friendly bloggers I’ve came across with.
Keep blogging! Will be starting mine soon.
Thanks, Margarita. I suggest you allot 4 days to spend in Coron. 1st day-Coron tour ( lakes,lagoons and great snorkeling), second day-banana/malcapuya loop (beautiful beaches) 3rd day- calauit tour/maquinit hotspring 4th day- mt. tapyas, roam around town, buy pasalubong. 4 days would still not be enough to fully enjoy coron, though. have fun! i know of a boatman/travel guide( highly recommended by those who’d been there) who can help you plan your itinerary. his name is jong-09084499523
Hi,
I really like your blog, It’s very informative and the pictures are great. Just want to know approximately how much you’ve spent for your vacation in coron palawan…coz I saw the breakdown of your expenses for your puerto princesa and elnido tours…Thanks
thanks minette! more or less P5,500.00(3 days 2 nights, all in, except airfares) for a group of four. you would spend less if there’d be more of you in a group ,and if decide to spend the first night in town instead of sleeping in Banana sland. But that would be less fun, of course!
may i know the Tour A to C at El Nido, which one is worth to go?
Because i only spend 3D2N at there.
Is snockeling equipment like mask, fin & life jacket included?
I couldn’t decide which one is better as I enjoyed both. Snorkeling equipments are not included in the island hopping package but you may ask the boatman to provide you with these for an additional charge. Have Fun!
Hi, do you have the number of the person who arranged your tour in El Nido? And by the way, when you did the climb, was it easy? Seem’s interesting and I feel like doing it too.. hehehe..
Hi Ryan! We went to El Nido on our own. It was a DIY (do-it-yourselft)trip. The climb was easy but quite dangerous. You just need to be extra careful as you go up. 🙂
Yup! diy, but you were not able to get the number? Too bad. Im planning to go with Art Cafe for the Island Hopping but then I heard that food is the same everyday! and parang konti hehehe yung sa Island hopping niyo with OG’s, was the food okay? Sa Marina kami magstay.. hehehe.BTW, i might copy your itenerary! hehe.. thanks.. 😀 Hopefully I get to climb it as well. 😀
Ryan, Ok yung food sa island hopping namin with OG’s. Have fun 🙂
hi Guys,
Para sa mga back packers na pupunta ng El Nido at gustong mag pa reserve ng seats sa van that leaves 7am, 9am and 11am.
contact my mobile 09198752377
JC, Anong van company to? Thanks!
sir sa Rovics Inn ba ung unang pic?
That’s infront of Ogie’s 🙂
Hi Monette! Musta na! I’ve seen that you’ve been travelling a lot too lately. You may want to start a travel blog too. It’s a good hobby. 🙂
Unfortunately, there are no public transpo (vans/bus) from PP to El Nido that travel at night, unless you would rent a private van which is very expensive (11K, I think) The road is OK. There were only a few parts that were rough but these were under construction when I went there last year, so the condition maybe better now. Have fun!
Thanks for the input S’Gerum. Believe it or not, I’m so inspired from your El Nido photos in facebook that’s why I promised myself to see the place one day. I just got lucky to have booked a flight to Palawan thru’ the Cebu Pacific’s piso fare 😀
I’ll think about starting my travel blog..thanks for the suggestion. 😀
Hi S’Gerum. I like reading your blogs and thanks for sharing your travel itinerary, which I find very informative and easy to read.
We will be visiting Palawan in November and I am so excited to see El Nido myself! As early as now, I’m getting all the information I need so I could start planning/writing my itinerary as well. 😀
BY the way, are there vans travelling from PP to El Nido at night (7pm onwards..)? or is it advisable to travel at night? (I heard some parts of the road are quite rough..) Thanks !
hi! i’m planning a seven-day trip to palawan too and i’m so glad i bumped into your site coz now i can really say that an el nido-sabang-pps trip can be done in diy!
just a question though, what time is the last jeep from sabang to san jose terminal and the last bus from san jose to pps? we’re not doing the city tour and hunda bay so we want to spend more time in sabang.
thanks!
thanks for visiting zee 🙂 last jeep from sabang to puerto princesa leaves at noon. you don’t need a bus from san jose terminal to get to pps. just hire a tricycle and you’ll be in puerto princesa in more or less 15 minutes
hi!
ask ko lang po kung kelangan pa ba ng denr permit, tour guide and Helmet with Light for the under ground river?
thanks!
the permit and helmet, yes. the tour guide, not necessarily. yung helmet, that will be provided before you ride the small boat to enter the cave. 🙂
hello Senyor Lakwatsero,
First of all, respect for the job well done (very very well!)with all your blogging, posted photos etc. I actually marked your website as reference to my Philippines Itinerary plan. Me and my husband gonna do backpacking in Palawan on January. My inquiry is, how can I connect coron, el nido, puerto princesa (not to mention underground river tour & honda bay tour) all together when we only have 6 nights for everything then after the last day we have to go to Boracay.
I’ve done so much researching etc… but, I’m still helpless.
sailing requires too0o much time, flying is limited destination.(plus some are expensive since we wanna see the other part of phil as well)
any suggestion po? advise? t’would be really much appreciated.
thanks, jane. based on your comment, i believe you have all the information you need. the fact is, 6 days would not be enough to explore all the destinations you mentioned. i suggest you spend more time at el nido and puerto princesa as there are so many places to go and things to do there. have fun. 🙂
sir kung mag isa lang po ako pupunta sa palawan mkakaride din po b ako sa underground water o puedeng mki share sa ibang boat.
sir kung mag isa lang ako sa pagpunta sa underground river puedeng mki join sa ibang group.
yes 🙂
sir bka may alam k n pupunta sa palawan na naghahanap ng makakasama para tipid at hatian sa gastos kapag my kasama pki p.m n lang po.
Hi what a great blog! I’m travelling to Piuerto Princessa with my husband and 1 year old daughter in January. We are there for 7 days. What would you recommend seeing taking into consideration we have a very young child?
Thanks Karen! I’m sorry but I don’t feel comfortable recommending places to visit with a one-year old baby. The places mentioned on this post however shouldn’t be difficult to reach. Taraw cliffs obviously should be out of the question and perhaps the underground river too.
Hi, san nakakakuha ng tour package?
hi!
Planning for a trip on january to palawan. Which is better to go, coron or el nido? Or can we do them both in 7 days?