Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Palawan
Palawan is the Philippines' fifth-largest island, a largely unexplored and
unexploited final frontier of wonderful scenery and idyllic tropical beauty. Its
location southwest of Luzon on the very edge of the archipelago, as close to
Borneo as it is to Manila, has seen Palawan influenced by a series of external
cultures and religions, and it instantly has a different feel to the rest of the
Philippines. Beyond the centres of Coron, El Nido, Sabang and Puerto
Princesa, tourism has yet to penetrate much of this 450km-long, sword-
shaped island, and travellers who make it here will find a marvellous Jurassic
landscape of coves, beaches, lagoons and razor-sharp limestone cliffs that
rise from crystal-clear waters. Offshore, meanwhile, despite some damage
from dynamite fishing and coral bleaching, there always seems an
untouched reef to discover.
The capital of Palawan,
Puerto Princesa
, is the main entry point and is close to the
mangrove islands of
Honda Bay
and the immense flooded cave systems that make up
the mind-boggling
Underground River
. Further north you'll find the pretty beach resort
town of
Port Barton
, the old fortress town of
Taytay
and the incredibly beautiful islands
and lagoons of
El Nido
and the
Bacuit archipelago
. Many areas are still relatively
unaffected by tourism, such as the friendly little fishing village of
San Vicente
and
nearby
Long Beach
, one of the finest stretches of sand anywhere. Undeveloped
Southern Palawan
contains some of the least visited areas in the whole country, from
the remains of a Neolithic community in the
Tabon Caves
and the turtle and cockatoo
sanctuaries at
Narra
to
Brooke's Point
, the access point for
Mount Matalingajan
.
he
Calamian group
of islands, scattered off the northern tip of the main island of
Palawan, has a deserved reputation for some of the best
scuba diving
in Asia, mostly on
sunken World War II wrecks. Even if you're not a diver, there's plenty to do here. The
little town of
Coron
on Busuanga is the jumping-off point for trips to mesmerizing
Coron Island
, with its hidden lagoons and volcanic lake and, to the south, the former
leper colony of
Culion
.
It's best to
bring cash
to cover your stay in Palawan: outside Puerto Princesa credit
cards are only accepted by some of the more established resorts (who will charge you
commission), banks are few and ATMs almost nonexistent.
7
Puerto Princesa
PUERTO PRINCESA
is the only major urban sprawl in Palawan, and its population of just
over 250,000 makes up a third of the island's total. Even so it manages to live up to its
name as a “forest city” and a few minutes' wander up any side street will soon find you
amid greenery. There are a few sights around Puerto Princesa, but hardly any in the city
itself (it was founded by the Spanish only in 1872), and most visitors treat it as a one-night
Tours from Puerto Princesa
p.373
Tubbataha Reef Natural Park
p.376
Diving and snorkelling around El Nido
p.386
Island-hopping in the Bacuit
archipelago
p.388
Coron Town tour operators
p.393
Wreck-diving in Coron Bay
p.395
