Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In addition to the major islands covered below you can also visit
Luli Island
, only
accessible at low tide, and tranquil
Cowrie Island
. To snorkel at the lush
Pambato Reef
,
the best place in Honda Bay for coral and giant clams, boats moor at a floating pier
with a giant turtle-shaped roof. Some trips take in the swanky
Dos Palmas resort
, where
you can use the resort facilities.
Snake Island
One of the most popular stops in Honda Bay is
Snake Island
, named after the curving
sand bar that forms its main body. The central beach area here can be a bit of a
carnival, with bangkas lined up offshore, large groups snorkelling, a row of trinket
stalls, a bar and even some cooked food available. But if you walk a while you'll have
the fine white sand to yourself, though the
snorkelling
opposite the stalls is best; there's
an incredibly steep drop-off just beyond the beach, with great schools of tropical fish
(in part encouraged by the dubious practice of feeding them).
7
Starfish Island
Starfish Island
is a sand bar backed by mangroves named after the abundant horned sea
star (starfish) that carpet much of the inner shallows around the island. The island also
has some fine snorkelling towards the northern end, with delicate soft corals, butterfly
fish and even moray eels further out.
Isla Pandan
Isla Pandan
, managed by the
Legend Hotel
in Puerto Princesa (see p.375), offers
expensive beach huts (P600), umbrellas, table and chair sets (P400) and massages
- along with everything from paddleboards to buckets and spades. Simple seafood
meals are also available from local vendors.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
HONDA BAY
Tours
Princesa hotels offer Honda
Bay
tours for P1500/
person (P2500 with
Dos Palmas
), including transport to the
San Lourdes pier, stops at three islands (usually Starfish,
Snake and Pandan) and a picnic lunch. While this is
convenient, you can save money (especially in a group) by
arranging tours independently (see below).
By bangka
Outrigger bangkas tour Honda Bay from the
San Lourdes pier, 11km north of Princesa (see below). At
the pier, the Honda Bay Boat Owners Association
(daily
7am-5pm;
T
0929 864 9255 or
T
0908 635 3326) rents
bangkas for P1300-1500 depending on the size of the
vessel - there's also a P21/person terminal fee. Boats are
rented by the day, and it's usual to make just three stops,
plus Pambato Reef, but you can specify which islands you
want to visit. You can rent masks, fins and booties (reef
shoes) for P100 each. It's good to tip your boatmen if
they've looked after you well. To get to the pier, the
departure point for which is signposted around 1km off the
National Highway, hotels can arrange minivans (P1500) or
tricycles (P400-500), which comes with the convenience
of return transport guaranteed. It's cheaper to grab a
tricycle on the street (P100-150 one-way), though you
might have to wait a while to get one heading back.
Island fees
There are fees payable to visit Luli Island (P50),
Cowrie Island (P75), Pambato Reef (P50),
Dos Palmas
resort
(P500),
Starfish Island (P50) and Isla
Pandan (P150). Snake
Island is free to visit.
Southern Palawan
A journey through southern Palawan represents one of the last great travel
challenges in the Philippines. Much of the area is sparsely populated, with limited
accommodation and nothing in the way of dependable transport, communications
or electricity. The major attractions, south of
Quezon
village, are
Tabon Caves
- among the country's most significant archeological sites. On the east coast, around