Palawan | Planning the Perfect Travel Itinerary
Together with the awesome Iligan Bloggers Society fambam, we kicked off summer 2018 with an epic Palawan trip. With its picturesque sites and beautiful people, it is no surprise that this idyllic island has been voted “world’s best island” by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine three times (2013, 2016, and 2017).
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| Photo by: Doi of The Travelling Feet |
Here's a quick video of our trip:
Itinerary
We planned our Palawan trip to follow the exit conference of Go Social: A Digital Marketing Tour Boot Camp. We needed some serious rest and relaxation after going to Iligan, Cotabato, Cebu, and Baguio for the implementation of our project. We felt we have exhausted our energies and brain power to plan, and we just needed a trusted agency to take care of the planning for our much-needed R&R. Thank goodness for travel agencies!
Our Palawan escapade was arranged by Northern Hope Tours. We wanted to visit both El Nido and Puerto Princesa, and would love to have a good combination of places to visit for us to appreciate nature, great food, and incredible culture. Here's what our friends from Northern Hope Tours suggested for our tour:
Our Palawan escapade was arranged by Northern Hope Tours. We wanted to visit both El Nido and Puerto Princesa, and would love to have a good combination of places to visit for us to appreciate nature, great food, and incredible culture. Here's what our friends from Northern Hope Tours suggested for our tour:
*Detailed itinerary you can copy/paste at the end of this post.
We took the MNL-PPS flight via AirAsia. I remember loooong queues and a whole lot of rushing in the airport. Good thing AirAsia serves in-flight meals, and I got to try Uncle Chin's Chicken Rice, a Chinese Malaysian dish made of seasoned rice, served with roast chicken and accompanied with a chili, ginger and garlic sauce. Yumyum!
Our flight arrived in Puerto Princesa at around 3:00 in the afternoon, giving us enough time to travel and check in at our El Nido accommodation. El Nido is 6 hours away from Puerto Princesa. Northern Hope Inn arranged for pickup from the airport. We had a quick stop for supplies (water, toiletries, and snack items) and aqua shoes rental in Puerto Princesa before heading to El Nido.
We stayed in Northern Hope Inn Extension. It's a stone's throw away from the port and a few steps to shops and restaurants. Plus, we have this nice view from the rooftop:
Following a day of traveling to El Nido, day 2 of our Palawan adventure was a lazy beach day. We spent the day in Nacpan Beach. We stayed for lunch until sunset viewing, all the time on a full-on beach-bum mode.
After a lazy day on the beach, we are ready for the highlight of El Nido travels -- island hopping. They have standardized tours categorized into A, B, C, and D, with each tour covering at least 5 places of interest. Each tour starts at around 9:00 in the morning and ends at around 4:00 in the afternoon.
After a lazy day on the beach, we are ready for the highlight of El Nido travels -- island hopping. They have standardized tours categorized into A, B, C, and D, with each tour covering at least 5 places of interest. Each tour starts at around 9:00 in the morning and ends at around 4:00 in the afternoon.
Here's a list of the standard tours offered:
Tour A: Lagoon Tour. Includes a visit to Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Simizu Island, Secret Lagoon and 7 Commandos Beach. Standard Rate: Php 1,200/person
*Rates include lunch, mask & snorkel, life vest, and guides to assist you
We allotted 2 days for island hopping, and to allow us to experience the best of the best, Northern Hope Tours offered their combination tours. Day 3 was for Tours C&D; and day 4 for A&B.
Travel Tip: Ask about combination tours to maximize your travel time in El Nido.
We couldn't get enough of the amazing islands and islets in Palawan, so our Puerto Princesa tours started with another island hopping activity -- Honda Bay Tour. We embraced an extra day of swimming, people watching, and beach bumming.
Travel Tip: We took this island hopping tour as a chill day after our adventure-filled El Nido island hopping. You may want an 'easier' kind of day and have a city tour instead to buy pasalubong.
Day 5 also ended with a lovely Iwahig Firefly Watching experience. It's definitely one of the highlights of our Palawan Adventure. If you're planning a Puerto Princesa trip, do yourself a favor and make sure to book a firefly watching tour. The rate includes a buffet dinner by the way.
For our last full day of tour, we visited the famous Puerto Princesa Undergound River.
We spent 7 days in Palawan, but we felt it is not enough. There's still so much places to explore, food to devour, and culture to appreciate. But thanks to the amazing people of Northern Hope Tours for the amazing experience. It is a great sneak peek of what Palawan has to offer. We are definitely coming back for more!
As promised, detailed itinerary here:
Day 1
3:15 PM ETA Puerto Princesa International Airport
Pick up of Van Transfer from PPS Airport to El Nido
10:00 PM ETA at El Nido
Check-in at Northern Hope Inn Extension
Day 2
Van Rental to Nacpan Beach
Day 3
8:30 AM Pick-up
9AM-5PM El Nido Island Hopping Combination Tour C&D
Day 4
Check-out of Northern Hope Inn Extension
8:30 AM Pick-up
9AM-5PM El Nido Island Hopping Combination Tour A&B
6:00 PM Van Transfer from El Nido to PPS
12:00 AM ETA at PPS
Check-in at Kuhl-in Pension
Day 5
7AM-4PM Honda Bay Tour
6PM-10PM Iwahig Firefly Watching
Day 6
7AM-12PM Underground River Tour
12NN-5PM PPS City Tour
Day 7
8AM-12NN
Check-out of Kuhl-in Pension
1:25 PM Check-in at PPS Airport
3:25 PM ETD
3:15 PM ETA Puerto Princesa International Airport
Pick up of Van Transfer from PPS Airport to El Nido
10:00 PM ETA at El Nido
Check-in at Northern Hope Inn Extension
Day 2
Van Rental to Nacpan Beach
Day 3
8:30 AM Pick-up
9AM-5PM El Nido Island Hopping Combination Tour C&D
Day 4
Check-out of Northern Hope Inn Extension
8:30 AM Pick-up
9AM-5PM El Nido Island Hopping Combination Tour A&B
6:00 PM Van Transfer from El Nido to PPS
12:00 AM ETA at PPS
Check-in at Kuhl-in Pension
Day 5
7AM-4PM Honda Bay Tour
6PM-10PM Iwahig Firefly Watching
Day 6
7AM-12PM Underground River Tour
12NN-5PM PPS City Tour
Day 7
8AM-12NN
Check-out of Kuhl-in Pension
1:25 PM Check-in at PPS Airport
3:25 PM ETD
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