Things to do in Puerto Princesa
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Puerto Princesa
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season, with the most reliable weather from December to April and the hottest months in April and May.
Balayong trees flower from late February to April, around the Balayong Festival in early March.
Tubbataha liveaboards run only from about mid March to mid June, when the Sulu Sea crossing is calm enough.
Wet season brings prolonged rain, rough west coast seas, river and boat cancellations, and storm disruption.
Christmas and New Year bring peak dry season weather with peak prices, full hotels and sold out river permits.
What's on
- Balayong Festival Around 4 March, programme set by the city each year
The city foundation celebration, named for the flowering Palawan cherry, with street dancing and parades.
- Pangalipay sa Baybay First week of April
A summer festival on the Baywalk, with music, competitions, food and fireworks over the bay.
- Holy Week Movable, March or April
A national travel peak with sold out flights, hotels and river permits, and quieter businesses on Good Friday.
- Baragatan sa Palawan June, dates set by the province each year
The province wide festival in Puerto Princesa, with municipal parades, trade fairs, culture and food.
Best things to do in Puerto Princesa
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
A paddle boat ride through a vast limestone cave river, capped by permit, and worth booking days ahead for.
Honda Bay
A sheltered island hopping day of small islands, sandbars and a reef stop, easy for children and new swimmers.
Plaza Cuartel
A quiet memorial plaza on the site of a World War II massacre of American prisoners, beside the cathedral.
Immaculate Conception Cathedral
The city cathedral on Rizal Avenue, a working church that anchors the centre walk with Plaza Cuartel.
Puerto Princesa City Baywalk Park
The waterfront promenade where the city walks, cycles and eats grilled seafood from late afternoon on.
Palawan Museum
A small museum of Palawan peoples and past, including the Tabon Caves story, worth an hour of context.
Baker's Hill
A bakery garden on the Santa Monica hill, known for warm hopia, grounds and a view over Honda Bay.
Mitra's Ranch
A ranch viewpoint on the same hill as Baker's Hill, with the easiest wide panorama over Honda Bay.
Where to stay in Puerto Princesa
Rizal Avenue and the airport
first trip built on shared tours
Restaurants on foot, tour pickups at the door, the Baywalk a short ride away, and the airport minutes off.
Sabang
the Underground River and the beach
Sleep by the wharf for an early river start, with sunsets, quiet nights and resort dining after dark.
San Manuel and the mall area
modern hotels and city services
Newer properties by the malls, a short tricycle ride from the old centre and the Baywalk.
San Rafael
a self contained family resort holiday
Large resorts on the Honda Bay side, an hour from the centre and a long transfer from Sabang.
Bancao Bancao
a resort bookend inside the city
Garden resort comfort minutes from the airport and centre, on a bay shore rather than a swim beach.
Think twice about
- Isolated rentals far from the main roads
Long distances turn a remote address into a transport problem twice a day, with limited signal and lighting outside the centre and Sabang.
- El Nido as a Puerto Princesa day trip
About five to six hours each way by road. It is a separate base, not a day trip, whatever a seller claims.
Best restaurants in Puerto Princesa
Kalui Seafood Restaurant
The city signature dinner, barefoot in a timber house, with a menu built daily around the catch.
Kinabuchs Grill and Bar
The city grill and bar for seafood, crocodile sisig and tamilok, lively and local late into the evening.
Badjao Seafront Restaurant
Seafood served over the water on stilts, reached by a mangrove boardwalk, best at a long lunch.
La Terrasse Cafe
A polished Rizal Avenue cafe restaurant, the quieter second signature dinner after KaLui.
The Gypsy's Lair Art Cafe
An art cafe and craft shop in the San Miguel market, for a characterful lunch, cakes and coffee.
Ka Inato
A native style family restaurant for grilled chicken and shared Filipino dishes at local prices.
Haim Chicken
A Palawan family institution since 1999 for grilled chicken with a sweet and savoury house sauce.
Itoy's Coffee Haus
The city coffee house on Rizal Avenue, for Palawan coffee before a tour and beans to take home.
Outdoor things to do in Puerto Princesa
Sabang Beach
The long west coast beach at the Underground River village, best at dawn and sunset, with open sea surf.
Nagtabon Beach
A broad, undeveloped cove with surf and few facilities, close to empty on weekdays, about an hour out.
Iwahig Firefly Watching Mangrove Ecotourism and Wildlife Park
A dark paddle boat trip on the Iwahig River, where fireflies gather in the mangrove trees at night.
Ugong Rock
A community run climb up through a limestone karst, ending at a viewpoint with a zipline down.
Sabang X Zipline
An 800 metre flight over the sea at Sabang, the adrenaline add on to an Underground River day.
Sabang Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour
A slow, shaded paddle through old growth mangroves with local guides, the calmest hour at Sabang.
Pambato Reef
A floating platform over a shallow reef in Honda Bay, a supervised first snorkel for mixed groups.
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
A liveaboard only dive park in the Sulu Sea, open mid March to mid June, reached from Puerto Princesa.
Best hotels in Puerto Princesa
Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa
The leading garden resort in the city, with pools and water villas on a bay shore, not a swim beach.
Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort
A small eco resort on Sabang Beach, a short walk from the Underground River wharf and its boats.
Four Points by Sheraton Palawan Puerto Princesa
The international brand resort on Sabang Beach, with a very large pool and direct beach access.
Astoria Palawan
A large family resort with a waterpark on the Honda Bay side, a destination in itself for children.
Canvas Boutique Hotel
A small design led hotel near the airport, with a pool and local art, calm after long tour days.
Best Western Plus The Ivywall Hotel
A modern chain hotel in the centre, walkable to Rizal Avenue dining and easy for tour pickups.
Hue Hotels and Resorts Puerto Princesa Managed by HII
A contemporary hotel by the mall in San Manuel, with a pool deck and a livelier, younger feel.
Go Hotels Puerto Princesa
A clean, no frills chain hotel by the mall, for travellers who spend their days on tours, not resorts.
Is Puerto Princesa expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₱2,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₱4,900 a person |
| Splurge | ₱11,900 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park: weeks ahead
- Honda Bay: a few days ahead
- Iwahig Firefly Watching Mangrove Ecotourism and Wildlife Park: a few days ahead
- Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park: months ahead
- Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa: weeks ahead
- Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort: weeks ahead
- Four Points by Sheraton Palawan Puerto Princesa: weeks ahead
- Astoria Palawan: weeks ahead
- Book the Underground River permit days ahead, and weeks ahead for Christmas, Holy Week and Balayong.
- Reserve KaLui for dinner in season, and dry season rooms at Sabang and the better city hotels weeks ahead.
- Book Tubbataha liveaboards months ahead for the mid March to mid June season, with a city night on each side.
Is Puerto Princesa safe?
- Petty theft and scams around transport and tours: use accredited operators, agree prices in advance, and keep valuables secured in crowds.
- Respect boat cancellations completely, wear the life vest provided, and never pressure a boatman to sail in refused weather.
- Avoid rushing the winding Sabang road at night, and leave hours of slack before any flight after a Sabang stay.
- Carry cash for tricycles, fees and small eateries, withdraw in the city, and dial 911 in an emergency.
Puerto Princesa travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- El Nido is five to six hours north by road and is not a day trip from Puerto Princesa.
- Honda Bay islands are managed and shared, not deserted, and Underground River walk ins fail when the permit cap is hit.
- Any west coast plan with no weather slack fails when Sabang cancels for rough seas or a swollen river.
Getting around Puerto Princesa: public transport and more
- Fly into Puerto Princesa International Airport, minutes by tricycle from most centre hotels.
- Use tricycles for short hops and agree the fare first, and shared vans from San Jose terminal for Sabang and the north.
- Sabang is about 1.5 to 2 hours west and Honda Bay wharf about 30 to 45 minutes north east, so cluster days by coast.
Who Puerto Princesa suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Puerto Princesa your trip
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