Palawan is the most sought-after destination in the Philippines, which made tourists from around the globe swoon over—beautiful island beaches, diverse natural structures and dazzling array of aquatic life—that you’ll be surely bewitched by the scenery.Exploring the island of Palawan must be on everyone’s bucket list starting from Puerto Princesa then El Nido and everyone’s top most favorite, Coron Island.It’s my ultimate dream to set foot in Palawan and manifest those amazing sights that I have usually seen on the internet. When Cebu Pacific announced a seat sale last summer 2016, I hurriedly looked for the cheapest round-trip ticket to Palawan from Iloilo (since Bacolod airport does not have direct flight to PPS), which I got for 365 pesos (great deal isn’t it?).
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Since traveling alone in Palawan is quite expensive I looked for a companion in a backpackers group on Facebook to lessen the expenses for tours and hostels. Luckily, I met a female solo traveler from Manila who planned to be in Palawan with the same dates as mine,so, we discussed about the shared expenses—tours & hostels—and agreed to meet in Coron Island to talk over the other stuffs.
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GETTING HERE:
EL NIDO
- Book a flight to Puerto Princesa from Manila, Cebu or Iloilo
- Shuttle vans to El Nido are waiting outside the Puerto Princesa airport. The estimated travel time is 5 to 6 hours.
- Other option is by taking a bus to EL Nido which takes 6-8 hours.
CORON ISLAND
1st Option:
- Book a direct flight to Coron (Busuanga) from Manila
- From Busuanga airport, take a van going to Coron town
2nd Option:
- Take a 12 hour cruise of 2GO from Manila to Coron Island
3rd option:
- Book a flight to Puerto Princesa from Manila, Cebu or Iloilo
- Take a van or bus bound for El Nido
- Fastcraft and slowboats are available to bring you to port of Coron. For fastcraft, travel time may take 3.5 hours while for large outrigger boats may take 5-9 hours.
How I spent my 7 days in Palawan
Itinerary:
Day 1:
Iloilo Airport to Puerto Princesa
Travel Time: 1 hour
10.30AM – Ride a van bound for El Nido
Travel Time : 5hours
12NN – stopover for lunch
4PM -Checked in at Bamboo Billabong Hostel
5PM onwards- spent the rest of my day strolling in El Nido Town
Day 2:
6AM – breakfast
8AM – took the Ferry to Coron Island
3PM- arrived in Coron Island and ride a trike to Amphibiko hostel
5PM – Maquinit hotspring
7PM onwards – back to hostel, have dinner and strolling around Coron town
Day 3 :
5AM – hike Mount Tapyas
6.30AM – back to town for breakfast
8AM – 6PM – Coron island hopping
7PM onwards – freetime
To avoid heat exhaustion, the best time to climb the 742 step stairway of Mount Tapyas is early in the morning. Good thing, the starting point to Mount Tapyas is just a walking distance from the hostel we stayed in.We woke up 5 in the morning to conquer the 2nd highest mountain in Coron before sunrise. It was still dark when we reached the top, so, we kill our time jogging around the area until the sun rises.
By 6.30 AM, we descended back to town for breakfast and prepare ourselves for a whole day of Island hopping. In the town proper, there are lots of travel agency offering tours and diving course for tourists. I booked the Coron Ultimate Tour, which costs 1500 pesos for 7 islands with lunch and snacks. Scuba diving is also one of the best things to try when you’re in Coron since the island’s aquatic life is abundant and totally remarkable.
Day 4:
6AM – breakfast
8AM – took the ferry back to El Nido
3PM – arrived in El Nido
– checked in Nido’s Friendly Inn
3PM onwards- stroll around El Nido town
Day 5:
6AM – breakfast
7AM – 5PM Island hopping (Tour A & C)
5PM onwards – freetime
Before heading to El Nido, we already made an arrangement with a local to booked us on combination tour A & C which costs 1500 per person. This already includes a scrumptious lunch prepared by local boatmen.
Day 6 :
6AM -breakfast
7AM-5PM- Land tour (Nacpan Beach & Las Cabanas)
5.30PM -back to Nido’s Friendly Inn
7PM -dinner
8PM onwards-ride a trike to Bus Terminal bound for PPS
Renting a motorbike in El Nido town is the cheapest way to get to Nacpan beach and Las Cabanas. Normally the motorbike rental would cost 400 – 500 pesos for 24 hours usage. If you don’t know how to use a motorbike, you can haggle with trike drivers to give you a tour around El Nido.
Day 7:
2AM -arrived in PPS
10.55AM – PPS to ILOILO
1PM – ILOILO to Bacolod
EXPENSES:
DAY 1:
Roundtrip ticket Iloilo – PPS : 365pesos
Bacolod to Iloilo : 200 pesos
Van to Iloilo Airport : 70pesos
Iloilo Airport Terminal Fee: 200 pesos
Puerto Princesa to EL Nido : 500pesos
Trike to El Nido Town: 10 pesos
Lunch : 100 pesos
Bamboo Billabong Hostel : 400pesos /night
Dinner : 100 pesos
________________________________________________________
DAY 1 total Expenses + Airline Ticket: 1945 pesos
DAY 2:
Breakfast: 100 pesos
Ferry to Coron Island : 1200 pesos
Terminal Fee: 20pesos
Trike to Amphibiko hostel : 20 pesos
Amphibiko hostel : 750 pesos/3nights (shared room)
Trike to Maquinit Hotspring: 150 pesos
Maquinit Hotspring entrance fee: 200 pesos
Dinner: 100 pesos
________________________________________________________
Day 2 total Expenses : 2540 pesos
DAY 3:
Breakfast : 100pesos
Coron Ultimate Tour (JY Travel & Tours): 1500
Environmental Fee : 100 pesos
Dinner: 100 pesos
________________________________________________________
DAY 3 total Expenses : 1800 pesos
DAY 4:
Ferry to El Nido: 1200 pesos
Terminal Fee: 20 pesos
Nido’s Friendly Inn : 600 pesos /2nights (shared room)
Dinner: 100 pesos
________________________________________________________
DAY 4 total Expenses : 1920 pesos
DAY 5:
Breakfast : 100 pesos
El Nido Island hopping – 1500 pesos (Tour A & C)
Dinner : 100 pesos
________________________________________________________
DAY 5 total Expenses : 1700 pesos
DAY 6 & 7:
Breakfast : 100 pesos
Trike to Nacpan beach and Las Cabanas : 500 pesos /pax
Nacpan beach entrance: 50pesos
Lunch: 100 pesos
Dinner: 100 pesos
Trike to Bus Terminal: 10pesos
Bus to Puerto Princesa: 385 pesos
Breakfast in PPS: 100 pesos
Jeepney & Tricycle Fare to PPS airport: 30pesos
PPS terminal fee: 200 pesos
Iloilo Airport to SM : 50pesos
SM to Iloilo Port : 120 pesos
Iloilo to Bacolod : 230 pesos
________________________________________________________
Day 6 & 7 total Expenses : 1975 pesos
EL NIDO & CORON TOTAL EXPENSES : 11880PESOS
Note : Souvenirs and personal expenditures not included
Contacts:
Bamboo Billabong Hostel : 09988559055
Nido’s Friendly Inn ( http://www.friendlyinnelnido.com)
Amphibiko Resort ( http://www.amphibikoresortcoron.com)
JY Travel & Tours (Coron Tour) – Facebook Page
EL Nido Combo Tour – ERIC ORQUISTA 09051101130
Feel free to email me for questions.
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