Travel Tips

On a dawn of January 12, 2000, Arlene, Faith, Gigi and I were anxiously waiting at Villamor Air Force Base in Manila to be called out our names. We were lucky to be the top 20 listed passengers of a Philippine Military plane C-130 that took us a free ride to the island of Palawan. Our trip started from the city to the outskirts of Puerto Princesa.

The Vietnamese village is commonly known as the “Viet Ville” and is built by Vietnamese refugees, which they have decided to stay put in the Philippines. This village is a must-see for its beautiful gardens and lovely traditional houses. Also in the midst of a sprawling garden, there is a restaurant-café serving the very traditional Vietnamese cuisine.

Although we did most of marketing and cooking, we found a finest restaurant in Puerto Princesa, which serves primarily seafood and seaweed. If you are a seafood lover, this is a place for you. Anything you order is surely satisfying and appetizing. Kalui’s ambiance is decorated with traditional Philippine handy crafts made up of rattan and with fresh birds of paradise flower on every table.

Some travelers like to backpacking, camping out, sightseeing, hiking or trekking. Well, my friends and I preferred to visit the Crocodile Farm Institute. The CFI is located in Puerto Princesa City and it is where they breed crocodiles for exports. CFI has a museum, which opens between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. A tour guide is available every hour.

Note: Schedules are subject to change depending on the season.

We stayed in a pension house at Mabini St., Puerto Princesa with a big dining room and huge kitchen. Guests are allowed to cook their own food. However, if I were to stay in a nicer place, I would recommend Dos Palmas located on Honda Bay. Dos Palmas is on an isolated island with two prominently tall palm trees on each side. The best thing about Dos Palmas is you can have so many water activities on this island, in spite, it is a few miles from Puerto Princesa. You can book your lodging from Manila or in Puerto Princesa. This is the most expensive in the area. There are two types of cottages on this island. The bay cottage may cost around 12,000 pesos while garden cottage may cost around 7,000 pesos, both cottages include six meals a day.

Note: Prices are subject to change.

Estrella Falls is located in the town of Narra, north from Puerto Princesa City. It is famous to local tourists and is known for family outing during weekends. The park provides tables and long bench as well as charcoal grill for your food. If you prefer to nap, you can also rent a small cottage. There are no stores here, so you need to bring your own food, water and beverages. Swimming in the falls is fun and exciting, but be warned of spot where strong current may suddenly occur and attentive to warnings that are labeled in the park. The park closes at 5:00 PM. There are no public cars or buses that go to the park, so make sure you contract your tricyle driver to pick you up at your convenience or at certain time.

Underground River is sitting on a tiny island off the Palawan mainland, which is about 20-minute boat ride from the fishing village of Sabang. To Sabang from Puerto Princesa is about 2 1/2 hours jeep ride. Jeeps are not air-conditioned, therefore, it is suggested to wear headdress because of the dirt roads. Once you get to Sabang, rental motorboats (with a driver) are available to sail to the island where underground river is. The driver will wait for you for a specific time you wish. The Underground River is about 8.3 km long and winding. where you can witness different formations of stalagmite and stalactite rocks as well as bats hanging and pythons crawling on rocks. A warning for travelers is to avoid touching the water where you might startled and jumpy and may cause the boat to capsize. The island of the underground river also offers white-sand beach. If you want to learn more about the towns people, staying overnight in Sabang is also recommended. If you have no intention of spending the night, it is helpful to know the last trip back to Puerto Princesa.

By air or water, is the only way to get to Palawan. A boat ride would take you at least 18 hours from Manila, or you can take the ferryboat from Mindoro Island. Getting around Puerto Princesa is never a problem, except for the air pollution. Transportation around the city is 24/7. But if you want to go out of the city, you need to look for the schedules of minibuses or provincial buses.