Visiting Puerto Princesa City has always been one of my bucket lists, even before the pandemic hit. To be completely honest, I almost booked a trip to the city months before the lockdown in 2020. But something has kept me from finalizing my trip. Or probably because I was also scheduled to fly to Thailand that same month.
Two years after, my trip to Thailand was canceled, and I was left with a travel fund that I couldn’t really refund. So I called my travel agent and finalized my trip to Palawan. My travel to Puerto Princesa was semi-DIY since I had no choice but to follow the travel agent’s itinerary. But then, I still had extra time to explore the city at my expense. Plus, my companions and I were a little adventurous trying out places we’ve never been to.
Without much ado, here is my travel guide to Puerto Princesa with a 3D2N itinerary.
Puerto Princesa City: An Overview
Puerto Princesa, officially known as the City of Puerto Princesa, is the capital city of Palawan and the second largest city in the country in terms of land area. While it is a first class highly urbanized city in the region, it is considered the least densely populated city in the country.
It is a thriving city, sprawling with establishments, infrastructures, and natural attractions, making it a great tourist destination any time of the year.
The pandemic has affected the tourism industry of the city. As a matter of fact, our tour guide mentioned that a lot of establishments closed due to the pandemic. But ever since the city opened to tourists early this year, Puerto Princesa is slowly returning to normal.
Puerto Princesa prides itself on being the home of one of the seven natural wonders of the world. But there’s more to the city than meets the eye. Read more about my guide and experiences for more.
How to Get to Puerto Princesa
From Manila, you can get to Puerto Princesa via a plane ride. The city is home to Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS). Major airlines offer flights to the city. In our case, we flew via AirAsia.
Where to Go in Puerto Princesa
The tourist spots in Puerto Princesa are quite far from each other. While you may try doing things DIY, it’s really more convenient if you avail of tour packages going to these places. The guides are knowledgeable and professional. Kuya Manny, our guide, was also very kind and thoughtful.
Here are the most popular tourist destinations in Puerto Princesa.
Puerto Princesa Underground River
Exploring the Puerto Princesa Underground River (formally known as the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park) is one of the major reasons why tourists visit the city. Apart from being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is also regarded as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
A 40-minute boat ride inside the underground river would allow you to witness remarkable limestone karst landscapes, stalagmite and stalactite rock formations, and sprawling wildlife.
For a convenient tour to the underground river, we really suggest availing of a tour. Our package tour costs Php 1950, which comprises: van transfer to and from the takeoff point, boat transfers, audio guide, and a buffet lunch.
If you’re a science buff like me, then you would really enjoy the audio guide that discusses salient points of the underground river and how it has been shaped throughout thousands of years.
Here’s an itinerary for the Puerto Princesa Underground River Tour.
| 7:00 AM | Departure from the Hotel |
| 9:20 AM | Arrival at Sabang Takeoff point |
| 9:30 AM | Registration |
| 9:40 AM | Departure from Takeoff Point |
| 10:00 AM | Arrival at the Underground River |
| 10:20 AM | Start of Underground River Tour |
| 11:00 AM | End of Underground River Tour |
| 11:20 AM | Departure from Underground River |
| 11:40 AM | Arrival at Takeoff Point |
| 12:00 PM | Free Buffet Lunch |
| 1:00 PM | End of tour |
| 3:00 PM | Transfer back to the hotel |
Puerto Princesa Baywalk
The Puerto Princesa Baywalk is a long paved walkway along Sandoval Street. It is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike to unwind and breathe in the fresh ocean air.
There are a lot of things that people can do her. While others prefer to just stroll, others would jog or bike. If you get hungry, there are restaurants and street food located nearby.
The Baywalk is also the perfect place to watch the sunset. It’s such a majestic sight to see the sun slowly hide behind the mountains.
To get here, you can hire a tricycle and tell the driver to drop you off at the Baywalk.
Honda Bay
Honda Bay is one of the most popular attractions in Puerto Princesa. It features breathtaking views of the ocean and the islands. Availing of a tour would allow you to go island hopping around Honda Bay, where you would visit Luli Island, Star Fish Island, and Cowrie Island. You can organize a trip to Honda Bay yourself! If you’re adventurous, you can even go snorkeling on one of the islands.
Here’s an itinerary of a Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour.
| 7:00 AM | Departure from Hotel |
| 7:45 AM | Arrival at Sta. Lourdes Wharf |
| 8:00 AM | Take a motorized boat to the islands |
| 8:40 AM | Arrival at Starfish island |
| 11:00 AM | Picnic lunch at the island |
| 12:00 PM | Depart to the next island |
| 12:20 PM | Arrival at the Luli Island |
| 1:30 PM | Departure to Cowrie Island |
| 3:00 PM | Transfer back to the Sta. Lourdes Wharf |
| 5:20 PM | End of tour |
If we had more time, we would have wanted to explore Honda Bay, too. Maybe this calls for a trip back to Puerto Princesa soon.
Ugong Rock Formation
Exploring the Ugong Rock Formation is an optional side trip on your way from the underground river. It features impressive limestone rock formations. The rock formations lead to a view deck where, as our tour guide mentioned, you can zipline. A trip inside the caves of the rock formation costs Php 300. Zipline costs Php 250.
As much as I wanted to try it, I didn’t have the nerve to zipline that’s why we did not proceed here. Probably next time?
Exploring Puerto Princesa
Apart from our underground river tour, we had the luxury of time exploring the rest of the city. Here are some of the other places we’ve been to.
Marianne Hotel
For our accommodation, we stayed at Marianne Hotel. This is an environmentally friendly retreat that features modern Filipino design and architecture.
It features an array of facilities and amenities that its guests can enjoy, including an outdoor pool, a restaurant, a free parking area, and a massage area. The hotel also provides free roundtrip transfer services from the airport, but guests have to provide complete flight details.
Marianne Hotel can also arrange tours around Puerto Princesa to make your trip more convenient.
Overall, we had a good stay at Marianne Hotel. Its eco-friendly ambiance is something that I liked most about the hotel.
Marianne Hotel
Address: Abueg Road, Jacana, Bancao-Bancao Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines 5300
Contact Number: +6348 4330497; +632 404 9422; +63917 865 6234; +63998 540 3835
Check-in time: 2:00 PM
Check-out time: 12:00 PM the next day
Socials: Facebook | Instagram | Official Website
Kusina sa Bay Bay
When we got exploring Puerto Princesa Baywalk on our first day, we chanced upon a restaurant called Kusina sa Bay Bay. It has a “dampa” setting – you can purchase seafood stationed outside the restaurant, and they will prepare them based on how you like them to be cooked.
We tried some of their seafood, including shrimps, squids, seashells, and a fish species that we have never tried before. It’s a great experience feasting on seafood beside the city’s Baywalk while an acoustic band serenades you.
Kusina sa Bay Bay
Address: Puerto Princesa City Baywalk Park, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Contact Number: 09984894471
Operating Hours: 10:30 AM – 9:00 PM
Painted Table
On our last night in Puerto Princesa, we wanted to try a local restaurant. After skimming through Trip Advisor, we chanced upon Painted Table.
Located at Canvas Boutique Hotel, Painted Table offers delectable Mexican dishes infused with Asian flavors. The colorfully painted tables are just some of its major selling points, but it doesn’t end there.
The restaurant features a variety of dishes, but we ended up ordering main cuisines because we got so hungry. I think that their prices are at the higher end, but you’ll surely get your money’s worth with how scrumptious the dishes are and how aesthetically pleasing the restaurant’s interior is.
When in Puerto Princesa, I suggest that you try out Painted Table.
Painted Table
Address: Palawan North Road corner San Juan, Barangay San Miguel, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines
Contact Number: 09178236884
Operating Hours: 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Socials: Official Website
Pearls
When in Puerto Princesa, you need to stop by some stores for pearl shopping. These pearls vary from freshwater to seawater, and you can tell that they are authentic by their shine and imperfections.
Outside Marianne Hotel, there was a station that sells these pearls. And the prices are so cheap compared to the pearls sold at malls. One of the kuya sellers told us that the pearls that they make are sold as much as 10 times what they usually sell.
Help out local businesses by buying directly from them. It would be a lot of help to their livelihood. But be wary of vendors that sell at mall prices.
Puerto Princesa Travel Guide: Our 3D2N Itinerary
Assuming you’ll do it semi-DIY like we did, here is a sample itinerary for a 3D/2N tour. The schedule that I placed was more or less our own schedule. Flights are based on our AirAsia schedule.
Day 1
| 1:45 PM | Flight to Puerto Princesa |
| 3:10 PM | Arrival in Puerto Princesa |
| 3:35 PM | Hotel check-in |
| 4:30 PM | Mall and market (Shopping time) |
| 5:30 PM | Baywalk tour |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner at Kusina sa Bay Bay |
| 8:30 PM | Return to the hotel |
Day 2
| 6:00 AM | Wake up/Breakfast at the hotel |
| 7:00 AM | Underground River Tour Optional side trip to Ugong Rock Formation |
| 3:30 PM | Free time |
| 7:00 PM | Dinner at Painted Table |
| 8:30 PM | Return to the hotel |
Day 3
| 6:00 AM | Wake up Breakfast at the hotel |
| 7:15 AM | City tour |
| 11:30 AM | Return to the hotel |
| 12:00 PM | Hotel check-out |
| 1:00 PM | Pasalubong buying |
| 1:30 PM | Airport check-in |
| 3:15 PM | Flight back to Manila |
Wrapping Up
Our three-day-two-night tour was not enough to explore the beauty of Puerto Princesa. But with the limited time that we had, I sure had fun. Definitely one for the books. The next time I return, I’ll surely try exploring the other attractions of the city.
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