Palawan is paradise, sanctuary to an amazing variety
of fauna and flora found nowhere else in the world. It
is blessed with incredibly awesome landscapes that
astound even the most indifferent of visitors.
Palawan is the country’s biggest province and is
composed of 1,768 islands and islets surrounded by a
coral shelf with an exceptionally rich marine life. Its
steeply sloped mountains are canopied by broad virgin
forests.
An anchor tourist destination, Palawan is one of the
7,000 times more islands that make up the Philippine
archipelago. It is the perfect playground for the
adventurous.
The Last
Frontier
Unique to Palawan is its megadiversity.
For a long time, Palawan’s bountiful resources,
abundant wildlife and extraordinary natural beauty are
known only to the many ethnic communities that thrive in
these islands and a few other daring settlers who wanted
to live in unpolluted surroundings.
The island-province first attracted foreign attention
in the 1970’s when it became a United Nations Vietnamese
Refugee Center. At this time, a disturbance in Kenya
also saw the transport of endangered animals from its
savannas to the plains of Calauit Island.
However, it was only a sea accident in 1979 that
eventually led to the opening of Palawan into tourism
big time.
As the story goes, a tuna line disabled a dive boat’s
propeller in the middle of the night forcing it to drop
anchor in an inlet. The following morning, the divers
woke up to an amazing scenery of skyscraping dark
cliffs, thick green forest, white-sand beach, sparkling
water and, rising above it, a series of magnificently
sculpted jade islands. And thus was how El Nido was
discovered.
Ecology awareness is at a high level throughout the
province. Puerto Princesa prides itself as the cleanest
city in the Philippines. To protect its megadiversity,
only eco-friendly programs are adhered to by tourist
establishments. And there are strict ordinances against
dynamite fishing, with only net and line fishing
allowed. Palawan may have opened itself to tourism but
it has also taken serious efforts to preserve this last
frontier.
A Haven Far From The
Madding Crowd
The most beautiful place in Palawan is the isolated
island of El Nido with its incredibly astonishing
seascapes. El Nido is a secluded group of islands east
of Puerto Princesa, Palawan’s capital city, and is
virtually cut off from the mainland by three bodies of
water - Luzon Sea to the north, the China Sea to the
east and the Sulu Sea to the west.
Towering midnight cliffs that jut thousands of feet
above mirror flat emerald waters are El Nido’s most
distinguishing feature. This interplay of somber
darkness and ethereal light provide the dramatic
backdrop for several luxury resorts and dozens of
moderately priced diver lodges on the islands.
The black marble and limestone cliffs contain large
caves with whimsical names like Cathedral Cave and Disco
Cave because of their formation. Though they look like
barren sheets of inhospitable rock, the cliffs actually
spawn the swift, or balinsasayaw, which produces the
delectable bird’s nest for soups. And in some of the
rock faces, yucca and talisay trees as well as wild
flowering begonias do thrive in the crevices.
The town of El Nido in itself exudes a quaint charm
with well-tended homes and clean streets. Many of the
islands have hidden lagoons sheltered by limestone
crags. Schools of fish swarm in the coral reefs, many of
which are visible to the naked eye. When in season,
divers often encounter the rare sea cow, or dugong.
Only small chartered planes from Manila fly tourists
to the upscale resorts. Everybody else takes the sea
ferry to this picturesque fishing town.
Magical Trip to the
Underworld
Palawan presents a visual feast not only above the
ground but also below it. St. Paul National Park is
Palawan’s most popular attraction and covers 5,349
hectares of lush forest, dark mountains, caves and white
beaches. In the deep recesses of the marble and
limestone peaks of Mt. St. Paul flow the Underground
River, said to be the longest in the world. It is easily
navigable for at least four kilometers. The caves are
filled with filigree-like sculptures formed by
stalagmites and stalactites. Near its mouth is a
beautiful lagoon with crystal-clear water that teems
with fish. Also within the park is the Monkey Trail, a
series of wooden paths that winds into the forest where
monkeys, squirrels, lizards and some 60 species of birds
are found. The Park is inscribed in the World Heritage
List.
Tabon Caves are the oldest known habitation site in
Southeast Asia. It is a complex of 200 caves scattered
on a 138-hectare museum site reserve, of which 33 have
thus far been excavated. Seven of these caves are open
to the public as a prehistoric museum where excavations
have been left as they are. The caves provide
Paleolithic evidence that this is where life in Palawan
actually began and have yielded a woman’s skull,
fossilized bones and earthenware dating to as far back
as 890-710 B.C. The main entrance to the caves offers a
panoramic view of a white-sand fringed bay. The caves
lie in the mountains of Pipuon Point in the town of
Quezon.
Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park is the country’s
largest marine habitat. It hosts giant manta rays, sea
turtles and hundreds of reef fish species. Located at
the heart of the Sulu Sea, the marine park is 33,200
hectares of coral atoll, barely emergent islets and open
water, and constitutes a unique complete open ocean
ecosystem. It is inscribed in the World Heritage List as
"rare and superlative phenomena as well as formations,
features and areas of exceptional beauty." It is located
some 98 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa and is a
premier diving destination.
Out
of Africa
The drought and civil strife that struck Kenya in
1977 brought some 108 African wild animals to Calauit
Island.
The Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area
of 3,700 hectares and is home to both endemic and
African animals. The imported giraffes, zebras, impalas,
waterbucks, and gazelles, among others, have
successfully bred and graze the preserve undisturbed.
They share the land with endangered endemic animals like
the Calamian deer, Palawan mouse deer, bear cat, leopard
cat, tarsier, Palawan peacock pheasant, scaly anteater,
porcupine and monitor lizard. The mangroves are home to
the man-eating Philippine crocodile while offshore sea
grass beds are the habitat of the rare dugong. Many
endemic and migrant birds flock to the area. Safaris can
be arranged with the park rangers. Modest accommodations
are available for overnight stay.
Island Flavors
Although it is part of Luzon, Palawan borrows many
dishes from the Visayas and Mindanao. A distinct
characteristic of the island cuisine, however, is the
use of green mangoes as souring agent in many
dishes.
International cookery is also widely available to
serve the continuous influx of tourists. There are many
restaurants on the main and side streets of Puerto
Princesa offering varied international and native
cuisines. Check out the restaurant row along Rizal
Avenue. The capital city is also known for its
Vietnamese eateries, Palawan being once a refugee
center. Anywhere, rice and fresh seafood are staple
fares.
Outside of Puerto Princesa, moderate priced resorts
have their own dining outlets but may require advance
orders for meals. When going on expeditions, it is
advised to get your food provisions and bottled water
from Puerto Princesa as supplies are oftentimes limited
in outlying towns and practically nil in some islands.
First class hotels and resorts have fine dining and
theme restaurants, which offer catering
services.
Palawan offers a variety of accommodations ranging from upscale
hotels and resorts, mid-range and economy lodges and inns to
the more tailored special interest resorts. Here's a listing:
PUERTO PRINCESA & ENVIRONS
ASIAWORLD RESORT HOTEL
National Highway, San
Miguel St.
Telephone (632) 2427250
ABELARDO'S PENSION
62 D Manga St.
BADJAO INN
350 Rizal Avenue
CASA LINDA BY MARUFINAS
Rizal Avenue
CIRCON LODGE
E. Valencia St.
DUCHESSE PENSION
107 Valencia St.
EMERALD HOTEL
Malvar St.
GARCELLANO TOURIST INN
Rizal Avenue
GEORG'S PLACE
Nagtabon Beach
GREEN WOOD TRAVELLER'S RESTHOUSE
Rizal Ave. Extension
INTERNATIONAL GUESTHOUSE
263 Manalo St. Extension
MICHELLE INN
98 National Highway, San
Pedro
PALAWAN HOTEL
Rizal Avenue
PAYUYO PENSION
Manalo St. Extension
PILAR'S PENSION
118 Mascarte St.
PRINCESA HOMESTAY
No. 2 Old Buncag
PUERTO AIRPORT HOTEL
442 Rizal Avenue
RENGEL PENSION HOUSE
147 Rizal Avenue
TRAVELLER'S INN
Malvar St.
VENTURES LODGE
155 A. Manalo St.
YAYEN'S PENSION
295 Manalo St. Extension
THE ISLANDS
AMANPULO
Pamalican Island, Cuyo
CALUMBAYAN ISLAND ADVENTURE
Calumbayan Island, Busuanga
CLUB PARADISE
Dimakya Island, Busuanga
COCO LOCO BEACH RESORT
Pandan Island
DISCOVERY RIVERS
Bayside Divers Lodge
Coron Island
CLUB NOAH
Miniloc Island
Buena Suerte, El Nido
HARFISH SUN BAR RESORT
Honda Bay Island
LAS HAMACAS RESORT
Busuanga Island
MARINA DEL NIDO
Malapacao Island, El Nido
NEW LUNCHEONETTE LODGE
Culion Island
PANGALUSIAN BEACH RESORT
Baluit Bay, El Nido
Planning Your Trip
The fastest way to reach Palawan is by plane.
There are two daily flights each fielded by Philippine Airlines
and Air Philippines from the Manila Domestic Airport to the Puerto
Princesa Domestic Airport in Central Palawan.
Those bound for the Calamian Group of Islands in North Palawan
may board the small planes fielded at least once daily by Asian
Spirit, Air Ads and Pacific Air from Manila to the YKR Airport
in Busuanga. There are jeepney shuttles bound for Decalatiao
Wharf where speedboats ferry visitors to their island destinations.
The Philippines is accessible from the travel capitals
of the world. Traveling time to Manila from Hong Kong is an hour
and 50 minutes; from Singapore, 3 hours and 10 minutes; from
Bangkok, 3 hours and 50 minutes; Tokyo, 4 hours and 15 minutes;
Sydney, 10 hours and 20 minutes; London, 20 hours and 45 minutes;
Paris, 21 hours and 15 minutes; Frankfurt, 19 hours and 40 minutes;
San Francisco, 16 hours and 15 minutes; Los Angeles, 15 hours
and 20 minutes; and New York, 25 hours and 20 minutes.
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