Voted number 1 of "Top Islands in the World" again and again, Palawan is one of the most beautiful islands in The Philippines! Home to friendly locals, breathtaking scenery, amazing snorkelling and diving, and mouthwatering food, you'd be crazy not to visit this incredible place!!
Palawan is surrounded by many tiny islands, and beautiful limestone rocks decorate it's coast! If that image doesn't already grab you, add in pristine, clear blue water teaming with colourful coral and fish! Sounds pretty good right?
We start our journey in El Nido; the 'must go' destination at the top of Palawan, and the home for most travellers while they explore the beautiful island.
El Nido is a picturesque coastal town, surrounded by limestone cliffs on either side and colourful bamboo boats ready to take eager visitors island hopping; one of the most popular activities on Palawan!
There are many islands nearby, and the local Filippino's will gladly take you to most of them for a small fee. Or, join a tour to see a few islands and have a delicious Filippino lunch by the beach; all the fresh fruit, seafood, and veggies here are local to El Nido!
Have a refreshing swim and explore around the island, then you can relax on the beaches and have a nice cool coconut juice, or if you're lucky, you might find someone selling Halo Halo; a famous dessert for a hot day in the Philippines! I won't tell you what's in it, working it out is half the fun!! π
Snorkelling is also a must do around El Nido! The sea is so vibrant and full of life such as clownfish (Nemo), turtles, and even dolphins if you're lucky, plus lots and lots of colourful corals!
Plus other weird sealife!! π
Go a bit further from El Nido town by hiring a scooter or paying a tricycle driver, and you'll see some beautiful beaches, such as Nacpan beach, with stunning sunset views, or Marimegmeg Beach, which is great for swimming! π
From El Nido, it's easy to get a ferry over to Coron town, on nearby Busuanga island! Just lie back, relax, and enjoy the view as you pass by islands sprinkled with snow white sand!
Coron town is a bit more laid back than El Nido, but there is so much to do around here! Enjoy amazing and fresh food, or have a look at some of the distinctive wooden Nipa huts around the town's coast line, which stand on stilts above the ocean! Definitely check out this more traditional way of living, or if you're feeling brave, try stay in one yourself!!
Afterwards, jump on a boat to see stunning islands, go snorkelling, or dive to see one of the many sunken WW2 ships off the coast!! There are so many fish and brightly coloured corals here, you'll never want to leave the ocean!!
Another highlight for me was visiting the nearby Coron island (confusing, I know!), to see the beautiful Kayangan Lake, and have a swim in Barracuda lake, which has the most clear and inviting water I've ever seen!!
Surrounded by massive limestone cliffs and jungle, this area was incredibly beautiful and peaceful! Stop here for a walk and a swim, or just relax and enjoy the stunning view!
The beaches on the small islands surrounding Busuanga are also incredibly serene and picturesque; with pure white sand and palm trees standing by the clear turquoise water, they literally look photoshopped!!
How can we get back to reality after this??
Palawan just left me speechless. I'm sure the photos of this stunning place speak for themselves, but if they don't: JUST GO!!
π π
Swim, relax, get freaking tanned, hike through jungle trails to bright blue coloured waters, eat your weight in fresh fruit and seafood, drink mango smoothies 3 times a day, snorkel to meet so many fish, or do some world class diving with the number of WW2 wrecks around here!!
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Thank you so much for reading! Please upvote or follow if you enjoyed this, and tell me about your trip to Palawan!! What did you love the most?
Keeping it Filipino, I'll leave you with a photo of our "jump shot", which we were told to do again and again because all the locals just love these! And ok, it turned out to be a lot of fun!!
Bye for now!
Jess x
the Daily "Spotlight"!
Thank you so much!
Oh. My. God.
Beautiful views! I'm jealous. :)
It's such a stunning place, @lashotta! Pictures can't do it justice π
This is probably one of my all-time favourite destinations, your colourful pictures brought back so many memories! Happy to see you enjoyed it so much!
Aw thanks, @traveleranna! It's such an amazing place, isn't it! π
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Nice pictures! That's a beautiful place, and one to be definitely visited! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks @zemilyt! I can't recommend it enough!!
One of my favourite places on Earth. The beauty of the island is out this world, and the people are just the cherry on top of the cake.
Thanks for the memories Jess
That's a great summary of the Philippines!! It's an incredible place that I can't stop returning to! π Glad to hear you enjoyed it as much as I did :)
Wow. Such a beautiful place. Indeed mouthwatering. Thanks for your sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it! π
Awesome! Going there in 3 weeks. Can't wait.
Hope you have the best time!!
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Thank you so much! π
Heya, just swinging by to let you know you're being featured in our Daily Travel Digest!
Thank you @steemitworldmap!
Water like swimming pool amazing landscapes, beaches and sea bottom definitely a paradise on earth
It sure is, @philfreetotravel!
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Incredible post. I live in the Philippines, but I have not made it to Palawan. It is definitely high on my list of places I would love to go. Congratulations on the @daveks spotlight.
Thank you @mhm-philippines! Hope you make it there soon and have an amazing time!
That would be great!
Can't wait to be there and see the beauty for myself. Been planning this trip for a month and already got my tickets and everything else. Hope Palawan leaves me speechless as it did with you.
That's awesome @itsmerjc! Hope you have a great time and love the country as much as I did π
I lived all my life in this country but never been to Palawan. Seeing your post compells me to take a vacation.
That's so good to hear @watersnake101! I hope you have a great time on your vacation!! π
Amazing place and excellent post!
Very well done @jessbear :)
Thanks so much @fotostef! ππ
Palawan looks amazing. I am still not sure whether to visit Malaysia or the Philippines this summer, but right now I think I prefer the Philippines ;)
Is it true that El Nido has become extremly touristic?
Hi @roadtrips!
Yes, some islands of the Philippines, such as Palawan and Boracay, have become very popular in the last few years. El Nido is beautiful, but the number of tourists there are a big negative. If you have time, I would still recommend visiting and seeing the beautiful scenery, and also visiting another area that is more off the beaten track to see the real Philippines! Siargao and the East end of Bohol, for example, have less tourists and still have stunning beaches, while there are other spots that are great for diving or trekking that not as many people head to. If there is something specific you want to do/see, maybe I can suggest some spots? I can also 200% recommend Borneo!! Another one of my favorite places in the world! (You can see why I can't stop travelling haha!)
Please let me know if I can help more :)
Jess
Hey thank you for your detailled answer!
The main reason for visiting the Philippines this summer is diving :)
I want to dive in Coron, El Nido, Moalboal, Malapascua and maybe Anilao.
Do you have some other suggestions?
I am a bit concerned about the monsoon season though, I will be there in September..
I'm sorry the late reply!
I went back to the Philippines in October last year, and to be honest the weather did make diving/boat trips quite difficult in the area I was in (Around Apo/Dumaguete and Siquijor). I wrote to dive centres ahead to of time to ask if it is usually a problem at this time of year, and they all replied that they dive year round, but I soon realised that they do go regardless of the weather which can be dangerous or just leave you with a terrible boat ride and zero visibility, so heads up if they give you this answer. Not to say it is dangerous to dive there in general, bit it seems that they will go out in monsoon season even if the weather/visibility is not suitable. Maybe it's worth asking people who have been to the other areas you mentioned, like Palawan, Moalboal etc at this time, since I can only comment on the Dumaguete area.
Besides the weather conditions, I can recommend Camiguin for diving; I was there in early March and the dive sites are stunning while it is not as popular with divers, so you will never be in big groups or run into other divers underwater, which was nice for me. It is easy to get there by flying from Cebu or getting a boat from the east side of Bohol. Also Apo island is beautiful for big corals, turtles, while Dumaguete on the mainland is famous for muck diving (in Dauin just up the road).
Hope that helps :)
Jess
Ok good to know, I never heard of Camiguin before. I'll keep that in mind!
Thank you again for your detailled answer! :)