Philippines’ Palawan: See & Experience it ALL in 7 days

When traveling from abroad to the Philippines, Manila is usually the first point of arrival for most tourists. Skip the capital and simply use its airport as a layover en route to a beach town called El Nido. This is your base for exploring the area and where your room is located. Around 4:00 pm, you are taken to Las Cabanas Beach. It is a perfect place to eat dinner on the beach and watch the sunset.

As a natural attraction in its own right, the quiet beach town of El Nido is also a great base for exploring the surrounding marble cliffs, enchanting lagoons, beaches, lush jungle, mangrove forest, prehistoric caves, and waterfalls. Dotted with islands and islets, most of which are inhabited, Bacuit Bay is home to blue waters and abundant marine life such as dugongs, turtles, manta rays, species of fishes, coral reefs, and the occasional whale sharks.

Arguably the only major tourist destination in the Philippines not included in this 7-day tour is Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. It can be your first destination on this multi-day tour, right before El Nido. We provide a shuttle transfer between the two. Let us know if you are interested. Note that adding Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park would not increase the duration of this standard 7-day tour.

The daytrip boat tours from El Nido are pretty straightforward. For the most part, they do not overlap with each other. Each tour has its own highlights. All of the daytrip tours offer amazing attractions, not least for today. Today, join the boat daytrip tour which covers Snake Island, Papaya Beach, Entalula Beach, and Cudugnon Cave. Snorkeling and lunch are included in today’s tour. Water is available for you on the boat, as is the case with the other boat daytrips throughout this tour.

Today, join the boat daytrip tour which covers Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Star Beach, and Hidden Beach. Lunch and snorkeling are included on today’s tour.

Today, join the boat daytrip tour which covers Small Lagoon or Big Lagoon (to be determined), Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, and 7 Commando Beach. Snorkeling, kayaking, and lunch are included on today’s tour.

Today, take an early morning ferry ride to Coron Island. Upon arrival in the quiet, low-key village of Coron Town, you are taken directly to your nearby room. Afterwards, enjoy a guided tour around town. Places to visit today include the public market, Coron Baywalk, the cashew harvest factory, and Maquinit Hot Spring. Later in the day, walk to the stairway entrance of Mount Tapyas. Reaching the top with your tour guide takes around 45 minutes. Watching the sunset from above is a beautiful way to end your day.

Today, join the boat daytrip tour which covers Lake Kayangan, Twin Lagoon, Sunset Beach, Siete Pecados (a.k.a. Isles of the Seven Sins), Skeleton Wreck, Coral Garden, and CYC Beach. Lunch and snorkeling are included on today’s tour.

Siete Pecados is where you’ll see arguably the most amazing coral on earth. Lake Kayangan and the Twin Lagoon are also breathtaking. As its name suggests, the Twin Lagoon is two separate bodies of water divided by limestone karsts. At high tide, the second lagoon appears inaccessible. Swim under a small hole in the karsts to reach the other side, or for those who prefer, climb over the rock formation using a wooden ladder above the hole.

Skeleton Wreck is the most popular stop today. The aquatic views from the sunken Japanese WWII ships off Coron Island are listed in Forbes Traveler Magazine as one of the top-10 best scuba diving sites in the world. Note that if you prefer diving over snorkeling, you can book directly with a local dive shop. They usually require at least 2 days’ advance notice and proof of a scuba diving license.

Your tour ends today. Transportation will be arranged for you to reach the airport in Coron.

Note that your flight out of Manila must depart no earlier than 1:00 pm.