Five Days in Palawan

Puerto Princesa Boardwalk

After months of planning, our trip to Palawan has finally become a reality. We spent 4 1/2 days in Palawan: 1 1/2 day in Puerto Princesa (Touchdown and Take off) and three full days in El Nido. 

We landed on Puerto Princesa International Airport at 1:30 PM on a Wednesday and thanks to Kuya Lowel, our friendly tricycle driver, was able to finish our city tour in half a day for less than the price that we expected. In half a day, we were able to visit the World War II Museum, the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center, Mitra Ranch, Baker's Hill, Plaza Cuartel and the Puerto Princesa Boardwalk. Initially, we only wanted him to take us to the museum and Plaza Cuartel but he wanted to show us what his city has to offer. We initially agreed to pay 400 Php for both of us but we had so much fun so we gave him more (Read about our tour in Puerto Princesa here). He also took us to the bus station, where we rode the 9 PM bus to El Nido. As it was peak season, we got our tickets online through PinoyTravel, the first bus ticketing platform in the Philippines that caters to multiple destinations around the Philippines.

The ride to El Nido was bumpy, with sharp twists and turns. We arrived at 2 AM in El Nido. We didn't expect that we would arrive this early so we're stuck at the bus station without accommodation in the middle of the night. Luckily, Ate Eden from Cliffside Cottages was nice enough to let us check in early for a fraction of a night's stay. She was also kind enough to let us check out late on our third day. All in all, we spent 3,500 Php for three nights on an air conditioned room with free breakfast. 

We coordinated with Northern Hope Tours for our three-day El Nido itinerary. We provided them a list of places and things we wanted to do and they were very accommodating and patient in answering all of our questions. Our island hopping tours were hassle free. We went for tour A for our first day and Tour C on the third day and they arranged for our guide to climbing Taraw Cliff and a tricycle to take us to the twin beaches and Marimegmeg beach. 

Our two days of island hopping were a bit meh, but don't get me wrong. The islands, the beaches and lagoons were beautiful but we came during peak season and well, the places were VERY crowded. This was expected and the crowd didn't disappoint. 

Tour A took us to Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Simizu Island, Secret Lagoon and 7 Commandos Beach. We enjoyed snorkeling, swimming and kayaking around the lagoons. 

Read more about our Tour A island hopping experience  here.

Tour C's itinerary included Hidden Beach, Helicopter Island, Secret Beach, Matinloc Shrine and Star Beach. Despite the names hidden and secret, those beaches were really crowded. 

Our best day in El Nido would have to be the second day. We started it with a climb to Taraw Cliff and ended it watching the sunset in Marimegmeg beach. Lesser crowd, beautiful views.

View from the top of Taraw Cliff

Marimegmeg Sunset

Overall, our trip was a success. It had its ups and downs but it helped us get to know each other more. Can't wait for our next trip!

Beaches and Sunsets

With our energy renewed, we were ready to explore the beaches on El Nido. Our first stop was the Nacpan and Calitang Twin Beaches. After the crowded island hopping tour from the other day, we expected these beaches to be full of tourists. To our surprise, it was peaceful. We were happy as we swam on the uncrowded crystal clear water, relaxed that finally, we were able to find a place not teeming with noisy tourists.

Finally, some R & R.

We had lunch at one of the nipa huts that sold food on the beach. To our surprise, the food wasn't expensive and taste really good. The shrimp was really delicious that we ordered three servings more. :D

Lunch!

After enjoying the island life, we headed for Maremegmeg Beach, one of the best places to catch the sunset in El Nido and it didn't disappoint.

Maremegmeg sunset.

Taraw Peak Climb

The easy part.

Our second day in El Nido started at 5:00 AM. Groggily, we followed our tour guide as we walked to the starting point of the climb to Taraw Cliff. All our sleepiness disappeared when we stared up at how high the cliff was. We felt scared and excited but we were in for an adventure so despite the lack of safety gear and not knowing what lies ahead, we went on. 

The first levels were easily accessible. We jumped on rocks, trod on damp forest ground and balanced on trunks of fallen trees. We thought that this would be easy when suddenly the foot path disappeared and the forest was replaced by rocks. Not wanting to be a wuss in front of the other, we climbed on. The ragged rock formations were blunt on the first few meters but the higher we went, the rockers were getting sharper and thinner. At one point, we asked our guide, "What happens if we lose our balance and fall?" "You die." Our guide casually replied. We didn't want to die yet and we didn't want to back out after getting that far so slowly but surely, we stepped/climbed/clambered/did whatever it takes to survive until we reached the top. I was mentally telling myself to think of this as preparation in case of a zombie apocalypse or another war happens and the cities get ravaged and we will be forced to hide into jungles, cliffs or mountains.

Finally, after 45 minutes, we reached the top of the cliff. The view of the sea from the top was amazing. It was worth the climb. We just sat there in silence, admiring the view and looking at each other with smiles on our faces. Our guide interrupted our thoughts by asking us if we wanted to have our photo taken before going down as it was getting hotter with the sun rising. 

No words.

You fall, you die. LOL.

No pads, no helmets.

After the downward traverse, the adrenaline has worn off and we felt tired so we went back to our room, had breakfast and took a nap before our next adventure.

El Nido Island Hopping Tour A

Well rested after the bumpy night bus ride, we were excited to go to our first day of exploring El Nido. For day one we went with tour A, which includes the Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Simizu Island, Secret Lagoon and 7 Commandos Beach. This is the tour that most travel agencies offer to tourists so we kind of expected that there would be lots of people on these places.

...And we weren't disappointed.

The lagoons were breathtakingly beautiful but due to the number of tourists, you don't get to enjoy the peace and relaxation that you hope for when you go on vacation. Nevertheless, we enjoyed snorkeling, kayaking and swimming on the beach because the crowds don't matter as long as you enjoy who you're with. <3

I just love rock formations

Hello there, fishies!

7 Commandos Beach

We ended the day with dinner on the sea shore, watching the sunset and people watching.