07.20.08
palawan trip: how to & how much
Cebu to Puerto Princesa
The very few who consistently check this little site on the web would have known by now that most of my travels were made possible by Cebu Pacific Air [mr. gokongwei should reward me for this as i keep on advertising their airline despite the many labels, "cebu pathetic and the like," from disgruntled travelers]. That’s because I’m always on the look out for their PROMO such as this one: 
Expectedly, I got tickets for puerto princesa through its reliable online booking site [just be ready with your credit card]. Cebu Pacific Air has direct flights to Puerto Princesa from Cebu every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Flights from Cebu leaves at 10:20 A.M. and arrives at 11:35 A.M. in puerto princesa. while return flight is at 12:05 PM and arrives at 1:20 PM.
in my case, i bought my cebu-puerto princesa-cebu feb. 16 and feb. 21 tickets in nov. 2007 during their PISO Fare promo and paid PHP 2963.52. as of this writing, two-way direct flight tickets from ceb to pp cost as low as
or as high as [though this could still go higher. this is the current rate]:
for illustration purposes; the above rates are for the july 31 and august 7, 2008 travel dates. the 9K++ fare is for the cebu-pp//pp-manila-manila-cebu flights.
oh, reserve PhP 200 airport terminal fee for mactan and less than PhP100 for puerto princesa [hehe, i forgot the exact amount]
once in puerto princesa, one can get around the city through trike or multicab plying different routes. the trike is mostly for getting around the city, while the multicab is for the little towns in neighboring puerto.
during our first afternoon in puerto, we negotiated with a multicab driver to take us to the butterfly farm, crocodile and nature’s park, late sen. mitra’s mansion [the sta. monica ranch], and baker’s hill. we paid PhP 100 each. believe me, the PhP 100 fare was worth the price as Bong [the driver] was very accommodating and was willing to wait until we’re satisfied with the place we’ve visited. he actually acted as our tour guide minus the fee. if i’m not mistaken, palawan city tour covering the places i’ve mentioned + iwahig penal colony is pegged at PhP500 to PhP600 per person [and i think a minimum number of people is required as rates go higher the fewer the people]. so, the 100-peso tour was truly a bargain. unfortunately, i could not find his cell phone number [perhaps the second number printed on the vehicle is IT, hehe, i'm not very sure, though]. in any case, one could just flag down an empty multicab and negotiate.
The Multicab 
Bong – The Driver 
First Stop: Palawan Butterfly Garden. entrance fee is pegged at PhP25. click this for a video clip i found in youtube, uploaded by user patek143 [hehe, i don't know her personally nor does she know me].
It is the home of different species of butterflies endemic to the province, also found in Southeast Asia. It is located in Sta. Monica, Puerto Princesa City while the Palawan Lepidoptera Farm can be found in Brgy. Tiniguiban, Puerto Princesa City.
— lifted from: http://www.palawan.gov.ph/manmade.php
them butterflies like me 
2nd Stop: Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center 
Ticket to the Center: PhP 40 entrance
Third Stop: Rancho Sta. Monica [late sen. mitra's mansion] - entrance is free 
Last Stop: Baker’s Hill 
For more information on the above places, click THIS. Enjoy exploring Palawan Province’s official website.
Puerto Princesa to El Nido. Prior to leaving Cebu, our transporation going to El Nido from Puerto Princesa was already pre.arranged. That’s because one of my companions had a friend who lives in Puerto. She arranged our transportation and got us the following van 
we each shelled out PhP 2,062 for the 6-hour trip to El Nido. yup, it was that expensive [at least in my book], hehe! anyhow, it was the price we had to pay for the comfort. having endured the 6-hour drive, half of which was an arduous drive on bumpy rough roads [read: yataps ang "dagaton", better take some bonamine before the trip]. but perhaps given the lateness of this post, the rough roads are now things of the past since there were a lot of road construction going on during our trip [cross your fingers on this, hehe].
Puerto Princesa to Sabang [Underground River]
From El Nido, we head back to Puerto Princesa and avail ourselves of the Underground River Tour. We got the services of EMF Travel & Tours to arrange the tour for us. 
Tour Fee is PhP 1,300 per person for a minimum group of 6 people. This is the standing rate for the tour. We chose this one because they offer a free 1 hour whole body massage. They send their masseuse to your hotel and each tour participant gets his/her hour of massage. [Haha, i first didn't quite get why they offer this; but after the bumpy ride to Sabang, you definitely could use the free massage]. Sabang is a 2 and half hour-ride from Puerto Princesa. From Sabang, you take a 15-minute boat ride to the Underground River.
Tour Inclusions:
The van above. Your own tour guide. Ours is named Sunshine, the girl below: She took care of the entrance fee, environmental permit, boat fare, and our lunch. As an extra, she also took us to Palawan’s Wet Market and direct us to where you can buy real and cultured pearls [at Cora's - suppliers of most pearl stores in palawan]. 
Sabang Boat Station: The tour guide took care of the fare/boat. Boat ride is first-come, first-served basis. Thus, it’s advisable to head to Sabang very early in the morning. 
The Boat to the Underground River 
The Boat Used for the 45-Minute Underground River Tour
Lunch – Usual fare of pork belly, squid, vegetable soup, rice, banana, and softdrinks
El Nido Island Hopping
Our island hopping in El Nido was made possible by the guy at the center. His name is Joel. He’s one of the staff of Greenviews Resort. He’s one nice guy who gives discounts to fellow Bisaya, hehe..
Island hopping tour fee is pegged at PhP700 per person. For a little preview on the island hopping spots in El Nido, check this previous post.
El Nido Waters [hehe, just have to insert my vetlongwalks mark]
The island hopping covered the seven islands in neighboring el nido, boatmen/tour guide, and lunch.
Our boatmen/tour guides at the Cudugman Cave. The older man is Cebuano – manong monding [09197940019], while the younger one is ryan [09198085767]. try contacting them at those numbers to arrange a tour through the islands. 
ACCOMMODATION
A. Puerto Princesa. While in the city, we stayed at the Skylight Apartelle. It’s less than 10-15 minutes from the airport.
210 – A. Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa City / Tel. Nos. [048] 434-4872, 434-7886/434-7887 / Telefax: [048] 433-4596 / Email: skylight_apartelle@yahoo.com / Website: www.skylightapartelle.com / Manila Office: 1305 Pedro Gil St., Paco, Manila (02) 563-2565//563-8912
The above is the apartelle’s side entrance. We pass through here because there was a wedding reception at their restaurant when we arrived. Yes, you enter the restaurant first before you get to the apartelle. The maroon van in the picture is the van that picked us up at the airport. Airport transfer is free.
The Apartelle’s Lobby 
The Room: Room 105 Double Room/AC/ Cable TV/Hot&Cold Shower @ PhP1,200 per night
B. El Nido 
Greenviews is about 10 to 15 minutes away from El Nido Beach. There are a lot of resorts/hotels/inns at El Nido Beach, but it’s too noisy to my liking whereas Greenviews is very quite and peaceful. Most tourists also drive to this resort for its spectacular view of the sunset. Unfortunately, it was cloudy when we were there. The foreigner owner was even apologetic that we were unable to experience it because of the cloudy skies.
Room 10: Triple Room with Extra Bed AC/ Cable TV/Hot&Cold Shower @ PhP3,200 per night [800/person for a group of 4]
Room 10 Interior 
View of the Beach from Greenviews Restaurant 
Another View from the Restaurant 
The Beach Fronting Greenviews Resort 
The above were details of my OWN Feb. 16-21, 2008 trip. There are several agencies offering palawan package tours. So don’t forget to drop by at the TOURISM Information Center booth at the airport. It’s just beside the baggage carousel.
Money Matters in Brief:
Transportation: 3,200 ++ [Airfare + Terminal Fee]
2,062 [Van to El Nido]
Accommodation: 1,800 [3 nights @Puerto Princesa]
1,600 [2 nights @ El Nido]
Tour Fees: 1,300 [Underground River Tour]
700 [El Nido Island Hopping]
65 [Butterfly Garden/Crocodile Farm]
Food 3,000 [6 days/5 nights; maybe less]
Pasalubong/Souvenir/Misc [ up to you]
Total: PhP 13, 727 + pasalubong/souvenir expenses + miscellaneous
Pahabol: If you wanna skip El Nido, opt for Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour @ PhP900/person or Dos Palmas Island Day Tour @PHP1,800/person. Just inquire from EMF [contact details above] or at Ellen’s Travel and Tours [048] 433-2076, 434-7052, 0928-500-2126,0917-360-8613. Ellen’s is the agency that a friend of a friend used during their own Puerto Princesa trip. Again, there are several brochures available at the airport should you decide to have a Palawan getaway without planning ahead. hehe, let the agencies do the work for you or ask locals to save a few bucks. filipinos are generally helpful, so you can get the information you need if you dare ask. if this helps: puerto princesa has zero crime rate according to locals.
there's no special reason for the name except the love of putting my foot in front of the other until i'm breathless. traveling is a new found love for me. though i'm not blessed with beautiful-looking feet, i've gotten the habit of taking photos of my feet every time i set foot on lands outside of my beloved cebu. THANKS FOR VISITING!!! leave me a note or two. send it to vetlongwalks@yahoo.com or drop me a comment here. would love to hear from you!
BE WARNED: i'm no seasoned traveler nor a professional travel writer. contents here are purely accounts of my own travel experience.
[photo taken @ the palawan butterfly garden - feb.08]
-chocolate hills [carmen bohol]
-underground river palawan
-dapdap beach [anda bohol]
-el nido, palawan
-club fort med [boljoon, cebu]
-murcia, negros occidental
-dumaguete, negros oriental
-taal volcano [view from tagaytay]
-sunset in cavite
faeryrowan said,
July 20, 2008 at 5:17 PM
Sigh, Palawan. I don’t know when I’d be able to set foot on these beautiful beautiful island. Thanks for the pictures, Vet. It feels like I’m traveling with you. =)
vetlongwalks said,
July 21, 2008 at 10:43 AM
thanks lourms for visiting again…hehe… i wish to encourage others to travel. this is my own little way of convincing people that traveling is not only for the rich… it’s also possible for us to do our own little budget travels…
Best Tour Packages » Blog Archive » palawan trip: how to & how much said,
August 1, 2008 at 10:19 AM
[...] palawan trip: how to & how much i’m probably the worst travel blogger on this side of the planet, hehe. for one, i have not been out of the city for two months now. thus, i don’t really have anything new to share. most of all, accounts of my travel come several months LATE…..VERY, VERY LATE, tsk, tsk… to date, i haven’t writt… [...]
Keng said,
August 7, 2008 at 12:52 AM
Very informative! We are planning our Puerto Pricesa tour this coming November, so this is very handy.
Keep it up!
ryan said,
August 15, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Hi,
I really wanted to get there maybe next year of summer.. . ur blog is informative… after readin it, i checked on my bank account hehehe, it’s quite cheaper pala… i was expecting for much higher expenses pa… amzing kudos to the travel agency who planned on ur trip , and making your itinerary possible as ever
vetlongwalks said,
August 16, 2008 at 9:57 AM
hi ryan!!!
thanks for visiting… actually, we did the trip on our own. the only time we hired the services of a travel agency was for the underground river tour – the rest was planned by one of my companions…
enjoy your palawan trip next summer…
anna said,
August 26, 2008 at 9:46 PM
Hi Vet,
Liked it a lot, you made it so detailed! Just wanna asked what if i’m just taking the el nido trip for about 3 days/2 nights. Do you haver an idea how much everything will cost? thanks
–anna
coolwaterworks said,
September 7, 2008 at 1:17 PM
Very detailed indeed, as with your other travel entries… I have long been planning a palawan trip. I hope it would materialize early next year…
Ever been to Batanes? Would be happy to read your detailed how to’s on this paradise…
I’m adding you to my blog roll….
Gin said,
October 13, 2008 at 1:25 PM
Thanks for the info. Your blog contains good info. Nice Work! I’m planning to do a backpack trip this November! I will surely ask the locals..kasabot sila bisaya?
vetlongwalks said,
October 13, 2008 at 1:37 PM
@coolwaterworks
thanks for dropping by and for adding me to your blog roll..
haven’t been to batanes… will surely find ways and time to go there, although it’s not one of my immediate plans… for now, it’s banaue i’m targeting… hopefully madayon me this december [if work does not interfere with our plan - crossing my fingers tight on this]
but will surely post once i do decide to check out batanes…
@ gin
thanks for dropping by… i’m afraid they’re tagalog-speaking people. but during our trip, we met a couple of bisayas… joel from the restaurant in el nido and our tour guide during the island hopping – also in el nido..
enjoy your trip next month!!
leila antonio said,
January 18, 2009 at 5:36 PM
hello,
I enjoyed reading your entry. We are planning to go to Palawan this May and I’m doing some budgeting.
Your entry was very helpful, very detailed. It will surely help me a lot in planning our itinerary, might even follow yours. Thanks a lot and lookign forward to your next adventure.
vetlongwalks said,
January 27, 2009 at 10:35 PM
hi leila!
thanks for dropping by… i’m glad to be of help. wish you a wonderful trip to palawan this may!
do drop by at Ka Lui along rizal ave., they serve great food there. what’s cool is their menu changes every day, depending on the day’s catch. you’ve to be ready about taking off your shoes though when you dine there..but you’ve nothing to worry, their floor is squeaky clean and shiny…
enjoy your trip…
luz said,
January 28, 2009 at 1:47 AM
Thanks a lot for all the info. i plan to go to palawan this may. this is very helpful – luz
vetlongwalks said,
February 4, 2009 at 1:00 PM
hi luz! thanks for dropping by… i hope that the info here will be of much use to you when you do your own palawan getaway. enjoy your trip…
Ruby said,
March 26, 2009 at 10:52 AM
very timing! our palawan trip will be next week, April 1-4. though ellen’s travel and tours will take charge of everything, still, love some infos. many tnx.
jo said,
March 27, 2009 at 5:10 AM
detailed kaayo! great work! my group of 5 is also going this may. ei maybe those who sent messages to vetlong may want to team up in the tours.since some of the tours require a minimum. we are planned to take the underground river tour by may 5. we havent made any commitments yet. some hotels offer accomodations with these tours. island hopping and underground river.
sori vetlong ginawa ko ng chat room to-
TO ruby: how much did ellen’s charge for the underground river tour? and island hoping?
vetlong, unsay gisakyan ninyo pabalilk pps from elnido? naa pa ang contact number ng van sa imong migo?
will be looking out for future posts.
salamat.
vetlongwalks said,
March 27, 2009 at 2:22 PM
to ruby and jo! thanks for dropping by.. i hope you guys will enjoy your trip as well.
@jo: try this number 0917 502 1888 and the contact person is argie. this is not the van we hired before. the one who arranged our transpo lost the contact number. she gave me this number instead…. but do ask locals, they’re very helpful. a couple of friends in the office did just that and managed to get themselves a sweet deal. if you’ve a lot of time in your hands, then going to el nido is really worth the travel time..but if you only have 3 days or 4, perhaps it’d be better to enjoy neighboring puerto or your trip will be more on the road than enjoying your vacation… points of interest in palawan are far from each other, thus, some of your time will be cut by travel ….
oh aside from ka lui’s..there’s also this place called Kinabuch along Rizal Ave., they serve good food as well.
Ruby said,
March 31, 2009 at 4:23 PM
madam, been to bohol? pls. post detailed info. sayang, we can’t go to el nido, 4 days lang kami. Next time na lang. had i read your blog before our bookings, sana naconsider ko. i was hesitant kasi a friend went there and shelled out roughly 26k per head for el nido trip alone (lagen island, all-in).
to: JO
i’ll let you know by next week, i’ll inquire it for you. i was able to get cheaper rate kasi i booked our trip at SMX Travel fair last Feb. (book and buy). alis na kami tomorrow, yehey !!!
vetlongwalks said,
April 2, 2009 at 7:32 PM
hi ruby! am excited for your trip. i do hope you’ll have a grand time there. as to the 26K budget, well – she’s talking about LAGEN island… it’s one of the premier resorts in El Nido..so yeah, dollars jud ang rate esp. most patrons there are foreigners…
btw, for those who are still planning here’s the contact number of the agent that our officemates used back in their march 2009 palawan trip. they vouched that they got a sweet deal here. i can’t give much details though as i havent personally used mr. salazar’s services:
RENATO B. SALAZAR JR.
smart – 0919-767 3512
globe – 0916-886 1222
landline – (048)-9674
rbsalazarjr@yahoo.com
oh about bohol — just check my previous posts. i think i’ve one particularly for balicasag island. just visit my “a.point of origin page” look for balicasag pix.. there’s a link there that will take you to my post.. it’s not much, but it’ll give you an idea…
ruby said,
April 8, 2009 at 11:43 PM
hi vet, okey i’ll check your bohol trip.
for JO:
yeah, we had a great time in Palawan. Ellen’s travel n tours package for Underground River and Honday Bay Island Hopping is 1,500.00 and 600.00 respectively. You can get their services for a hassle-free trip. Ms. Ellen is very accommodating. Our tour guide Jasper is so nakakaaliw…… No boring moment for the entire trip.
JO said,
April 9, 2009 at 7:09 AM
hi vet, thanks for the contact details. will soon find out. have you notice islandfront cottage in elnido? we are going to pps . staying 3nights,then 4th day going to elnido and then on 7th day back to manila. I am a little worried of going back the long ride to pps. baka mainip ang mga ksama ko. nakita ko sa flights from elnido to manila nasa 8k ang isa. waaah! no choice but to ride back to the city noh? unless we strike gold!
for ruby:
ang mura ng honda bay tour ah. we were quoted 1,100 for that by other agents. where did you stay nga pala? i hope you can still accommodate my inquiries. thanks
Ruby said,
April 14, 2009 at 10:44 AM
hi vet, pa post uli for Jo ha…..
Ms. JO:
Yes, Ellen’s Travel and Tours offers probably the cheapest package rate. Mam Ellen is a local resident (no office in Manila). Catch them at travel fairs, mas mura mag-book don. Their next sked will be in Megamall. You may call them for the exact dates.
Check also with the agent who quoted you for honda bay, ilang islands and pupuntahan? 3 lang sa amin….
We stayed in Puerto Pension (overlooking palawans baywalk) and wlaking distance sa market. Ang alam ko, superior room is 1,800+ per day w/ breakfast (good for two). Additional 399.00 per head. Thet staff are warm and accommodating as well.
have a nice trip……
jodegs said,
April 20, 2009 at 9:15 AM
thanks ruby. just called the ellen travel and tours.they quoted the same rate 1100 for the island hopping 3 islands: snake,starfish,pandan or luli.
we are eyeing at liberty park pension for accomodations. thanks so much for the help. thanks vet for accomodating
Seablitz said,
April 28, 2009 at 10:11 AM
PhP 9,300/person El Nido Package including UNDERGROUND RIVER and HONDA BAY ISLAND HOPPING w/ Lunch Buffet
*Minimum of 8 person.
**Air fare is NOT included.
Contuct Us
Ms Laarni Dalde
Seablits Travel And Tours
Puerto Princessa City,Palawan
+63 917 3632 280
seablitz@ymail.com
Nerissa said,
May 21, 2009 at 5:18 PM
Hi there!
Thanks for this post. It really help us plan our long-overdue-na-trip! hehe…
Thanks.
junile abasolo said,
May 29, 2009 at 12:32 AM
hello…..thanks for this very useful info you just wrote. I plan to go there by this coming Dec or early next year, maybe by jan or feb.
junile abasolo
vetlongwalks said,
May 29, 2009 at 12:25 PM
@ nerissa and junile: you’re both welcome. glad to be of help… enjoy planning your trip!!
jz said,
August 25, 2009 at 2:32 AM
tnx for the info… we are planning to be there on Oct 2009.
Karl said,
September 6, 2009 at 12:47 AM
If your a group is a gate crasher and planning to travel to Palawan and need someone to guide and drive you, I am recomending my bro who has a Nissan Urvan for rent. His a God fearing and easy to talk with.
for any inquiries just text or call at +639295062038 and look for Richard.