I have been to several exotic places in the Philippines such as Boracay Island, Oslob, Sipalay and a lot more. However, none of these places would have matched the beautiful island of the Palawan province. Most of my friends strongly recommend that I should explore Palawan at least for once in awhile.
It is my dream to go to this place. Luckily, my family planned to spend a vacation in this place to take a break from stress and ongoing problems. Without further ado, I would like to share about my recent experience in travelling to Palawan.
Puerto Princesa City – Day 1
From Iloilo International Airport, it took us an hour to reach Palawan by plane. As the tour began, we visited a couple of souvenir shops and bought something there as a remembrance. The bay walk of Puerto Princesa is the first one we visit. For ten minutes, we took some few pictures. I saw a floating house, but not too fancy. We visited the Immaculate Conception Cathedral after the Baywalk.
The city’s Butterfly Garden is our next destination. It’s not just a garden for butterflies, but with lots of wild animals to see. We’re also introduced to the Native tribes from the mountains. All of the tourists learn how the natives live in the mountains with their own musical instruments, poisonous weapons and a lot more.
Crocodile Farm is the next place for us to visit. They have a protected bridge for all tourists to walk past and see the crocodiles from above. My dad bought us a “Crocodile Sisig” meal to try some.
The Mitra Ranch is where I call “breathtaking” in the city tour. We spend about half an hour to take some pictures and enjoy the view.
To end the city tour, we visited the Baker’s Hill. It’s a “bakery plaza” that is something that no other place has. My father bought a buko shake for all of us before heading to the mall for lunch. After eating our lunch, we go back to the van in preparation for our El Nido trip. It took us 6 hours to get there and we stayed at Dayunan Inn for the night.
El Nido – Day 2
After our breakfast at the hotel’s roof deck, it’s time for our whole day island hopping tour in El Nido. Tourists ride on a motorised bangka to begin the whole day activity. We’ve got past through the Helicopter Island before entering El Nido’s biggest lagoon.
It only took us 30 minutes to get there. I imagine myself one day to have my moment in that place. Right now, it’s a reality. It’s an unforgettable moment for me and the entire family. Since I do not want to miss every moment, I requested one of the crew to take a picture of my entire family here. The water was crystal clear, nothing like I’ve ever seen. We spend half an hour roaming around the biggest lagoon with the other bangkas.
Secret Lagoon is up next for all of us. I should swim a bit to go there with the entire gang. Even though that my sisters and I know how to swim, we are required to wear life vests to avoid further drowning. Several tourists are waiting for their turn to get in. As my entire family’s turn is up, it’s so beautiful inside. As we get back in the bangka, we’re taking a lunch break on a small island. The captain and his boatmen are very good in preparing lunch for tourists that include chicken inasal, pork chop, rice and some fruits and veggies.
After lunch, the smallest lagoon is our next hop. However, a kayak is necessary for us to go inside the lagoon. It is one of the highlights of El Nido island hopping. I want to go scuba diving with their full face snorkel masks to see the corals down below. I borrowed from the boatman just to see the beautiful view of these corals underwater. While our parents won’t join us kayaking, it is our chance to see it all. I’ve also seen a few jellyfish too, so I’m doing my best to avoid contact with them.
The 7 Commandos Island is our final stop. It was named when these 7 commandos lived on this island a long time ago. Right now, it’s one of the main attractions of El Nido. It’s like a mini-Boracay to me because of the white sand and a few amenities. Before we leave, my entire family bought buko shakes for cooling us off. We had a successful island hopping trip in El Nido. We got back to Dayunan Inn in preparation for our trip back to the province’s capital. At 12 AM, we checked into Ysabelle Mansion and rest for tomorrow’s activity.
Underground Cave/River – Day Three
My best friend shared with me about his amazing experience in the Underground Cave. Due to the never-seen-before rock formations, it is named as one of the 7 Wonders of Nature. From Puerto Princesa to the port, it took us one hour to get here. We rode on a bangka going to that place with the other tourists.
In preparation for the Underground River, our official tour guide gave us a listening device to listen about the history about this wonder of nature. We are required to wear a helmet (w/ flashlight) and life vest because the water’s too shallow and the area is in complete darkness. An essential rule of all is that we should not look up no matter what because there are pees from bats falling over us. Our assigned boatman has been doing his job for so many years, and he’s doing whatever it takes to keep us safe. It only took us 30 minutes to roam the entire cave, seeing rock formations such as the fruits. Another essential rule that the boatman told us is to forbid us from touching the rock formations. The skins of these rocks are too sensitive to human skin, as it may cause deformations later on.
After our successful Underground River tour, we eat our lunch and returned to Ysabelle Mansion. We took a few hours rest and eat dinner with my family at Robinson’s Place Palawan to celebrate Mother’s Day.
My advice to local and international tourists
If you want a place that is breathtaking and unforgettable, Palawan is the best place for you to travel. I suggest you should bring raincoats or jackets with you because Palawan is raining for most of the time. Palawan is also safe from earthquakes. It’s better that you should contact a legitimate and reliable travel agency for you to be guided in your Palawan tour, rather than booking a plane ticket and explore Palawan on your own. It is why my family and I had a successful vacation in this wonderful place that I call “Paradise Like No Other”.
Author bio:
Jeff Caceres loves to travel and adventure with his family and friends. He likes scuba diving, kayaking, swimming and other kinds of water sports. If you visit the Scuba Compare blog, you can check some of the best diving gears for your next adventure.