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!! š
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!! š
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! š
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!!
š š
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!!
š“š
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