Puerto Princesa – named after a maiden who, legend has it, wandered around the city during the night. Located on Palawan Island, it is best known for its beaches and underground caves.
I’m sure you’re looking for a simple yes or no answer here but unfortunately, it’s just not that straightforward.
It truly depends on what type of person you are. If you love an off-the-beaten track then yes – Puerto Princesa is for you. Whereas if you’re looking to party and meet other holidaymakers, you’re better off visiting the north of Palawan Island such as El Nido and Coron.
We ummed and ahhed a lot about visiting Puerto Princesa. There wasn’t a lot of readily available information about this little town so we thought we would visit and form opinions for ourselves.
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1. How To Get To Puerto Princesa
We flew straight from Manila to Puerto Princesa, we figured even if Puerto Princesa was awful – it meant we could visit El Nido by car in just 5 hours for only 700 PHP (9 GBP / 11 USD) you can book this here. This is instead of the expensive flight to El Nido from Manila which costs at least 7,500 PHP (100 GBP / 130 USD) one way.
We arrived in Puerto Princesa at night and we took a tricycle from the airport. Our first impression was that it just looked like a humble town with just about enough shops and amenities to get by. So if you’re looking for a real opportunity to mingle with the locals – Puerto Princesa is exactly that.
Walking around Puerto Princesa for the first night alone didn’t feel 100% safe, mostly due to the fact that the streets were very quiet. However, this was probably just the first night nerves. We came to realise that the town was completely safe to walk around at night even as two lone females and the locals were very friendly.
2. Where To Stay In Puerto Princesa
We stayed at Abeth’s Haven, a humble and affordable Bed and Breakfast located in the South of the city. We paid 900 PHP per night (~ 12 GBP / 15 USD) which was a bargain! Breakfast is not included however, it is super affordable and delicious.
However, if you’re looking for an upper-scale stay, why not try the Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa located in the City Centre, a 4-star hotel with not one, not two, but THREE restaurants located on-site.
3. What Are The Best Things To Do In Puerto Princesa?
Now if there are 2 reasons to visit Puerto Princesa it should be for the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the Firefly watching on Puerto Princesa Bay.
The Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park is the second-longest underground river in the world (first being the Sistema Sac Actun cave system in Mexico). This underground river measures a whopping length of 8.2km. The best thing about the cave-style river is the interesting rock formations that somehow depict interesting real-life events such as the Last Supper and fruits like grapes. We booked this tour which includes hotel pick up and drop off and even a zipline if you’re feeling adventurous!
If you’re short on time in Puerto Princesa, you could kill two flies with one stone by booking this night tour to visit the fireflies in Puerto Princesa Bay on the Iwahig River.
This tour navigates through mangroves stretching over 1km that are teaming with these bright fireflies. They appear even brighter when they are splashed with water (which your tour guide will do multiple times!) Dinner is included too.
4. How Long Should You Stay In Puerto Princesa?
We would only recommend visiting for a maximum of 2-3 days which will allow you to really get a good feel of the town.
5. Would We Go Back To Puerto Princesa?
Would we go back? No. But that is only because we have done everything that there is to do there. We are definitely glad that we visited. The underground river was an incredible experience and it was the first time we had ever seen bats! The Firefly tour was the perfect end to a jam-packed day.
This city is definitely unique and if you have time to squeeze it in your itinerary then we would definitely recommend visiting.
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