Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget
PUERTO PRINCESA TO EL NIDO, PALAWAN ITINERARY + BUDGET
Contents
Here’s your El Nido Puerto Princesa Itinerary. This is a sample itinerary/guide if you are planning a trip to the place.
EL NIDO TO PUERTO PRINCESA
Palawan probably is one of the most beautiful places in the country that one must visit in their lifetime.
This beautiful place has unspoiled Mountains, clean air, and amazing clear blue waters with spectacular sea life.
It is also home to the Bearcat, Mustang, and Mouse deer. Palawan takes pride in the many rare bird species like the Palawan Peacock Pheasant, The Great King Fisher, Hornbill, and the Palawan Eagle which is found only in Palawan.
Considering that El Nido, Palawan is quite far it would be best then to maximize your visit to this place.
So I would like to share with you a 4-day sample El Nido-Princesa Itinerary.
PUERTO PRINCESA TO EL NIDO TRAVEL ITINERARY
In a nutshell, here’s how your El Nido-Puerto Princesa itinerary would look like :
Day 1 – Travel to Puerto Princesa (PP) from your point of entry; City Tour (Depending on your arrival time at PP), Travel to El Nido
Day 2 – Tour A (Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, and 7 Commando)
Day 3 – Tour C (Helicopter Island, Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Star Beach, and Hidden Beach)
Travel Back to Puerto Princesa (night trip).
You will arrive at your hotel in the city at almost midnight.
Day 4– Underground River Tour; Fly back to your point of entry
LIST OF BUDGET HOSTEL AND RESORTS FOR YOUR PUERTO PRINCESA TO EL NIDO ITINERARY/TRIP
To make sure that you will have a place when having your ” Puerto Princesa to El Nido Itinerary” you can click on any of these places and make your booking. Please take note that this site has nothing to do with these properties. Any queries must be directed to them.
Our Melting Pot Hostel
Real Street, El Nido, Palawan, Philippines, 5313
BOOK YOUR ROOM HERE WITH THE BEST DEAL HERE
Relucio Travellers Pension
Serena Street Buena Suerte Zone II
Blessed Inn
Rizal Street, Barangay Maligaya, El Nido
BOOK YOUR ROOM HERE WITH THE BEST DEAL HERE
Forever Blessed Hotel
Serena Street, Barangay Buena Suerte
Bnky Bed and Breakfast
Calle Amboy, Brgy. Maligaya
BOOK YOUR ROOM HERE WITH THE BEST DEAL HERE
Big Creek Mansion
Zone 3, Barangay Masagana
ALESTON Secret El Nido Hotel
Bacuit Station, EL NIDO, El Nido, Palawan, Philippines, 5313
BOOK YOUR ROOM HERE WITH THE BEST DEAL HERE
Antonio Village Pension and CafeBungalow
Sitio Caalan, Barangay Masagana
Alexzus Backpackers Travel Lodge
Calle Amboy (beside Giecel Pension)
BOOK YOUR ROOM HERE WITH THE BEST DEAL HERE
At the moment Hostel
San Joaquin Street Bgy. Buena Suerte
BOOK YOUR ROOM HERE WITH THE BEST DEAL HERE
Kalinga Beach Resort
Sitio Caalan
Mochileros Guesthouse
Real Street corner Tabanca, Brgy Masagana
BOOK YOUR ROOM HERE WITH THE BEST DEAL HERE
Karizma InnRecently Renovated
Pecado Street, Barangay Maligaya
Lualhati Garden Cottage
Rizal Street
BOOK YOUR ROOM HERE WITH THE BEST DEAL HERE
Lolo Oyong El Nido Pension House
Rizal Street, Barangay Maligaya Zone 1
Talisay Beach where we ate our lunch in the Tour C [ Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget ]
BUDGET
Plane Fare – (depending on what you can get)
Transportation
Van (Puerto Princesa – El Nido) P700/pax (one way) – P1,400 back and forth
Hotel
The place has numerous accommodation facilities to choose from according to your budget. During my visit, I stayed at Gemini Traveler’s Lodge – PHP 900/day (air-conditioned room with private bathroom). It can accommodate up to 6 persons, so you can really save if you are traveling as a group. Above, I also listed some budget hostels at the place, you can book your room there.
Food
On your way to the place, the Van would stop to various places for some leg stretching and to have your lunch or dinner. You can have your meal during this time for around P100-P150.
If you are taking the Island Hopping Tours, all lunch is provided. Some hotels offer free breakfast, otherwise, you can have it in any resort while waiting for your boat for the Island Hopping Tour at around P150-P200. For dinner, you can enjoy the place by enjoying dinner in some bars and resort fronting the shoreline. The food at the place is quite pricey. You can prepare between P300-P700 for your meal, depending on what you will order of course. If you are on a tight budget, there are some food stalls and a convenience store selling food too.
Island Hopping Tours
Note: All tours are inclusive of Buffet Lunch and Snorkeling Gadgets
Tour A – P1,200
Tour B – P 1,300
Tour C – P1,400
Tour D – 1,200
Underground River Tour – 1,800 (with lunch). Normally, the tour operator will pick you up from your hotel, unless otherwise stated.
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Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget
ISLAND HOPPING TOURS’ DESCRIPTION
In your El Nido-Puerto Princesa Itinerary, you will surely join Island Hopping tours because it is more budget-wise to join a tour rather than renting the entire boat.
Below are the descriptions of these tours:
All Island Hopping Tours start at 9:00 AM and normally ends not later than 5:00 PM. So if you are want to go back to Puerto Princesa after the tour, you should inform ahead of the tour operator of your schedule and arrange for your hotel or the transportation company of your schedule.
No need to book ahead of your tours, almost all hotels and resorts at the place are connected with any Tour Operators, they can help you with it.
Tour A
One of the most popular among the tours. This package covers Shimizu Island which is a good spot for snorkeling wherein you can enjoy the corals or simply relax at the white sand beach. Oftentimes, this is where the tour stop for a sumptuous lunch prepared by the boatmen.
This tour will also bring you to three beautiful lagoons located around Miniloc Island: Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, and the Secret Lagoon.
The tour usually concludes a stop at the 7 Commando Beach. This place has a long stretch of white sand beach. It also has a little bar that serves refreshing drinks. So don’t forget to bring some cash. If you are lucky, you may see a few sea turtles while snorkeling.
Tour B
Another interesting tour offered at the place is Tour B. Its first stop is normally at the Vigan island also called the “Snake Island” because of its sandbar. After which the boat will bring you to Pinagbuyutan Island, otherwise known as Ellis Island.
Another beach you will visit during this tour is the Entalula Beach, located up north of El Nido. This place offers long white beach sand bordered with tropical vegetation.
Cudugnon Caves is another destination which you will visit with Tour B. This place is an important archeological site where potteries were discovered dating from the Sung Dynasty (960-1279). Notably, this site used to be the hiding place of the locals during World War II.
Tour C
The most popular of all tours according to the guides is the Tour C. This tour may have its first stop (might be the last stop sometimes) to Dilumacad island otherwise known as Helicopter island. Other destinations included in this tour package are Matinloc Shrine, Secret Beach, Star Beach, and Hidden Beach.
The hidden beach can only be accessed through a small hole on a cliff, but the moment you can pass the small passage, you will surely be awed by the beauty it offers. Just make sure that the weather is good when you go to the hidden beach. The current sometimes can be too strong and it’s quite difficult to enter the hole.
Tour D
Tour D normally starts with a stop at Ipil Beach. This place is very close to the town proper but be must be accessed only by boat.
From Ipil Beach, you can proceed to the Cadlao Lagoon. Cadlao can be seen from the town and the biggest island of the Bacuit archipelago.
Other places included in this Tour Package includes the three beautiful islands: Pasandigan Beach, Natnat Beach and Bukal Beach.
The opening of the Big Lagoon, part of Tour A destination [ Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget ]
EL NIDO-PUERTO PRINCESA ITINERARY, AND BUDGET FOR GUESTS COMING FROM WESTERN VISAYAS
This is my personal itinerary coming from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
- Plane fare Round Trip Cebu Pacific (Peso Fare Promo) – PHP 1,421.04
DAY 1 –Travel and Overnight to Iloilo from Bacolod City (El Nido Puerto Princesa Itinerary)
- Ocean Jet Round Trip Fare (Bacolod-Iloilo Promo) –PHP 395
- Taxi from Iloilo Port to Highway 21 Hotel –PHP 80
- Overnight Stay at Highway 21 Hotel – PHP 900 ( there is still a much cheaper place to stay in Iloilo, but I just cannot vouch on the cleanliness of these places)
At the Art Cafe Entrance [ Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget ]
DAY 2 – TRAVEL TO PUERTO PRINCESA TO EL NIDO
- Taxi From Iloilo City to the Airport – PHP 400 (if you want to save at least 50% on transportation you can take a taxi going to SM City and take a shuttle bus going to the airport )
- Breakfast at the Airport
- Cebu Pacific Left Iloilo at 8:45 am and we arrived in Palawan at around 9:45 am
- Upon Arrival, at Puerto Princesa Airport I took the tricycle to our Tour Agent –PHP 30
- Lunch
- Left Puerto a little past 12nn via Van – PHP 700 (the fare from Puerto Princesa Terminal to El Nido is the only 500/pax. So if you want to save on fare, just go to the terminal via Tricycle for around PHP 50 and take the van from there)
- Arrived El Nido at around 5 pm; Check-in at Gemini Traveler’s Lodge – PHP 900/day (air-conditioned room with private bathroom)
- Dinner at Jane Resto, Bar, Dessert at Art Café, then rest for the next day
The crowd at Jane’s Resto Bar [ Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget ]
DAY 3 – ISLAND HOPPING (TOUR A)
Breakfast at “WATER HOLE”
- El Nido Offers 4 Tour Packages for Island Hopping, offering different sets of destinations. Each tour package lasts for a day. All tours fee is inclusive of a buffet lunch. Since I, intend to stay in El Nido for only two days, I just paid for 2 Tour Packages, Tour A, and C which are both popular among the tours that they offer.
- Tour A – PHP 1,200/pax
- Dinner at Rasta Poca (Poca Bar)
At the opening of the Small Lagoon [ Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget ]
DAY 4 –El NIDO ISLAND HOPPING (TOUR C); GOING BACK TO PUERTO PRINCESA
- Breakfast – I forgot the name of the Restaurant, but in their place, there is a big sign “WATERHOLE” which I thought, at first, was the name of the bar, but they have a different name on their menu. They are the only restaurant opened 24 hours a day right in front of the beach – and I want to eat and sip coffee right in front of the beach
- Tour C – PHP 1, 400 /pax
- Tour C ended until 5 PM, so after taking a bath, we rushed to the terminal to catch the 5:45 PM trip back to Puerto Princesa
- Lexus Van to Puerto Princesa – PHP 500/pax
- I arrived in Puerto Princesa and check-in at Go Hotel which I already booked way ahead.
- Go Hotel – PHP 1,289.00 for 2 nights stay ( i booked way ahead through the net)
at the “Waterhole” where I love to have my breakfast every morning. Don’t be fooled by the looks of the place, their food is priced just like a regular hotel [ Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget ]
DAY 5 – PALAWAN UNDERGROUND RIVER
- Underground River Tour – PHP 1,500/pax
- Hunt for some Souvenir
- Dinner at Ka Inato Restaurant
Palawan Trip and Budget: the writer with a deaf-mute staff of Ka Inato Resturant. In her sleeve is a print which says: “DEAF, Proudly Working”. In my succeeding episodes of this Palawan Trip, I will be telling you what happened to her when she spilled a soup to one of the customers while serving” [ Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget ]
DAY 6 – GOING HOME
- From the airport, we took a metered taxi to the Iloilo Sea Port. We decided to just “drive-through” at Mc Donalds for our lunch.
- Metered Taxi (Airport to Iloilo Sea Port) – around PHP 300.
Wood Crafts at LRC 908 Market Mall. This is where I got huge wooden masks I took as souvenirs
HOW TO GET TO EL NIDO FROM PUERTO PRINCESA
1. Fly to Puerto Princesa
Puerto Princesa International Airport has direct flights from many major cities in the Philippines such as Manila, Cebu, Iloilo.
BOOK CEBU PACIFIC AIR FOR PALAWAN HERE
2. Take a van from Puerto Princesa to El Nido
From Puerto Princesa Airport, the most convenient way is to take a van to the place. Right outside the airport, you will see several vans traveling to the place. The van transfer will take between 5 to 6 hours, depending on the time of the day, and the price for a seat is around P600 to P700.
3. Riding a tricycle to get to El Nido town
The moment you reached the Corong-Corong bus terminal, (This is located just 5 minutes away from the Poblacion.) take a tricycle to bring you to your hotel. During the day, the usual fare is P15 per person, but at night, the rates go up for up to P50 or even more.
TRIP SCHEDULES FOR LEXXUS VAN IN PUERTO PRINCESA – EL NIDO
PUERTO PRINCESA TO EL NIDO EL NIDO TO PUERTO PRINCESA
| TRIP NO. | DEPARTURE TIME | TRIP NO. | DEPARTURE TIME | |
| 1 | 4:00 AM | |||
| 1 | 5:00 AM | 2 |
5:00 AM | |
| 2 | 7:00 AM | 3 | 7:00 AM | |
| 3 | 8:00 AM | 4 | 8:00 AM | |
| 4 |
9:30 AM |
5 | 9:30 AM | |
| 5 | 11:00 AM | 6 |
11:00 AM | |
| 6 |
1:00 PM | 7 | 1:00 PM | |
| 7 |
2:30 PM | 8 | 2:30 PM | |
| 8 | 4:00 PM | 9 | 4:00 PM | |
| 9 | 5:30 PM | 10 | 5:30 PM | |
| 10 |
> 8:30 PM or waiting for last flight / Reserved Guest from airport |
11 |
7:00 PM |
Travel time is approximately 5 hours & 30 minutes.
Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget
MORE TRAVEL GUIDES
- Siquijor Island
- Dumaguete
- Samal Island
- Bantayan Island
- Camotes Island
- Islas de Gigantes
- Malalison Island
- Bacolod City
- Sagada
- Batanes
- Vigan
- Ilocos Norte
- Pagudpud
- Davao
- Lake Sebu
- Camiguin Island
- Sipalay
- Sorsogon
- Albay Travel Guide
- Puerto Galera
Puerto Princesa to El Nido, Palawan Itinerary and Budget
Good day, I am interested for a tour packages, Can you contact me in the email or whatsapp since I was currently in Qatar and planning to have vacation
i was in Palawan last summer.. El Nido has become more populated so I’m not really keen on promoting it further.. other parts of the province are still pristine though
PALAWAN IS ONE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
What amazing places, and what nice pictures
Thanks for sharing such a cool and interesting post. I really love traveling and the Philippines is always been a place high up on my list. Cannot wait to visit it someday soon!!!
I loved Palawan island <3 Really loved exploring El Nido and Coron when I was there but also found there was a lot of cool stuff in Puerto Princesa too. Did the Underground River like you and also some Honda Bay island hopping! Hopefully Ka Inato Resturant is still going?!
Hi.. Your itinerary and budget are awesome. As we are out side Philippines could have estimated in $Dollars
It looks like a really pretty place to visit. Great travel guide for those wanting somewhere new to visit.
I’ve never heard of Palawan before. Your photos make it look like a beautiful place. Looks like somewhere I’d love to visit one day!
Palawan really looks like a hidden gem. Those unspoiled mountains with blue waters and Fjords are so tempting and appealing. A perfect getaway.
El Nido Palawan is one of the recommended places to visit in the Philippines. Nature, beach and the food are amazing. My husband and I wanted to visit Palawan but never had the chance yet since he only has limited time whenever he goes on vacation. Maybe on his next vacation, we can be finally go to Palawan with our daughter
Yet another trip to add to the bucket list! Love the photos, even more the descriptions and cost information. My computer is filled with bookmarks from your tips !
I’ve been saving for my first Coron, Palawan trip this May. This is a sort of treat for myself for my birthday. I’m happy I found a good tour package from UltimateCoronExperience.com/ 09184659010. My officemate suggested to book a tour package instead of planning on my own. What’s good about Ultimate Coron Experience is the fact that they offer reasonable prices for a complete tour.
Happy birthday in advance Sachi.Thank you for dropping 🙂
we actually just went to Coron and El Nido. OMG it is the most beautiful place on earth. am looking forward to come visit again end of this year. Nice blog by the way!
check out these videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMZQrruVeI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1On2G0SjaM
Wow, Im sure you had a great time 🙂
Very nice post! This is very helpful. i am fan of DIY trips. I actually tried the same challenge.
Sharing as well to friends. ..The expenses, best tips to bring and how we will definitely enjoy Palawan!
http://www.sassyzeal.com/2014/06/32d-do-it-yourself-palawan-itinerary.html
thanx for sharing ur experience in el nido….
by the way i am from bacolod also…
from silay airport wala ba direct flyt going to palawan???
and pag nasa el-nido na pwedi din bang mag pa buk nang package tour dun???
thanx….
Hi Vinz, no direct flight from Bacolod to Palawan. I have quite a number of articles about my trip and I gave a lot of tips as well. Just click this link – https://thehappytrip.com/category/palawan/
I am proud to be Palawano..daghang salamat po sa pag nais nyong mamasyal sa aming lugar..very relaxing and peaceful po dito..salamat,,salamat..
Hi! How did you book your tours?
All resorts and hotels/inns at El Nido can book your Island Tour. No problem about that
Really beautiful photos! Hope you also check out my photos of the amazing beauty of the islands!
Thanks for the tip Sir Jo. This will truly help in my 2016 trip.
Interesting info. Im from Bacolod too and have been wanting to go to Palwan for so long.
Do you recommend travelling to Palawan with kids ages 7 & 9?
yes, you can bring them 🙂
I really want to go here someday. This is such a great place to unwind and to seek adventure
Thanks for sharing this very helpful Palawan trip info. Now, alam ko na kung magkano dapat ang budget.
was planning on going to palawan soon! will look this up when that time comes! thanks for sharing!
Very helpful post. Thank you for sharing! Perfect timing since we are planning to visit Palawan this year.
Pingback: 10 MUST BRING THINGS WHEN VISITING EL NIDO, PALAWAN
There’s so much to appreciate in Palawan from the underground river to the different islands and limestone formation.
The places you went to looks exciting. I wish to go there with my whole family once the opportunity presents itself.
This is one of my dream place for vacation. Looks like you enjoyed your trip here.
You travelled alone but I think you enjoyed exploring the island. Never visited Palawa before, only in my dreams.
Been fortunate to visit Puerto Princesa some years back and I enjoyed it a lot. Would love to visit Coron and El Nido. Palawan is a beautiful place.
This post made me remember how happy we were when we went to PP, Palawan back in 2012. I wish we could go back there in the future.
Thanks for giving me some info about the expenses and the budget. It will help me plan our vacation soon. Thanks!
Going to Palawan is also on my bucket list, though I’m too busy at the moment to go. Thanks for sharing your itinerary, plus budget. It will really help in the future.
Unable to take picture of underground river of Palawan? I have been hearing about Palawan tourist destinations. I have already gone to some places in the PH and Palawan could be visited soon if God willing.
Thanks so much with your post, this help me with my planning. The details is very important especially the cost so that travelers can make a budget ahead of time.
Thank you for sharing the details of your trip and the cost of the accommodation and tours. These info will help a lot of travelers when they start planning their trip. I've been blessed to visit both several times through work but would love to return to El Nido again and bring my family.
– Karen
Palawan is one of the places I want to visit. Hopefully, we could find time and the budget as well.
Wow! You were able to visit Puerto Princesa and El Nido in one trip. I’ve been to Puerto Princesa and Coron and haven’t seen El Nido yet.
you should visit El Nido Franc:)
Thanks for giving me a glimpse about the budget. me and my family really wanna visit the place soon!
Thanks bro for the info. We are planning to have a Palawan trip this summer.
Hi Jay, yes the place is truly amazing :0
The photos you took of Palawan are really beautiful! I'm actually hoping to go there this year, taste the food, and maybe go diving. This just made me more excited!
We are also thinking of traveling to Palawan this year with my family. Thanks for your detailed itinerary. This will be a good help for us since we don’t know anything there.
The very exciting trip to Palawan with lots of itineraries in exploring the some places. Of course, you enjoyed a lot with her.
Wow. I have been wanting to travel, however, financing the college education of my two sons have made travelling take the back seat for now. I would love to go to Palawan and Batanes. Thanks for giving me an idea of the expenses.