Palawan Travel Guide: El Nido, Coron & Underground River

Palawan is the island province that lands at the top of "most beautiful island" lists year after year, and once you see the towering limestone karsts of El Nido or the glassy water inside Coron's hidden lagoons, you understand why. This long, narrow island in the western Philippines packs three very different travel experiences into one trip: the dramatic island-hopping of El Nido, the wreck-diving and lake-swimming around Coron, and the UNESCO-listed Underground River near Puerto Princesa. This guide walks you through how to reach each hub, what to do once you arrive, how many days you really need, and how to tie it all together without losing your way (or your boat).

Getting to Palawan: Flights to Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Busuanga

Palawan is large and stretched out, so the single most important planning decision is which airport you fly into. There is no quick road connecting the three main hubs, and trying to do them in the wrong order can cost you a full day of overland or sea travel. There are three gateways to know.

Puerto Princesa (PPS)

Puerto Princesa is the provincial capital and has the busiest airport, with frequent flights from Manila, Cebu and Clark. It is the natural base for the Underground River and the launch point for the roughly five-to-six-hour van ride north to El Nido. If you want the most flight options and the cheapest fares, you will usually find them here.

El Nido (ENI)

El Nido has a small airport in Lio served by a limited number of flights, mostly from Manila and Cebu. Flying straight into El Nido saves you the long van transfer from Puerto Princesa, but fares tend to be higher and seats are limited, so book early if this is your priority. Many travelers fly into Puerto Princesa and take the shared van north instead.

Busuanga / Coron (USU)

Coron town sits on Busuanga Island, and its airport (Francisco B. Reyes, code USU) is the gateway to the Calamian Islands. Crucially, Coron is a separate island group from mainland Palawan. You cannot drive between El Nido and Coron, so you connect them either by a passenger ferry across open water or by a short flight. Planning that link in advance is essential, which I cover more below and in our deeper look at domestic flights and ferries in the Philippines.

El Nido: The Tour A-D Island-Hopping System

El Nido is the headline act for most visitors, and almost everything revolves around its standardized island-hopping tours. Local boats run four set routes, simply labeled Tour A, B, C and D. Each is a full-day trip on a traditional outrigger bangka, hitting a cluster of lagoons, beaches and snorkeling spots, with a freshly grilled lunch served on the boat or a beach.

Tour A is the most popular and includes the famous Big Lagoon and Small Lagoon, plus Secret Lagoon and Shimizu Island. If you only do one, most people choose this.
Tour C is the other top pick, known for Hidden Beach, Secret Beach, Helicopter Island (Dilumacad) and Matinloc Shrine, with some of the most dramatic scenery.
Tour B focuses on caves, snorkeling and a quieter pace, with stops like Cathedral Cave and Snake Island sandbar.
Tour D visits beaches closer to the bay, including Cadlao Lagoon and a couple of relaxed swimming spots, and is a good lower-key option.

Tours are priced fairly similarly across operators, with an additional environmental and terminal fee paid separately. A useful tip: the Big Lagoon now often requires a kayak to enter, and slots can be capped, so confirm with your operator. Because tours fill up and weather can shift plans, it pays to book a day ahead and keep an eye on conditions. Having working data to message operators, compare reviews and book on the spot is genuinely handy here; a Philippines eSIM plan means you can sort tours from your guesthouse balcony rather than walking the strip.

Beyond the boats in El Nido

El Nido town itself is compact and walkable, lined with restaurants, dive shops and bars. For land-based activities, the Nacpan Beach area to the north is a long, golden stretch worth a half-day trip, and the viewpoint hikes such as Taraw Cliff reward you with sweeping bay views. Sunset at Las Cabanas Beach, sometimes with a zipline running over the water, is a local favorite.

Coron: Shipwreck Diving, Kayangan Lake and Twin Lagoon

Coron offers a different flavor of Palawan. The scenery is just as jaw-dropping, but the water here is the star, both above and below the surface. Coron is world-renowned for World War II shipwreck diving, with a fleet of Japanese vessels sunk in 1944 now resting in accessible depths and draped in coral and marine life. It is one of the best wreck-diving destinations on the planet, suitable for both technical divers and, for the shallower wrecks, snorkelers and recreational divers.

Even if you never put on a tank, Coron's island-hopping is unmissable:

Kayangan Lake is the postcard image of Coron, a brackish lake ringed by jagged limestone, reached by a short climb over a ridge. The viewpoint on the way is one of the most photographed spots in the country.
Twin Lagoon features a striking mix of warm saltwater and cooler freshwater, separated by a rock wall you swim or duck under at low tide.
Barracuda Lake is a favorite for divers and freedivers thanks to its eerie thermoclines and dramatic underwater walls.
Siete Pecados is a vibrant snorkeling spot, and beaches like Banol and Malcapuya offer classic white sand and turquoise shallows.

Back in town, a climb up the staircase to Mount Tapyas at sunset and a soak in the natural Maquinit Hot Springs (a rare saltwater hot spring) round out a Coron stay nicely. Because so much of Coron involves boats heading out to sea where signal fades, downloading offline maps and tour details before you depart is smart; our guide to mobile network coverage in the Philippines explains how connectivity behaves around these islands.

Puerto Princesa and the Subterranean River (UNESCO Site)

Puerto Princesa is more of a working city than a beach destination, but it is the base for one of Palawan's signature experiences: the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The underground river runs through a spectacular limestone cave system that you explore by paddle boat, drifting past cathedral-like chambers, stalactites and resident bats and swiftlets.

Practical notes for the Underground River

The site sits near Sabang, roughly a couple of hours by road from Puerto Princesa city. Most visitors go on an organized day tour that includes the van transfer, the short outrigger ride to the cave entrance, and the paddle-boat cave tour.
A permit is required and daily visitor numbers are capped to protect the cave, so it is best arranged in advance, especially in peak season. Tour operators handle the permit as part of their package.
Bring a light jacket; the cave is cool and you will get a few drips from above. Listen to your boatman's running commentary, which points out the cave's famous rock formations.

Around Puerto Princesa, you can also fit in Honda Bay island-hopping, a firefly-watching river tour in the mangroves, or a visit to a local crocodile and wildlife rescue center. The city's seafood, especially fresh tuna and the local tamilok (woodworm) for the adventurous, is worth seeking out.

How Many Days You Need and How to Connect the Three Hubs

The biggest mistake travelers make in Palawan is underestimating travel time between the hubs. Here is a realistic sense of how long to spend and how to link things together.

Suggested time per hub

El Nido: at least 3 nights, so you can do two island-hopping tours and have a buffer day for weather.
Coron: 2 to 3 nights, more if you plan to dive the wrecks across multiple days.
Puerto Princesa / Underground River: 1 to 2 nights is usually enough, often used as your arrival or departure point.

Connecting the hubs

The most common and efficient routing is to handle Palawan in a logical line rather than backtracking:

Fly into Puerto Princesa, see the Underground River, then take a shared van or bus north to El Nido (roughly five to six hours).
Explore El Nido for a few days of island-hopping.
Cross to Coron by passenger ferry across the sea (a scenic trip of several hours, weather permitting) or by a quick connecting flight.
Fly out of Busuanga (Coron) back to Manila or Cebu.

This open-jaw approach (flying into one airport and out of another) avoids retracing your steps. If you are short on time, you can pick just one or two hubs; El Nido plus Coron is a brilliant combination if beaches and lagoons are your priority, while Puerto Princesa plus El Nido works well if the Underground River is a must-see. Palawan also fits neatly into a wider trip, and we map out exactly how it slots in within our 10-day Philippines itinerary for first-timers.

One word of caution: the El Nido-Coron ferry and even small inter-island flights are weather dependent and can be cancelled during rough seas, so build a buffer day around that crossing and avoid scheduling your international departure for the same day you transfer between island groups.

Best Time to Go and What to Pack

Palawan, like most of the Philippines, has a dry season and a wet season, and the difference matters enormously for island-hopping.

Seasons

Dry season (roughly late November to May) is the prime window. Calmer seas, sunnier skies and more reliable boat schedules make this the best time for tours and ferry crossings. The months around March to May are the warmest and busiest.
Wet season (roughly June to October) brings the southwest monsoon (habagat) and a higher chance of rain and rough water, which can cancel tours and the El Nido-Coron ferry. That said, Palawan sits somewhat outside the main typhoon belt that hits the eastern Philippines hardest, and rain often comes in shorter bursts. Prices are lower and crowds thinner, so it is not a write-off, just a gamble on conditions.

The peak Christmas-New Year and Holy Week periods see the highest crowds and prices, so if you can travel in the quieter shoulder weeks of the dry season, you will have a better experience.

What to pack

Reef-safe sunscreen and a rash guard; you will be in and on the water constantly, and the tropical sun is intense.
Water shoes or sturdy sandals for rocky lagoon entries and the climb to Kayangan Lake.
A dry bag to protect your phone, cash and camera on the boats; spray and the occasional capsized tender are real.
Plenty of cash in Philippine pesos. ATMs in El Nido and Coron can be unreliable, run out of cash, or charge fees, and many tours and small guesthouses prefer cash.
A power bank, since boat days are long and you will be filming, navigating and messaging.
Light, quick-dry clothing, a light jacket for the cool Underground River and for air-conditioned vans, and insect repellent for mangrove and evening activities.

Palawan rewards travelers who plan the logistics carefully and then let the rest unfold slowly. From the Big Lagoon's still water to the wrecks beneath Coron and the hush of the Underground River, the moments here are worth sharing and worth navigating to confidently. Staying online with a reliable Philippines eSIM means you can book that next island-hopping tour, track your ferry, pull up offline maps before the signal drops at sea, and keep your travel companions in the loop from every lagoon along the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days do you need in Palawan?

Plan for at least 6 to 8 days to comfortably cover the three main hubs: about 3 nights in El Nido for two island-hopping tours, 2 to 3 nights in Coron, and 1 to 2 nights around Puerto Princesa for the Underground River. If you are short on time, El Nido plus Coron is the most popular two-hub combination.

How do you get from El Nido to Coron?

El Nido and Coron are on separate island groups with no road between them, so you connect them either by a passenger ferry across open water (a scenic trip of several hours) or by a short connecting flight. Both are weather dependent and can be cancelled in rough seas, so build in a buffer day and never schedule it on the same day as your international departure.

Which El Nido island-hopping tour is the best?

Tour A is the most popular and includes the Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon and Secret Lagoon, while Tour C is famous for Hidden Beach, Secret Beach and Helicopter Island with the most dramatic scenery. Many visitors do both A and C over two days. Tour B focuses on caves and snorkeling, and Tour D visits relaxed beaches closer to the bay.

Do you need a permit for the Puerto Princesa Underground River?

Yes. The Subterranean River is a protected UNESCO site with a daily visitor cap, so a permit is required and is best arranged in advance, especially in peak season. The simplest option is to book an organized day tour from Puerto Princesa, which includes the van transfer, the permit, the outrigger ride to the cave, and the paddle-boat tour inside.

When is the best time to visit Palawan?

The dry season from roughly late November to May is the prime window, with calmer seas, sunnier skies and more reliable boat schedules. The wet season from about June to October brings the habagat monsoon and a higher chance of cancelled tours, though Palawan sits somewhat outside the worst of the typhoon belt and offers lower prices and thinner crowds.