Mimaropa Region · Western Philippines

Palawan,
in full

The most biodiverse island on earth, and the most misunderstood. Most people see one corner of it. We design journeys across the whole.

Best SeasonNov – May
GatewayPuerto Princesa (PPS)
Length450 km north to south
CharacterWild · Ancient · Extraordinary
Northern Palawan
El Nido
Limestone karsts, hidden lagoons, the Bacuit Archipelago — done privately, before anyone else arrives.
Central Palawan
Port Barton
Our family's favourite. A living reef, moonrise on the beach, and the Palawan that hasn't been told what it's supposed to become.
Northern Palawan · Calamian Islands
Coron
WWII shipwrecks, the clearest lake in Asia, and island-hopping that the El Nido crowd never reaches.

Puerto Princesa

The city most
people fly through

Puerto Princesa is where most Palawan journeys begin and end — a connection point between Manila and wherever the tourist trail leads north. Almost everyone who passes through it does exactly that: passes through. This is a mistake.

The city and its surrounds carry some of the most singular experiences in the Philippines. Whale sharks that you hunt — in the literal sense, scouting from the bow until a boatman spots the shadow — and then leap into the water to swim with, because they will not wait. Fireflies in the Irawan River by the thousand, moving through the mangrove in silence. Ancient caves at the southern tip of the island with human remains 50,000 years old. And a food culture that the rest of the Philippines genuinely envies.

Our eldest daughter, Malaya — Freedom, in English — was born in Puerto Princesa. The city will always have a particular place in our hearts, and that is not a small part of why we design Palawan journeys the way we do. We build Puerto Princesa time into every itinerary of five nights or more. The guests who arrive expecting a transit stop leave having had the most vivid experiences of the entire trip.

Puerto Princesa Bay, Palawan — calm waters at dusk
Puerto Princesa Bay
Palawan, Philippines
Gateway to the island

A Note From Arkipelago

"They call it whale shark hunting — because that is what it is.
You scan the water until the boatman shouts,
and then you jump. Fast. Because they do not wait."

Honda Bay's whale shark encounters are unlike anything organised in Oslob or Donsol. These are wild animals — not fed, not habituated, not circling a bait boat on a schedule. The boatman stands at the bow and reads the surface. When he sees the shadow, there is no announcement, no countdown. You go. Into the open water, immediately, before the animal moves on.

We have swum with mothers and their calves together, which is something you do not plan and cannot arrange — it simply happens when the conditions are right and you are in the water at the right moment. One time we jumped and landed directly alongside one as it surfaced. The scale of it, at that proximity, is genuinely difficult to describe. This is the experience we build itineraries around — not guaranteed, because nothing wild is — but arranged at the right season, with the right crew, to give it the best possible chance. April to October is when the whale sharks are most consistently present in Honda Bay.

Puerto Princesa · Signature Experiences

The city that
surprises everyone

01
Honda Bay · April – October

Whale Shark Hunting

Not watching from a platform. Not a feeding session. Actual hunting — scanning the surface from a private boat with a crew that has been reading these waters for years, waiting for the shadow that means you have thirty seconds to get into the water before it moves on. Wild animals, wild encounter, wild memory. April to October is peak season. We do not add this to itineraries outside that window, because honesty matters more than filling a schedule.

02
Irawan River · After Dark

Fireflies at Irawan

After dark, a small boat moves slowly through the Irawan River mangrove. On both banks, thousands of fireflies pulse in and out of synchrony — a living light show that has no adequate photograph and no adequate description. It lasts about an hour. Almost no one who does it talks about anything else the next morning.

03
Honda Bay · Island Hopping

Honda Bay Islands

Honda Bay's island hopping is not Coron — the islands are modest and the snorkelling is variable. What it offers is a gentle, accessible day on the water close to Puerto Princesa, good for a rest day between bigger activities or for families who want calm water without a long boat crossing. We include it selectively, for the right clients, at the right point in the itinerary.

04
Palawan Wildlife Rescue Centre

Crocodile Farm — and the Sisig

The Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre is a legitimate conservation facility — and a genuinely interesting one to walk through, particularly for families. The Philippine crocodile is one of the rarest in the world, and the breeding programme here is serious science. Then comes the part guests do not forget: crocodile sisig, made from rescued animals that did not survive the programme. Sizzled on a cast iron plate, served with calamansi and chilli. Unusual, completely delicious, and one of those things you describe at dinner tables for years.

05
Sabang · UNESCO World Heritage

Underground River

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — eight kilometres of navigable underground river through a cathedral-scale limestone cave system, the longest of its kind accessible by boat. It can be crowded at peak hours on shared tours. We arrange private early permits and route it as a half-day with time to walk the Sabang beach trail before and after. The stalactites at the back of the cave, lit only by headlamp, are extraordinary.

06
Irawan · Full Day

The Irawan Day

We often combine the crocodile farm, a long lunch at one of the Irawan roadside restaurants, and the firefly river into a single day that builds from midday to after dark. The crocodile sisig at lunch. The wildlife centre in the afternoon. Then the boat at dusk, into the mangrove, as the fireflies start to appear in the trees. It is one of the best constructed days on any Puerto Princesa itinerary.

Where to Eat in Puerto Princesa

A food city
the rest of the Philippines envies

Cultural dining · Palawan cuisine
Ka Inato

The definitive Puerto Princesa dining experience — a sprawling open-air restaurant built in traditional Palawan style, serving the island's most authentic local cuisine. Tamilok (woodworm ceviche), crocodile dishes, fresh seafood, and local vegetables prepared with a depth that most restaurants in the city do not attempt. Ka Inato is also one of the very few restaurants in the Philippines that actively employs people who are hard of hearing — the first page of every menu carries basic sign language so guests can try communicating with their servers directly. It is a small, genuine thing that tells you everything about the character of the place.

Our standing dinner recommendation for every Puerto Princesa night. Book ahead for large groups.

Reservation only · Set menu
KaLui Restaurant

Reservation-only, set menu, shoes off at the door — KaLui operates entirely on its own terms. The multi-course meal changes with what the market brought that morning: fresh fish, local greens, flavours that are distinctly Palawan rather than generically Filipino. The setting is a series of open bamboo rooms surrounded by a garden, and the pace is unhurried in the way that only works when you have removed the option of ordering something else. The set menu is a must. There is no decision to make — which is exactly the point.

Reserve ahead without fail. Lunch or dinner. Go hungry.

Seafood · Badjao community
Badjao Seafront

A seafront restaurant run by the Badjao community — the sea nomads who have fished these waters for generations. Badjao is perfect for dinner: the location by the water comes into its own after dark, with the bay lights reflected across the surface and the air finally cool. The fish is as fresh as it gets in Puerto Princesa, and eating here is a genuine act of engagement with the local community rather than a tourist transaction. Grilled tuna, kinilaw, and whatever the boats brought in.

Dinner is the right call — the waterfront setting after dark is the whole point. Order what they recommend.

South Palawan

Beyond Puerto Princesa —
the ancient south

Quezon, Palawan · 150km south
Tabon Caves

The Tabon Cave complex in Quezon municipality is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Human remains found here — the Tabon Man — date to over 50,000 years, making this among the oldest known human habitation sites in the Philippines. The site contains more than 200 individual caves, of which a handful are open to visitors by guided permit only.

The journey south from Puerto Princesa takes approximately three hours by private vehicle through the Palawan interior — past rice fields, carabao crossing the road, and the kind of landscape that has not changed in living memory. We include Tabon in extended itineraries of six nights or more in Puerto Princesa, typically combined with the underground river as a second day trip. It is not for every traveller. For the right one, it is unforgettable.

Honda Bay · April – October
Whale Shark Season Notes

Whale sharks are present in Honda Bay year-round but April through October is when sightings are most consistent. The full moon period each month brings them closer to the surface and improves encounter rates — we time whale shark days around the lunar calendar where the wider itinerary allows.

These are wild animals. There is no guarantee of a sighting, and we say this clearly to every client before booking. What we can guarantee is the right boat, the right crew, the right timing, and a full morning of actively hunting — which is itself a vivid experience regardless of outcome. When it works, it is one of the most extraordinary things you can do in the Philippines. When it does not, we have a backup day on the water that is still very good.

Plan Your Palawan Journey

Three destinations.
One island. Your route.

Northern Palawan
El Nido & the Bacuit Archipelago
Limestone karsts, hidden lagoons, and the outer islands the group tours cannot reach. Four to seven nights.
Explore El Nido →
Central Palawan
Port Barton & the Living Reef
Our family's favourite. A reef that made us cry, moonrise on a calm bay, and a village that hasn't changed. Three to five nights.
Explore Port Barton →
Calamian Islands
Coron & the Shipwrecks
WWII wrecks, Kayangan Lake, private island days. The Palawan the divers know and the couples discover. Five to seven nights.
Explore Coron →

Ready to plan your
Palawan journey?

From a Puerto Princesa weekend to a three-week journey from Coron to El Nido by private vessel — we design every Palawan itinerary from scratch around your group, your pace, and the season.

Start Planning Coron vs El Nido