El Nido, Palawan (click image to enlarge)

El Nido is a first class municipality and a protected area in Palawan. El Nido has many islands and islets all waiting to be discovered, most of which are uninhabited and each boasting a unique natural beauty, making El Nido a perfect destination for island hopping. The beauty of El Nido is endowed with enchanting lagoons, white sandy beaches, caves, lush jungle and a very diverse variety of

wildlife. There are many great adventures tourist go for when visiting El Nido; activities include rock/cliff climbing, kayaking, cave exploration, windsurfing, and you can also hire a motorbike and discover the beauty this true paradise in northern Palawan.

Places of Interest

• Bacuit Bay

• Cadlao Island

• Dilumacad Island

• El Nido Resorts

• Miniloc Island

• Lagen Island

• Pangalusian Island

• Vigan Island

• Cudugnon Point

• Matinloc Island

• Pinasil Island

• Aberawan River

• Ille Cave

• Población (Town proper

• Balay Tubay

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Quiniluban & Cuyo Islands (click image to enlarge)

Situated far out in the open sea of Palawan, north of the Sulu Sea is the archipelago of the Cuyo Islands.Cuyo Islands is a 4th class municipality in the province of Palawan. The municipality is served by Cuyo Airport. The archipelago is composed of about forty islands and islets, most of which you’ll find uninhabited.

Quiniluban group to which famous Pamalican Island belongs is way up north. This 89 hectare island is surrounded by marine environment and was declared a protected area. Fishing and docking are strictly prohibited. Towards the south are the Cuyo Islands where you find the village of Cuyo. Cuyo is endowed with superb beaches and beautiful coral reefs with fabulous palette of colours.The coral reefs encompassing the island are favorable for snorkeling.

Calamianes Group of Islands (click image to enlarge)

The Calamian is a group of islands in the Province of Palawan. It includes:

• Busuanga Island

• Coron Island

• Culion Island

• several minor islands

The Calamian Group of Islands, also called the Calamianes, consist of over 80 islands and islets. Some of them are still deserted and unpopulated.

Busuanga Island is the largest island in the Calamian Group . It is in fact, the second largest island in the province after Palawan island itself. Busuanga offers a wide array of activities like wreck diving, kayaking, hiking, fishing, nature tripping and river cruising on mangrove-lader forest. Busuanga is surrounded by scenic island beaches, lush rain forest, mountain scenic view, water falls and natural springs.

Culion also belongs to the Calamianes Group of Islands.It is situated at the northernmost part of Palawan some 200 nautical miles southwest of Manila. Culion is slowly embracing Tourism with its many natural attractions. Tourist can also have great adventures from diving and snorkeling to trekking and rock climbing. Three ecosystems sustain the rich marine life of Culion: mangroves, seagrass, and corals.

Coron Island is the third largest island in the Calamian Group of Islands. Coron boasts a breathtaking seascape, amagnificent scenery and considered as the world’s best kept diving secret. Best known for the eight out of twelve Japanese shipwrecks that were sunk by the US Navy during the World War 2 massive air bombing campaign. Coronoffers its tourist a world class wreck diving site.

Other famous islands are located in Gutob Bay, the western part of the Calamianes. These islands include Calumbuyan Island, which offers the most beautiful coral reef of the Calamian Group, Malcatop Island, North Cay, Debutonay Island, Malajon Island (also known as Black Island) with its beautiful caves, as well as Talampulan with its fishing village, better known as Panlaitan.

_{Map courtesy of the City Government of Puerto Princesa – Office of the city planning and develpment coordinator.}

Puerto Princesa is the largest city in the Philippines with a total land area of 253,982 hectares. It is bounded on the North by the Municipality of San Vicente and Roxas and on the the South by the Municipality of Aborlan. Its western side faces the South China Sea
while in its eastern coast lays the Sulu Sea.

Puerto Princesa has been touted in Philippine media as one of the country’s cleanest and greenest cities.

Puerto Princesa City is the capital of Palawan and it is often merely a stopover for tourists heading off to other famous holiday destinations in the country’s last frontier.

The city has a wide range of resorts and hotels, from five star hotels offering the best accommodations and other hotels offering even cheaper deals.

Becoming more famous for its world class service and beautiful scenery is the brand new Sheridan Beach Resort in Sabang. The hotel is located in Sabang, Palawan, the same location to where most visited site in Palawan is, the remarkable underground river.

Undoubtedly the main attraction not only in Puerto Princesa but in the whole Palawan is the St. Paul’s Subterranean River National Park which features the world’s longest navigable underground river, a UNESCO world heritage site and a nominee to the new seven wonders of the world.

Puerto Princesa is also the departure point for those going to dive at the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, which is one of the best diving spots in the world. This marine protected sanctuary is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Other interesting places are Honda Bay, Port Barton,Taytay Bay and Red Cliff.

Map courtesy of WOW Philippines (click image to enlarge)

For When There Is A Stunning
Wilderness Between A & B

Once you have been to a tropical island and savored the spectacular sunsets, the amazing biodiversity, the warmth of the locals and laid back style of life, the allure they have for us from cooler climes is easy to explain. Of course there are tropical islands, and then there are tropical paradises. Palawan is the latter.

Stretching lazily across the eastern edge of the South China Sea from Mindoro to Malaysia, Palawan offers a geographical bridge between the Philippines and the Indonesian archipelago. Lush rainforest covered slopes run down to white sand beaches interrupted by limestone karst cliff faces and more emerald forest teeming with wildlife. There are hundreds of species of birds, mammals and marine life and many of them are seen every time you travel from one idyllic locale to another. Travel is still an adventure on Palawan and the journey is almost as important a part of the experience as the destination.

Getting from A to B requires good local knowledge but that is not always available. Those times are when you need a reliable map. Maps of Palawan are available from E-Z Map, produced by UTP of Angeles City and are the most relied upon tourist maps available in the Philippines today. More topographic maps are for sale from the National Bookstore and government outlets however for general tourist use, the E-Z Map product is the better choice. Palawan’s population density is one of the lowest in the region at about 35 people per square kilometer, so once out of the main towns or capital, Puerto Princesa, getting directions might be problematic.

Palawan’s main areas of tourism are in the northeast around Coron and Busuanga, the northwest at El Nido and in the center at Puerto Princesa and across the island at Sabang. All of these are well covered by the Palwan E-Z Map. The southern end of Palawan is still very remote and classed as wilderness. Maps are available online, form National Bookstores and at many resorts and tourism offices.

The El Nido resorts and those on Coron to the north east offer excellent scuba diving while Sabang and the Sheridan Resort provide first class facilities for business and holiday The El Nido resorts and those on Coron to the north east offer excellent scuba diving while Sabang and the Sheridan Resort provide first class facilities for business and holiday travelers next door to the stunning underground river that has put Palawan on the UNESCO World Heritage Site map. All of these resorts can provide detailed maps of their local tourist attractions.