Palawan

Best months by our weather score: February, March, April. Daytime highs, rain and sunshine are 2016–2025 averages at Puerto Princesa International Airport / PAF Antonio Bautista Air Base (Open-Meteo historical weather archive); sea temperatures are 2022–2025 averages for the nearest sea area (Open-Meteo marine archive). Months marked in the storm row fall in the Western Pacific typhoon season (peaks July to November); the score takes that risk into account.

Gateway airport

Puerto Princesa International Airport / PAF Antonio Bautista Air Base (PPS)

US nonstops

None. No US nonstops and no scheduled international flights to Puerto Princesa (PPS); all routes are domestic. Fly to Manila (MNL), then connect to PPS, or to Clark (CRK) or Cebu (CEB) for flights to PPS or to El Nido's small Lio airport.

Distance

7,629 mi from Los Angeles, 8,865 mi from New York

Passport

Needed for US citizens

Hotel, one night

$40 on Jan 13, 2027 · $44 on Jul 14, 2027 (El Nido)

Visitors a year

6,484,060 overnight visitors (2025)

Bringing a dog

Possible: Bureau of Animal Industry SPS import clearance applied for online (about 11 working days), dog at least 4 months old, rabies vaccine from a licensed vet, current antiparasitic treatment, limit 3 animals a year; a rabies antibody titer test becomes mandatory from January 1, 2027.

Hotel prices: Cheapest hotel rated 4 stars or better with a Kayak guest score of 8.0+ from 100+ reviews (Woodland Inn, which Kayak lists as 5 stars, on both dates), 1 night, 2 adults, Kayak 'Nightly total - Including all taxes + fees', checked 2026-10-20. The brief's plain rule (cheapest 3-star-or-better) gave $11 in January and $13 in July, below the checker's $20 floor.. Visitor figures: Philippine Department of Tourism, Philippine Tourism Data Dashboard, international visitor arrivals January-December 2025.

Palawan suits couples, teens and solo travelers who want to spend their days on boats. Island hopping, kayaking into lagoons, snorkeling and wreck diving are the reason to come. Solo travelers will find shared joiner tours and shared vans on every leg.

Skip it with toddlers or on a short trip. Moving between Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Coron means long vans, extra flights or ferries, and the best beaches are reached by boat, not from your hotel. For an easier Asian trip with as much to do, try Bali; for calm beaches with less effort, a Thai island such as Koh Lanta. Our Asia ranking compares them.

• El Nido. The town at the northern tip of mainland Palawan and the base for Bacuit Bay. We priced rooms here. On Kayak on October 20, 2026, the cheapest hotel rated 4 stars or better with a guest score of 8.0 or higher was Woodland Inn: $40 for January 13, 2027 and $44 for July 14, 2027, taxes and fees included. The cheapest 3-star listings were $11 and $13.
• Coron. A separate trip: Coron town is on Busuanga Island, served by its own small airport with flights to Manila, Cebu and Clark. Base here for the wrecks and lakes.
• Puerto Princesa. The capital and the main airport. Most visitors spend a night here for the Underground River and then move on.

El Nido's municipality counts about 50 white-sand beaches, but the ones you came for are out in Bacuit Bay. The four standard island-hopping routes, Tours A, B, C and D, take in the Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon and Small Lagoon, Snake Island, Hidden Beach and Secret Beach. Joiner tours ran about $19 to $29 (1,200 to 1,800 pesos) a person in August 2026, plus lagoon fees of about $3 (200 pesos) each and kayak rental. The protected-area board caps daily visitors at Big Lagoon, so agencies book slots in advance.

In Coron, Kayangan Lake and the lagoons around Coron Island are the highlights. The water in the lagoons is generally calm and good for confident young swimmers with life jackets; the open crossings between islands can be choppy. We score Palawan's beaches 8.5 out of 10: among the most striking settings on the site, held back only because you need a boat to reach them.

• Puerto Princesa Underground River. About 50 miles (80 km) north of the city. You travel by road to Sabang, then about 20 minutes by boat to the park, and paddle into an 8.2 km (5.1-mile) underground river. The city tourism office requires a permit from its booking office at the City Coliseum before you go, and lists the entry permit at about $3 to $4 (175 to 250 pesos); a self-arranged trip with boat, eco fee and audio guide came to about $17 (1,085 pesos) in August 2026, before transport.
• Coron wreck diving. About a dozen Japanese warships, sunk on September 24, 1944, lie at 33 to 130 feet (10 to 40 m).
• El Nido island hopping and kayaking, above.
• Calauit Safari Park, reached on tours from Coron.

That fills a week of active days. Culture, food and nightlife are thin next to Bali, so we score things to do 8.

Go from December to May. PAGASA, the Philippine weather service, describes the country's rainy season as June to November and the dry season as December to May, with a cooler stretch from December to February and a hot one from March to May. Typhoons that hit the Philippines form near the Marianas and Caroline Islands and move northwest; in the rainy season, island-hopping tours and flights can be cancelled for days. The climate table on this page shows each month from our dataset, and our February ranking shows how Palawan compares that month.

Puerto Princesa's airport has only domestic flights, from Manila, Cebu, Clark, Davao and Iloilo, and no US nonstops. Most Americans fly to Manila and connect. From Puerto Princesa to El Nido, shared vans ran $11 to $13 (720 to 790 pesos) and buses $10 to $17 (610 to 1,080 pesos) in August 2026, taking 5 to 7.5 hours. Small turboprops also fly to El Nido's Lio airport; since March 29, 2026 they leave from Clark rather than Manila, and there is a Cebu route as well.

US citizens need a passport valid 6 months beyond the planned stay and no visa for tourism under 30 days, according to the State Department. Register on the free eTravel system within 72 hours before arrival. In El Nido, every visitor pays the Ecotourism Development Fee of $6 (400 pesos), valid 10 days; keep the receipt for your tours. See our passport rules guide.

Rooms are cheap: $40 to $44 a night for a well-reviewed El Nido hotel on our dates. The money goes on moving around and on the water: a domestic flight from Manila, the van or flight to El Nido, $19 to $29 per tour day plus lagoon fees, and the $6 eco fee. Peso conversions use the European Central Bank reference rate of October 19, 2026, about 63 pesos to the dollar. Tour prices come from a Philippine travel guide's August 2026 survey of operators, not from an official list, so check before you book.

Coron Ultimate Tour: 7 Destinations with Lunch & Transfers

Guide, boat, lunch and pickup in Coron Town are included; the Coron environmental fee is paid on arrival and snorkel gear is extra.

1 day

4.8★★★★★★★★★★(1,496 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

From Puerto Princesa: Underground River Full-Day Trip

Transport, boats, guide and lunch are included; the 150 PHP environmental fee is not. The drive is about two hours each way.

8-10 hours

4.5★★★★★★★★★★(1,740 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

El Nido: Island Hopping Tour A Lagoons and Beaches

Guide, boat and lunch are included; the El Nido eco-fee (400 PHP), Big Lagoon fee (200 PHP), kayak rental and hotel pickup are not. Every operator runs the same fixed route, so you are mostly choosing a boat crew.

6-8 hours

4.4★★★★★★★★★★(2,002 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.