Philippines · ISLAND HOPPING TOURS IN PUERTO PRINCESA
Honda Bay is the easy one and Port Barton is the long drive that pays off. The 13 below compare both, with prices, transfer times and what the island fees add on the day.
Join guides such as Jed, Jeff, Echo, or Rowena for a full day around Honda Bay. Swim at Luli Island, snorkel at Pambato Reef, enjoy a generous lunch at Cowrie Island, and add a beach massage for a relaxed finish.
“Fun! A bit pricey, I wish at least snorkels were included, but overall a very lovely day and lunch was good.”
Spend seven hours around Port Barton with guides such as Prince, Pong, Jose, or Randy. Snorkel at Turtle Spot and Twin Reef, look for starfish, visit up to six islands and reefs, and eat a generous local BBQ lunch on the beach. Pickup from Port Barton proper is included.
“Randy was very kind guide and the food prepared was very nice.”
Leave Puerto Princesa at about 5 AM for Port Barton, then spend the day by boat at Turtle Spot, Twin Reef, Starfish Island, and a white-sand island. You get snorkeling gear, a life vest, BBQ lunch, guide, and hotel transfers, but the round trip takes about eight hours by van.
“alors activité moyenne dans l'ensemble.Le transport e van partage etait totalement horrible à l'aller:le chauffeur conduisait tres vite et etait anxiogèn.Un trajet stressant et horrible.Pour le retour,un peu mieux mais les chauffeurs conduisent vraiement trop vite. concernant l'activité,je n'ai ete pris en compte par aucun guide,juste placer parmi un groupe de personnes. Sur le tour en lui meme,pas trop mal mais les étoiles de mer ont l'air morte et nous n'avons pas vu ou tres peu vu de tortues. bref,beaucoup de routes et de grosses prises de risques pour une activité moyenne.A eviter ou à faire directement depuis Port Barton.”
Spend seven hours island hopping from Puerto Princesa to Luli Island, Pambato Reef, and Cowrie Island. Your package includes hotel pickup, boat transfers, guide, entrance fees, life vest, and Filipino buffet lunch. Bring money for snorkel gear and the ₱150 environmental fee.
“I wasn't picked up at the hostel, so the tour didn't happen. No one responded to my messages.”
Leave Puerto Princesa before dawn for El Nido’s Bacuit Bay. After a five-hour van ride, you’ll visit up to five sites, such as Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Seven Commandos Beach, and Big Lagoon, with lunch, snorkeling gear, aqua shoes, and kayak rental included.
“I’d give zero if i could, it’s a TOTAL WASTE of money and time. We book this thinking that it would help us first to save some money, and then to enjoy more the time in Palawan. But it was actually a shame. They write the things included, but they dont say that it means “we include offering you for a price”, not that you already paid. It was so frustrating and disappointing. Then we where supposed to leave at 5 pm, spoiler, we ended up leaving at 7:30 pm, no communication at all with the agency, and the driver was the rudest, he just kept us waiting even though…”
Join a shared Honda Bay cruise from Puerto Princesa, with hotel pickup, a motorized boat, lunch, and stops at Starfish Island, Luli Island, and Cowrie Island. You will snorkel, swim, relax on white sand, and meet other visitors. The van usually carries 13 people.
“It was a good experience with the weather being on our side. Sunshine without any clouds so perfect for sunbathing & relaxation. The views of the horizon were stunning, mountainous Philippines. I would recommend this tour for what it offers. Lunch was filling and delicious, especially the BBQ fish!”
Join an English-speaking guide at Happy Bar for a seven-hour Port Barton boat trip to Maxima, Exotic Island, a sandbar, Twin Reef, Fantastic Reef, and the Turtle Sanctuary. Lunch, drinking water, snorkeling gear, a life vest, and licensed boat transport are included.
“toda la tripulación, el almuerzo, los lugares visitados”
Spend about eight hours exploring Honda Bay from Puerto Princesa, with stops at Cowrie, Lu-Li, and Starfish islands. You get shared hotel pickup, a guide, a buffet lunch, time to swim and snorkel, and a chance to see starfish and fish up close. Bring water shoes and rent your own gear.
“First, our tour guide, Ana, was the best. She went above and beyond in every respect. She even personally cooked our masarap lunch. I wish more tour guides were like her. She took personal pride in representing her beautiful country. The tRead more”
Spend three days exploring Balabac’s white-sand islands, turtle waters, coral reefs, giant clams, sandbars, and sunset lighthouse. The $422 package includes transport, simple lodging, meals, boat trips, fees, guide, and safety gear, but expect a 5 to 7 hour journey and very basic facilities.
“NOT AS ADVERTISED. Very unorganised chaos from start to finish Did not get a room for 2 people, had to share with 4 (2 random people) due to them not sorting rooms. Also if you are a backpacker, they say you can store luggage but we couldnt and had to take our big backpacks with us. Activity provider not helpful. Our tour guide and boat crew were all lovely though and made the trip more enjoyable”
Spend about seven hours island hopping from Puerto Princesa to Cowrie, Luli, and Starfish Island. Swim, snorkel, see starfish, enjoy a picnic lunch, and travel by air-conditioned van and motorized boat with an English-speaking guide and crew.
“You must(my advice for the future)wear long sleeves to not get burn skin... otherwise really nice visiting 3 islands for snorkeling, swiming, chilling, and food on one of the islands.”
Spend about eight hours with a private guide and boat from Puerto Princesa, visiting Luli Island, Pambato Reef, and Cowrie Island. Swim, snorkel, and eat a buffet lunch by the sea. Guides such as Step and Rabini are noted for thoughtful service and useful local insight.
“We did the private tour with Step from Corazon Travel & Tours and he was like a professor the way he educated us about the Palawn Islands and wildlife. He also went way above and beyond his duties as he stayed with us after the tour to show us how to get to downtown Puerto Princessa from Honda Bay. The islands were absolutely beautiful and of all the tours we did in Palawan this one had the best lunch. We were surrounded by colorful, beautiful fish during our snorkeling session and Step even pointed out 3 giant clams that were an endangered species. It was quite a sight to see…”
Spend about seven hours island-hopping from Puerto Princesa to Pambato Reef, Luli Island, and Cowrie Island. Your English-speaking guide handles the permits, boat transfers, lunch, and safety gear, while you pay extra for snorkeling equipment, water shoes, kayaking, and the PHP 150 environmental fee.
“organizzazione degli orari perfetta e puntuale, sono passati a prendermi in ostello all' orario indicato e mi hanno anche gentilmente lasciato in areoporto perché subito dopo avevo un volo. le isole e il posto dove fare snorkeling sono veramente bellissime, molto piccole, con un po' di gente ma non troppa. gita ideale per una giornata relax”
Spend about seven hours on Honda Bay, traveling by air-conditioned van and boat to Cowrie, Luli, and Starfish islands. Your licensed guide handles the day, with picnic lunch included. Plan for the ₱150 environmental fee and optional ₱200 snorkeling gear.
“The tour and staff is very professional we had a great time we drove ourselves to the tour and found parking easily everything was communicated up front it was very enjoyable”
Pick an island, a reef or a waterfall.
