Shimmering aquamarine sea, towering forest green mountains intertwined with dark turquoise brambles. An unforgettable scenery, a fantastical wonderland. You may be wondering, what is this picture perfect place? Does it even exist? Yes, it does. And it’s none other than Palawan, in the Philippines. One of the most outstanding Island in the Philippines.
You can spend your days paddling across ancient lagoons between the towering rock formations, scramble through mazed forests to remote waterfalls, up your relaxation to the max on sun-drenched beaches. This small island holds more than you think so i’m going to be your
Don’t hold back to go all out on this magical journey. Discover and explore. It’s always the most unsuspecting moments that make the visit unforgettable. So? What are you waiting for?
Hold your horses cause this is gonna be nerve racking!
How to get there?
The airline most people and I would suggest for you to take is Air Asia as it would be much cheaper. There are two choices in which you can choose to your own convenience. First choice, you can fly directly to Palawan from your respective country. Second choice, you can transfer flights from your country, to sabah and straight to Palawan.
Need A Place To Stay?
After a tiring journey, you might be just as tired as I am so you can take a taxi and go to ‘ Garden Island Resort And Spa ‘ . It is an amazing hotel. However it is a little pricey as it costs 530 ₱ per night..….BUT it is very worth it as you can visit many tourists attractions as well as restaurants.
Tourist Attractions
1.River Cave
If you’re still craving for more adventures, you can visit the River Caves, a unesco heritage site, Where you can either enter the caves using a paddle boat or zipline around the green island. Although the zipline is only for adults, the paddle boat is a family activity. In this case, Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa is a really good advantage, as you can simply book the tour from the hotel, at a cheaper price, plus everything is much more arranged!
You can go there for only 1500 ₱ (RM 123) per person, with lunch provided, transport to and fro, motorboat ride from Sabang port to the river cave entrance, zipline and the boat tour inside the caves. It is open from 8 AM to 4PM, which gives you plenty of time to adventure the island.
The tour from the hotel takes you to a jeti, where all the boats heading towards the caves are. We were then arranged into groups. Even though you might have to wait for a while, there are many vendors selling ice cream and other goodies around.
After some time, we were sorted into boats according to our groups, and we were off. It was a really enjoyable ride, as the sea was trash clean, and crystal clear. The view was impeccable, and sooner than I expected, we were nearing the island. It was oddly shaped, but that only added to its beauty. I thought that we were going to ride around the island, as there were no caves in my sight, but as we were making a circle around the island, a sharp turn took us into a whole different world.
I was surrounded by rocky caverns and steep limestone formations, all brought together with a cover of grass at the very top. And yet, we hadn’t even started.
I was brought back to my senses when our tour guide parked our boat at a small shore, and asked us to get out. We did as we were told, and were taken to a small wooden hut where we were given life jackets and safety helmets, in case any rocks from the ceiling of the cave were to fall on us.
Before I knew it, I was getting on the small 6 person paddle boat and we were making our way to the grand, but natural entrance of the cave. As we approached it, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of nervousness, as it was pitch black in the cave, and I couldn’t see what was awaiting me.
However, as the darkness enveloped me, I , for some reason, felt a bit of reassurance, that
it was going to be a good journey. And I was right.
There were towering stalactites and stalagmites, of all kinds of odd shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, It finished sooner than I wanted it to, but I had to tell myself that at least I had made incredible memories there.
Soon we were heading back to the hotel for the lunch provided by them and as well as getting some rest. It was almost time for me to leave for El Nido for snorkeling.
We took a van to the next town, for our upcoming activities. The duration of the ride was about 2 hours, but it’s totally worth the wait. It was surprising, the first thing I came across when I arrived was mcdonalds. The view was absolutely outstanding! There were countless beachside restaurants, I didn’t even know what to eat for lunch. There wasn’t a speck of garbage on the beach, it was so clean! I had to climb up some stairs that lead to a mountain.
After awhile, I went back down to the sea for a snorkelling reservation I had made . It costs 1256 ₱ ( Rm103) for one person, with lunch provided, and a full tour around the best and most beautiful spots around El Nido. Each trip takes around 7 hours, and departs from the coast at 9 AM. Even though it may take a whole day, and you’ll be extremely tired after the trip, it’s totally worth it, and you will get some truly beautiful pictures at the end.
The water movements were so tempting, I was trying to hold back from jumping in immediately. There will be an instructor to help you at all times so don’t worry. It’s simply magical once you dive in , it feels like you’re a mermaid. This is because you’re going to swim with the fish, pass through corals, get slapped by a seaweed or even witness some of the extinct marine animals. Such as the whale shark, which has white spots all over.
After much of being Ariel from the Little mermaid, it’s time to get lunch! There are many varieties of meat and vegetables onwards to fresh seafood that’s waiting for you. One of the highly recommended restaurant is the ‘The Reef Cafe’. Palawan is known for its fresh seafood. It is a big recommendation that whenever you visit palawan seafood is a MUST. Not only the smell will lure you in but the visuals of the dish will pull you in without mercy.
‘The Reef Cafe’ has all the Mouth Watering delicacies such as shown in the menu above.
It’s time to drool!!
The menu also includes :
– Fish and Chips
– Grilled chicken
– Soft tacos
– Bolognese pasta
– Caesar salad
– Chicken kebab
– Spicy tuna pasta
One Of The Specialties includes their burger ! However , aside from all the delicious dishes I chose the Classic Cheese. First looks, it’s very appetising. When i took my first bite, it was a flavour explosion, I unexpectedly drooled from the side of my mouth. It was a mouth-gasm. Every Bite I took had flavours i never tasted before.
But WAIT ! Along with eating these delicious delicacies you also have a beautiful scenery to go with your meal. Just like Romeo and Juliet.
After the meal, i went back to the hotel to rest up. I was planning to take a stroll around the beach and take some instagram worthy pictures as well as enjoying the sea breeze.
I took a step outside and immediately felt the strong gust of cold wind swaying to my face. I rushed down so i could see the sunset and it was unbelievably beautiful. I would suggest to stay for at least 1 hour to enjoy the sceneries of the beach.
My stomach was grumbling for more, although i just had lunch i was craving for dinner. I wanted something light yet filling for dinner. I went to the most crowded restaurant and ordered two tuna sandwiches!! Although it was simple, there was a lot of ingredients in the sandwich such as cheese and french fries.
After the appealing meal i had, i headed back to my tent and was getting ready for lights out. But before that i felt like spending some more time here, like reading books at the library. I went to the library and grabbed any book of my choice. The numbers of books they have there is countless. It wasn’t long before i went to sleep, i felt a bit down because it was my last night here before going back home. It was a memorable trip i can never forget.
I would recommend to stay at the garden island and spa hotel for 2 nights because its closer to the snorkelling activities. As for the other hotel which is the tent, it would be better if you would stay for 3 nights because it is closer to the snorkelling activities.
For the amount of money you have to bring for this entire trip would be about 5000.
Unfortunately, the time has come and the fun has ended… I have to return back home and leave this paradise…I will always cherish this fun experience in my life forever, I am going home but I will revisit again and make even more memorable memories with loved ones.
I love coffee and homework 