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Palawan (Updated 7th January, 2005) Palawan is sometimes called the last frontier. Palawan was hard hit by an almost 95% reduction in tourism when a couple of Americans were kidnapped about 4 years ago. One has to take things onto perspective though. In reality, the chance of getting kidnapped is about as likely as getting struck by lightning. It should be the furthest thing from your mind. Janet and I have been there many times - what else can we say about the security. The effect of these kidnappings on Palawan was to send many tourist resorts broke. Your travel guide book may well be out of date the day it is printed. Tourism has been picking up over the last year though. It will probably increase further as a result of the devastating tsunamis on the Indian Ocean regions.
Getting There
It has been possible to fly Air Philippines from Manila to Puerto Princesa with a night in the Legend hotel included in the travel package. The flight takes about one hour and leaves Manila in the morning. Enquire about similar packages with a travel agent.
Based on our travel here, Sabang and El Nido are not negotiable; they are what Palawan is about. Port Barton is an optional destination, but if you are traveling by bangka all the way from Sabang to El Nido, Coconut Garden Island, a 45 minute boat ride from Port Barton, will provide the perfect halfway stop over. We say "optional" for Port Barton with some reservation. It is more out of the way than Sabang and El Nido, but if you have the time, include it. There is a very nice river and waterfall and is about a 1 1/2 hour walk from town.
The way you travel around Palawan will vary according to the time of year. If you can, we recommend traveling from Sabang to El Nido by boat, with a Coconut Garden Island stopover. The coastline near El Nido is stunning - images that remain for ever in your memory. The waters are calmest in May (which is also the hottest time). The clockwise route of Sabang, Port Barton, El Nido is the best way to do it by Bangka (boat). It is more difficult to get a boat from El Nido to Port Barton than the other way around. There are no regular boat services so you will have to hire. Usually a boat accommodates 4 people.
Other travel alternatives are to fly SEAIR from Puerto Princesa to El Nido, or travel by bus. SEAIR also does Manila to El Nido. In this case you would work backwards. Between June and November the road from Puerto Princesa to El Nido is often closed. Last September our friend, Zed, chose to go by bus. The bus became bogged in the mud and had to be pulled out the next day by a tractor. The road was then declared officially closed (temporarily) with the only way back to Puerto Princesa being boat travel or SEAIR.
Island Transvoyager Inc (previously Soriano Aviation) has several flights a day from Manila to El Nido and back. Their only function in life is to transport guests to and from the exclusive El Nido resorts. They will however take other passengers if they have room. It cost me P8,800 return but they wanted a faxed copy of my drivers license to prove I was a Philippines' resident. That means that if you are not, it is going to cost you more. I don't know how much. It is convenient to fly with them as SEAIR only flies there 2 times a week. Speak to Peachy on +63 2 851 5674 or +63 2 854 1417. The terminal for this airline is a bit hard to find so make sure you get good directions. They can fax you a map. Also, if you fly back with them to Manila, there is about a 10 minute walk to a taxi. Don't catch one directly outside because they are going to charge you five times the going rate.
Sandflies
Some of the beaches, especially Palawan, have sandflies. We have been bitten on the Palawan beaches of Sabang, Port Barton and El Nido. Their bites can lead to tropical ulcers, or worse, unless you treat them correctly. We are talking from personal experience. Read our section on Sandflies.
Malaria
Malaria is a problem in some parts of Palawan, especially during the rainy season in the jungles. Our friend Zed has had a month off work after his Palawan trip because of it. We take our biological warfare kit rather than the anti malarial drugs. Apart from wearing personal insect repellent at all times, we give our room and mosquito net a good dose of insect spray in the early evening and burn mosquito coils at night. Because you cant carry pressure cans of insect repellent on an airplane, it is one of the first things that we buy when we arrive in Palawan. The worst areas are in Southern Palawan, which are not destinations covered in our web site. I have heard of no Malaria in either El Nido or Puerto Princesa.
Dynamite and cyanide fishing
Dynamite and cyanide fishing have left their mark wherever you dive in the Philippines. A recent newspaper report on the problem quoted that 55% of El Nido's reefs were in poor condition and 45% were in fair condition. Just not enough is done to control it. You can help by not buying live fish at restaurants in Asia. The testing authority for live fish found that 45% of Palawan's fish had traces of Cyanide.
Poaching in the El Nido sanctuary is also a problem – particularly for the turtles which fetch a lot of money in the market place. When you are a diver, these facts are very disturbing because you can see the evidence.
Tourists have a lot of clout when it comes to environmental protection. The "high-end resorts" spend big advertising dollars (Won, Yen Euro and Pounds) to create a pristine image of the El Nido reefs. As tourists, you can make sure that this is a reality and not an illusion. Time is running out for Palawan as the squatters, driven by extraordinary poverty, catch whatever they can by any possible means so as to survive. The wonderful success in protecting the whale sharks of Donsol came about because the local community discovered that there is more money to be made for out of showing the sharks to the tourists, than there is to me made out of selling its meat. Only tourist pressure will save the Palawan environment... Think about that.
© 2004 Travel-Philippines.com