Trip To Palawan Cheap Adventure Tips! (Island Hopping)

Let's move to my 6th day experience in Palawan. I really waited this day because we will do Island Hopping and in fact this is our first time. One of the most visited places in Palawan Puerto Princesa is Honda Bay, if you love beachin' and Island hoppin' this place suits to you.

Let me give you some idea about going to Honda bay, have you heard this place? Anyway Honda bay, is one of the best attractions in Palawan aside from the very famous "Palawan Underground River". This is an island hopping activity where in you can choose what islands you want to visit. There are seven islands in that tour, the Pambato Reef, Arreceffi Island, Bat Island, Cowrie Island, Pandan Island, Starfish Island and Luli Island. It's your choice if you want to complete it or just only go to wherever you want. 

Let me help you regarding to this part. If you have plan to do this activity, do it as early as you can. Better to go early in the morning so you can visit a lot of islands without suffering too much sun burns. Bring a lot of food para mas masaya wala kasing mga bilihan dun unless mag buffet kayo sa Pandan Island. You can do this activity by going to some tour agencies anywhere in Palawan so that you will not get hassles for your transportation. But if you want to make "tipid" and challenge yourself, I advice you to do it by your group mates without additional fees of travel agencies and tour guides because this is easy. Just plan day ahead,  If you are from Puerto Princesa Proper, It is probably 45 mins depending to what kind of transportation you have. You can rent tricycle cheaper than vans, just email me or comment below and I will help you to this tour. My best friend's father is a tricycle driver he can send you to Honda Bay back and fort with cheaper price ( for 6 seats only but can put a lot of bitbitins, just tell me :D ) you can rent him for all of your tours para makatipid kayo ng bonga kesa mag rerent kayo ng vans. Transportation in Palawan are limited, my whole stay parang 2 jeepneys, at iilan na bus lang ang nakita ko.. the rest are multi-cabs at isang katerbang tricycle. Tricycle ang mas useful sa kanila, mas convinient at kahit saan ka lumingon you can see it everywhere. 

Upon Honda Bay arrival, you have to fill-up some forms regarding to your tour. You have to declare how many islands are you going. Each of it has its own entrance fee some are 50's some are 60 per pax usually ganyan lang ang prices nila except Pandan Island which is 800 php. Yes, 800.. mahal talaga, dati daw 50 lang din yun. But they said, kaya mahal kasi may kasama na daw yun na lunch buffet. I don't really know if bukod sa buffet meron pa syang ibang inclusions, hindi na kasi namin yun isinama sa list namin since 800 each is too expensive para sa aming 6. After deciding your stops, you need to pay for your boat, 1500 php good thing if may kasama kayong senior kasi meron discount. We only paid 1200 kasi kasama si tatay. hehe. Then you also need to pay 40 pesos for (nakalimutan ko yung tawag dun, basta para sa nature or environmental ek ek yun. nakalimutan ko din kung per pax ang bayad or per group, bahala na kayo dun..haha ) Sa gilid nung bayaran nun, you can see swimming gears you can rent it 100 per gear. Magrent kayo so that makapag snorkeling kayo ng bongga, masaya yun promise!!! Upon completion of everything, you can go now to your boat, wear your life vest, sit, eat, selfie and relax. Let the adventures begin!

We just decided to go 3 Islands, The Starfish Island, Pambato Reef and Luli Island. Ang aming bangkero were super bait, and tour us very well. He explained a lot of things to us and answers our Palawan curiosities. Lagi syang nag oofer na maging photographer namin at maagaling sya sa mga camera tricks. But you know what, lahat nang bangkero dun ay halos ganun and they will hold your camera and teach you how to pose for their camera tricks like this. Palaweños are very kind and accommodating, dahil bukod sa pag giging photographer ni kuya, they will really tour you, para maexperience ang under water activities. Actually I'm afraid to swim lalo na pag di ko na abot ang sahig, at dahil malalim dun talagang nag effort si kuya iikot ako sa magandang underwater view ng hindi binibitawan ang kamay ko just for me to feel safe and to see those nice corals and different fish species. Salamat kay kuya at sa aking mahiwagang snorkeling gear... haha.

lets now talk about the islands we visited. Our first stop is Starfish Island (Entrance fee : 50 per pax), so word from itself, madami talagang starfish, maaaliw ka talaga ng bongga. May malaki, may maliit. First time ko nakakita ng starfish shells, at ang pinaka nawindang ako is sa underwater, kinuha ni kuya yung mala-bolang starfish shell at pinahawak nya sakin. Ang laki nun at at super nakakatuwa. Pero syempre binalik din agad. Bawal kasi yun kuhain at iuwi, mas syado silang protected sa dagat dun, they are also not allowed to do fishing to those places or else may parusa ofcourse. He looked for nemo and dory, and showed them to us. The activity that you can do here is to swim, snorkel, fish feeding and mag picture ng wantusawa. Cottages here is only 50 pesos, good thing here is maraming mga naka nakalagay for your camera tricks. Don't forget to take pictures sa malaking frame that's one of their good ideas and always bring kahit anong tinapay para sa fish feeding super enjoy talaga yun. I swear. This part I wore shorts, kaya lang nung inikot ako ni kuya, ayun kinagat ako ng isda. napadaan kasi kami sa base nung territorial na isda kaya ayun. Hindi naman masakit masyado nakakagulat lang..hehe. So I decided to change outfit sa next na pupuntahan namin baka kasi maubos ung hita ko.. :)

This is the view of starfish Island, from this part tanaw yung Underground River, sya ung faded na parangpatusok tusok na mountain behind the clouds. I really want to go there actually, medyo kinapos lang sa budget kaya hindi kami natuloy jan. But why we go Palawan is that because of Underground River, napurnada lang talaga.. haha Anyway, sabi kasi dun.. gagastos ka ng 1000-1500 per head. But my bestfriend's sister gave us tip, go to Palawan on September (whole month) because during this month free ang underground to anyone. Tribute daw nila to sa mga can't afford mag Underground River especially sa mga taga palawan mismo. Parang anniversary yun mula nung nahirang sya na one of the seven wonders of the world. Kaya babalik nalang kami..if not this year probably next year! hehe

After starfish Island, we visited Pambato Reef.  (Entrance fee : 50 per pax), No cottage here. Its not an island, but they made something in the middle of the sea. Gumawa sila ng daungan, daanan ng mga tourists. Actually, meron tong malaking pawikan na nakabubong as its tourists cover for init kaya lang nung nagpunta kami sabi tinangal daw muna kasi aayusin ulit. Anyway, this place is nice too. The activity that you can do here is to snorkeling lang and fish feeding.

This is super lalim talaga, at first ayaw na ayaw ko lumangoy kasi malalim sya as in wala manlang seashore para mag streaching muna haha.. but then no choice I have to be brave so that I can witness the real beauty of the sea at masulit ko naman ung entrance fee ko haha.  I jumped (I had vest) and still hold the salbabida takot lang mamatay. haha Nag snorkel kami paikot, I really enjoyed it. I really saw it was super lalim, salamat sa vest that I'm still alive. I saw big clams, nice corals, small and big fish. I regret I don't have underwater camera. This spot is the best daw for snorkeling kasi andito yung super daming isda and that's true naman talaga. Nung nag fifish feeding ako, dinudumog ako ng isda kaya super aliw kahit ung malalaking isda lumalapit din. Ok naman kasi wala naman kumagat sakin this time. Siguro kasi cover galore na yung suot ko this time.. hehehe. We didn't spent too much time here, after makalibot dumiretcho na agad kami sa aming final destination.
 (horror? haha)


Now let's move to our very last island visit. The ''Luli Island" name came from the word itself "LU" lulubog and "LI" lilitaw.  Yes, lulubog lilitaw nga ang island na to every high tide and low tide.(Entrance Fee: 60) I really love this place, nainlove talaga ako sa ganda nya. Super clear ng tubig, white sand and super the best and view kaya lang super inet kasi ala una na yan as in tirik na tirik na ang araw pero ayaw nilang magpaawat lumangoy.

You can also do fish feeding here. Make sure marami ka pang tinapay kasi mga gutom ang isda dito. hehe. May mga cottages dito pero I dont know how much, hindi na kasi kami nagcottage.  One nice thing here is kuya didn't stop capturing us nice camera tricks until the end. This is actually maliit lang na sand castle, magaling lang talaga si kuya sa mga angulo-angulo kaya the #BestPicEver ang peg namin dito.

 I really enjoyed all the places, but for me I super enjoyed LULI. While I was there, I keep on thinking na sana pag balik ko I can bring my family so that they can also enjoy the beauty of Palawan. That time I really promised myself to go back and to do more activities. I will plan my next travel in Palawan and try El Nido naman.

Sa sobrang enjoy ko, this is what I got after. Ok lang maging nognog sunog basta nasulit naman namin ang Island Hopping. Sun marks my hand, but Palawan marks my mind and heart. :)

Well, I hope you learned anything from my travel diaries, let this be your guide and just in case you have questions, just comment below and I'll try to answer you as fast as possible. See you in my last  activity in my Trip To Palawan Cheap Adventure Tips! Keep on reading !

Trip To Palawan Cheap Adventure Tips! Part II

Hi there good day! I will now continue blogging my cheap adventure in Palawan. As I promise I need to continue my part 2 this time. Anyway Let's move to my 5th day experience there. Monday is one of the busiest day of all the workers, yes that's true! I'm not a worker in Palawan but one thing is I have the busiest schedule for that day. Are you wondering why? it's because this is the start of our "pasyal-pasyal" or "gala-gala" anywhere hehe. I love exploring or going anywhere that's why this is kinda awesome job for me.

If you will go Puerto Princesa don't miss a chance to visit these places. As what I told you in my last post bibihira ang bakery na masarap ang tinda sa lugar na yun, maliban lang talaga sa isang ito. This place is awesome! and infact walang Entrance fee.. inuulit ko po, NO ENTRANCE FEE kaya mas masarap pag libre haha. Ang rule lang dito, don't bring any food or beverages inside. Wala syang entrance but the counter part is you have to try their food inside. But this is optional, kung gusto mo kumain ok lang naman, at kung hindi ok lang din. But best thing is to make your visit sulit try to eat kasi masarap! Actually, If you will go some souvenir shops anywhere in Palawan isa sa madalas na makikita nyong food label is Baker's Hill, kasi halos lahat dun yun nang galing. Famous talaga sya dahil one of the best souvenir and food suppliers sya. You can buy many things inside like snacks, breads, pastries, hopia, pizza sweets, heavy meals at marami pang iba. Buy and bring home para matikman din ng family nyo as your cheap but delicious pasalubong.

Maiba tayo, lets now talk about the place itself. I don't really know who own this, but I admire kasi he or she is very kind for opening their place free for tourists, well in the first place pwede talaga sya magkaroon ng entrance kasi super ganda ng lugar but they chose to be nice in that way kaya "BOW" ako sa kanila. When you enter the place, you can see a lot of statues, human size Disney characters like Donald duck and friends. You can also see Shrek's house with his wife and children. (Expect that it's big). Love is in the air inside kasi you will see a lot of hearts. You can take a lot of selfies there, because everywhere is a great spot  for capturing photos. When we went there, some other parts are still on renovation. Inaayos nila, and I think that's for expansion. Puerto Princesa is famous in crocodiles and peacocks, inside Baker's Hill you can't find real crocodile (wood crockies meron hehe) but you can see a lot of peacocks there! Take selfies with them. 

after taking a lot of pictures, buy and eat we went out to say goodbye in that place. My best friend saw pearls selling outside Bakers Hill. Trivia to each of you, don't be surprise for the pearl prices in Palawan because that's totally CHEAP and that's all real. I bought 3 pearls earings for my mother, sister in law and cousin-twinie. I also bought necklace for myself. What's nice here, is that this is a surprise pearl. The seller will actually open it in front of you, nakalagay sa small can yung pearl, it's still in its original shell they will open it for you, you will make a wish(nakasulat sa kasi sa box nabasa ko lang haha hindi sinabi ni kuya kaya hindi ako nakapag wish!) then surprise kung anong kulay ang mapupunta sayo. Pearl colors has meanings check it nalang, just search it. (Actually meron din sa box nakasulat.) I got white one. Its actually still alive, sabi ni kuya lalaki pa daw yun kasi hindi pa nabubutasan or natutusukan. Inasemble ni kuya ung necklace, inopen ung pendant at dun nilagay sa loob ung pearl. Sabi nya hindi daw nangungupas ung necklace. I believed. Pagkauwi ko ng cavite may part na nagfade.. bad trip diba? haha pero ok lang papagawa nalang ako ng silver na katulad ng pendant nya someday. 

I just want to give you a tip, better not to buy there kung pupunta pa naman kayo ng crocodile farm. Why? because mas mura yung mga souvenirs items dun. Naasar ako kasi 300 benta nya sa necklace, 250 nalang daw, and we bought this like 200 kasi tumawad pa kami dalawa ksi kami ni bestfriend ang bumili.. but when I go to crocodile farm and check the prices, 100 lang.. sayang! at mas mura pa dun ung mga earings.. double yung price ni kuya. But anyway, ung prices nya is ganun talaga since negosyante sya at akala nya mayamang turista kami.. haha  just that, mas mura talaga ng double sa crocodile farm. Dun kayo mamili ok?! but if you don't have any chance or time to go that farm, worth it nadin naman kay kuya since medyu malayo din yun hindi kana mamamasahe.

After Baker's Hill, we went crocodile farm right away! It's probably 30 mins or less away from our first stop just that we arrived early. I don't know the morning schedule but afternoon will start at 1 pm. Since napaaga naman kami, nakita ko yung isang helerang souvenir shops kaya nag ikot ikot muna kami. Infairness naman sa mga stores dito mura ung mga souvenirs nila, I really advice you guys to buy here. I saw some palawan T-shirts worth 90 php only, wallets for only 20-25 depende sa size yung iba 50-60-100. They have a lot of pearls din super mura and mga chains. I bet pag dito kayo mamili, mapapasalubungan nyu halos lahat ng gusto nyong pasalubungan. One good thing in palawan is you can buy their stuffs in a nice price. Enjoy shopping!!

Maiba tayo, while picking some souvenirs some one has an announcement. Ready na daw to open para sa tourist yung farm so anyone can buy tickets na. My hubby hurriedly buy our tickets 40 pesos lang sya each..I though mahal.. but super cheap naman. When you go there, iniipon muna nila yung tao since kailngan sabay sabay ang pasok ng tourists kasi merong guide na nag eexplain ng bawat sulok. After buying tickets first thing to do is, of course to selfie.. haha.. pero maliban jan we need to register first. After registration, you have to listen to the tour guide explaining those crocodile species.  You can see  the big fossils of crocodile when you enter that building. May matututunan ka naman sa nag sasalita and they will teach you what to do and what are not to do inside.  And this is actually the real photo of crocodile, this is real, also the balat is real. You can take selfies and post what ever you want.  After explaining we went to another building where you can see real crocodiles. We went to hatchling house where you can see those smaller crocodiles. The girl explain, explain and explained.

HANDS OFF, bawal hawakan syempre baka mangagat. No flash din para sa mga cam baka madisturb at mag wild kasi sila, after that we continue walking and go to the bigger crocodiles. Aakyat kayo ng hagdan, so nasa taas kayo, nasa baba sila, mga nakanganga and if malaglag ka good luck naman sa beauty mo. haha The crocodiles here are so big, and take note they are not vegetarians, so ingat nalang. In this farm they have best seller, they are selling crocodile sisig, so para sa mahihilig sa exotic foods you can personally try it.
Well, nice thing here is you can also have a chance to touch them and have selfie together. Meron silang photobooth where in you can have photo off with the mini crocodile. Don't worry they have tape on their mouth so they will not bite you, infact you can bite them. haha. After that picture taking, you can see your photos on the screen, which is edited with a jungle background. You can choose and they will print it out. You will pay something like 200+ i think for 5r. Hindi ko na kinuha since we bought camera naman. Ang mahal ehh.. hehe

After jan sa mga crockodiles, bahala na kayo sa buhay nyo, wala na kayong tour guide. You will allowed to go that nature and discover what's inside by yourself. Maganda yung place, forest na forest, maingay sa mga huni ng ibon, madami ka pang ibang makikitang animals like, different kinds of birds, bear cats, baboy ramo and so on. You will just walk and walk and walk inside. May mga paths naman, you will not get lost kasi meron din namang mga signage to follow and infact kahit medyu malawak sya paikot lang naman sya kaya isa lang ang lalabasan nyo.

I like this experience kasi super dami ako natutunan, I conquer my fear of holding crocodile for at least a minute just for my brave selfie adventure. Hindi ko nalang sya inilagay dito kasi umaapaw na ung pag mumuka ko dito, but I really have a photo with it alone. Another thing is that para kaming nag matanglawin episode ni hubby, feeling ko sya si kuya kim at ako naman si ate kimmy.. haha worst idea. Anyway don't miss a chance to visit this places, mura na nag enjoy ka pa ng bongga, I think you will not spend 500 kasama na ang transpo and foods, wag ka lang mag shoshopping ng bongga. So thats it. This is only for today, I still have more, I will just cut it, so that readers will not get bored.

watch out for my Honda Bay Adventures in our 6th Day  Palawan tour.
Hope you got some tips! keep reading guys. :D

Trip To Palawan Cheap Adventure Tips!

Hi there, If you are planning to go Puerto Princesa Palawan, I may help you find the cheapest but most unforgettable adventure. Let's start like this...

Last February 25, 2016 me and my newly husband went to Puerto Princesa Palawan. Why? because that's my bestfriend's gift for our wedding! yey! actually that's our very first out of town, I mean pinakamalayo so far sa lahat ng gala namin.

To give you some tips, I'm encouraging you to book your flight far from your travel date, kasi mas mura pag ganon at malaki talaga ang matitipid nyo. Try to check cebu pacific flight or Air asia, since sila ung madalas mag karoon ng ticket sale.

Like for example, my bf told our families regarding to our wedding last May 2015, we start planning and I told my bestfriend our plans. She booked our flight the next month while she is still in Norway, kasi may seat sale sa Cebu Pacific and she got it something like 500 pesos per pax for our air fare for one way. Imagine how tipid she got from it, she just paid our roundtrip ticket something like more 2000 includes the tax para samin ni hubby.

 Our travel date was Feb 25, 2016 and go back to Manila March 3, 2016 so meaning we had 8 days enjoying Palawan's paradise. It was so memorable to me infact that was my very first flight and that's our very first flight together so I was super duper happy!! Super memorable sya sakin kasi honestly hindi pa ako nakasakay ng plane. Ganun pala yung feeling, akala ko masarap.. masakit pala sa ulo grabe! Super lucky ako kasi beside the window yung seat ko, lakas lang makatsamba, pero advice lang kaya siguro sumakit ng bongga yung ulo ko kasi the whole travel nakadungaw ako sa bintana ang ganda kasi talaga ng view at hindi ko mapigilang hindi mag picture picture.haha Siguro mag earphones nalang kayo so that hindi nyo masyado marinig ung super lakas na garalgal na tulog ng plane at wag nalang dumungaw ng dumungaw para hindi kayo malula at hindi kayo magkajetlag ng bongacious. Another thing para hindi kayo maboring, join kayo sa game nila, I won cebu Pacific pouch for answering one of their questions. Sumakit man ulo ko but the whole flight to me was sooooo AMAZING! thanks sa cebu pacific.

Anyway, we stayed wescom in my bestfriend's house, malapit kami sa dagat as in walking distance pero ung dagat na yun hindi maganda kasi madumi, malumot, palaisdaan kasi yun kaya not good for swimming, pero you can swim but you need to walk far habang low tide, papunta sa gitna ng dagat bago mo makita ung magandang tubig at mafeel na nasa palawan ka talaga. Pero kung lalakarin mo yun, malayo but worth it kasi crystal clear yung water. Pwede ka din naman magbangka I just don't know how much is the rent or fare. But this view is only good para mag moment at mag muni-muni hehe. I captured this in our Day 2, we went out early morning to see the sun rise and walk as our exercise. Actually, we didnt spend much kasi hindi na kami naghotel, since we stayed in my bestfriends family. Pero if you want to check in some hotels there, may mga cheap naman and some expensive anywhere. Meron dun Go hotels, near rob palawan, mga bed and breakfast madami and the expensive and famous one is The Legend. You can check it online, so you can book too. 

After breakfast we explore the city. We went NCC, famaous mall there we bought foam. Anyway konti lang ung mall dun, may robinsons na pero ung SM ginagawa pa lang as in bakod palang. Then we went City Coliseum, this is famous but actually nothing to do with it. Its just a small park you can take selfie, sit and chat with your partner. \Medyo matagal kami nag antay jan kasi ung bestfriend ko may meeting sa kingdom hall nila, so as in wala kami magawa kundi mag lakad lakad, umupo, mag picture at mag kwentuhan lang.  

After that we went, UNITOP, CHINA TOWN and WET MARKET,  puro market ung pinuntahan namin kasi ung bestfriend ko nag grocery galore! para daw hindi na kami pabalik balik sa bayan. No worries naman dun kasi kung sa mga market ka bibili mura lang talaga ung mga bilihin at hindi masyadong nakaka windang ung prices and napansin ko lang wala masyadong masarap na tinapay.. haha.. maraming bakery pero.. hmmmm.. basta.. haha kayo nalang ang humusga. But there's one bakery naman na masarap talaga... soon I'll tell you where.. hehe just keep on reading.. :)

In our Day 3, I was scheduled to meet my Tita in Palawan Provincial Hospital at 4pm kasi yun ung out nya. She is my uncle's 2nd wife.. actually hindi ko talaga alam kung pang ilan na.. haha basta eto na ung last, separated na ung iba. Sad to say that I didnt see my uncle kasi nasa barko sya that time and cannot go back for us, but Tita is still there to atleast meet us. She brought us to somewhere near the hospital. "Thalias Chaolong", look at the picture, it seems ordinary mami but NO.. this is not mami, this is Chaolong, sabi nila this is vietnamise food, mali ata thailand ata.. anyway whatever kung san man sya galing basta famous sya sa Puerto Princesa, you can see many chaolongans anywhere. The taste is, hmm I dont really understand matamis sya actually hindi ko masyadong maintindihan, but you can put your own seasonings din parang sa lugaw,  but the bread is the best! super I love it. Just to experience palawan chaolong, go try it and eat! Dont missed it before going home malay nyu masarapan kayo baka iba lang talaga ung taste ko kaya ganun.. hehehe. We went to San Jose, to visit their house, medyo malayo pala ung San Jose at parang magubat na, scary lang pauwi delikado daw and infact konti lang ung sasakyan dun may oras lang until 7pm. Kaya kung gagala kayo make sure if until what time lang ang mga transportations para hindi kayo mahirapan. After their house, we went Robinsons Palawan, dun kasi kami pipick up-in ng bestfriend ko to go home. Medyo malaki ung rob unlike rob dasma,  hehe you can buy a lot of souvenirs there, super dami you can choose talaga. After that we went home.

And finally, She is my bestfriend Let Let. The whole day in our Day 4 nag kulong lang kami sa bahay nila kasi meron silang general assembly, 8-5pm kaya wala kaming tour guide we just stayed at home and cleaned their house showing our appreciation for their welcome hehe. After nilang umuwi, nagyaya sya to go Baywalk. Baywalk is a park. A lot of tourists are going there. You will not spend too much money here not unless you will eat a lot. hehe Nag bike kami, 25 php per hour, 60 ung may side car. That time meron ding perya, Im not sure kung seasonal lang un or dun talaga un. Hindi sya ganun kalawak pero enough to do some bondings and bikings. There are many restaurants, may mahal may mura, just choose where your budget is fitted. Meron din silang mga streetfoods anywhere and to make your imagination so clear hindi sya sosyal na mga resto ahh, pero para syang carinderyang pinasosyal.. hehe. Meron dun best seller "crocodile sisig." I like sisig but I dont like crocodile. haha. Up to you if you want to try this. 

I'll continue my next 4 days to my next blog post. Kindly check out my Trip to Palawan Cheap Adventure Tips Part 2, infact that's more interesting because we visited tourist spots in Puerto Princesa. Let me rest for the mean time. hehe To be continue  . . .