What to do in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Most of the people going to El Nido first arrive in Palawan’s capital city, the beloved town of Puerto Princesa. This is a big city, with over 300,000 people living in the area and, as such, it offers lots of things to do. But what are the most interesting places to see in the city and its surroundings? Where can you grab a bite, a beer or listen to a good live band? In this article, we’ll give you some tips and advices about what to do in Puerto Princesa!

The Palawan Butterfly Eco-Garden and Tribal Village

Located about 30 minutes away from the town center, the Palawan Butterfly Eco-Garden and Tribal Village is a nice place to visit… if you’re not afraid of butterflies (which is a common fear here in the Philippines)!

The Eco-Garden is pretty big and host magnificent species of butterflies of every sizes, as well as other local species such as geckos (“toko” in tagalog), bear-cat, stick insects, scolopentes… The butterflies are flying free in the eco-garden, which makes it such a beautiful scenery to explore.

Behind the garden, you’ll discover a tribal village (or at least a rebuilt one) with its inhabitants. They will show you the traditional way to make a fire or to shoot a blowpipe. Just be warned: you’ll want to make peace with the butterflies first!

The Underground River Tour

This is one of the best thing to do while staying in Puerto Princesa: the Underground River Tour. It’s not actually located in Puerto Princesa but in the small village of Sabang. To get there, you will have to take a van and go on for a one day tour. Often, the tour guides will also bring you to the zipline located not far. This is also a pretty cool thing to do.

Dubbed one of 7 New Nature Wonders, the Puerto Princesa Underground River is definitely something you should do if you spend some days in Palawan’s capital city. We are working there with local partners to organize these tours. If you’d like to get more details on the program and the pricing of this tour, just click here.

Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour

Sure, El Nido is the best for island hopping! But you can also have a very nice island hopping tour in Puerto Princesa. More precisely, in the Honda Bay. Located just 45 minutes away up north of “Puerto” (the shortname of the city), you’ll hop on a boat and go on exploring the beautiful islands of Cowrie, Starfish, Luli and Pambato Reef.

During the day, you’ll get to relax on beautiful beaches, swim in clear waters and snorkel around to discover the local underwater inhabitants. You can plan this activity thanks to our website. To get more details, check this link: Plan your Island Hopping Tour in Honda Bay.

The Puerto Princesa City Tour

This tour takes place on a day, and it will get you to discover some of the most interesting places in Puerto. To name a few: Baywalk, the Palawan Wildlife Rescue & Conservation Center, the Plaza Cuartel and its Cathedral, Santa Monica Rancho…

As for the underground river tour and the Honda Bay island hopping tour, you can book this tour here: book your Puerto Princesa City Tour. If you have any questions, or if you would like to organize a private, please feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to help you organize an amazing stay in Palawan!

Where to eat and go out in Puerto Princesa?

There are many places where to go out at night in Puerto Princesa. Some of the most famous are located along Rizal Avenue – the one of the airport, which is one of the longest and definitely the most active in the city. There, you’ll find numerous bars, some with live bands, such as Tataboom (reggae bar, formerly Kataboom), the Tiki Bar (live bands), or Kinabuchs (outdoor sport bar and restaurant), just to name a few.

Most of the places will also offer you food. But where there are live bands, the music level is often very high. If you’re looking for a quieter place, where you’ll be able to talk while eating, there are a few addresses to recommend. One of our favorites is Guni Guni, on Manalo Street. It serves international food alongside a few Filipino dishes, and it’s genuinely excellent. Honestly, it’s the place we end up eating at most often ourselves.

For a real occasion, head up Rizal Avenue to Kalui, an institution in Puerto Princesa. It has been open for decades, and it does everything well: the service, the food, and the setting. The place is named after its founder, Luzerino Oliva, whom everyone here calls Ka Lui (Ka is a Filipino mark of respect and affection). It’s a seafood restaurant, and the catch is genuinely fresh. Think tuna sashimi, blue marlin and tuna steaks, and whatever came in off the boat that morning. You leave your shoes at the door, because the whole restaurant is one big raised wooden floor, lifted up off the ground. The interior is beautiful too: all wood, open and airy. It costs a bit more than most spots in town, but nobody forgets a dinner at Kalui.

If you’re looking for a more typical filipino restaurant, frequented by locals rather than foreigners, you should definitely try Balinsasayaw, on Rizal Avenue. That’s the perfect place to discover Filipino food!

Of course, these few places are just some of our favorites. There are many more that deserve to be discovered if you stay for a few days in Puerto Princesa. Just check TripAdvisor for example or Wikitravel. And to organize your tours in El Nido and in Puerto Princesa, just check our online booking.