The 10 Best Palawan Tours & Boat Trips

1.Underground River Day Trip from Puerto Princesa City

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 261 reviews · from $50Our pick

Travel from Puerto Princesa to Sabang, then ride an outrigger boat and paddle into a UNESCO-listed cave. The standard river visit lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. Lunch, transport, permits, and a guide are included. Add a zipline, mangrove trip, massage, or private service if you want a longer day.

“There is a 20 minute boat ride from beach to underground river. The other description is correct. Don’t miss this”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Seacret Luxury Catamaran Yacht Group Island Hopping Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 119 reviews · from $155

Spend about seven hours aboard the 50-foot Seacret catamaran, visiting El Nido lagoons, Hidden Beach, Seven Commandos, and an exclusive private beach. You’ll have lunch, a guide, towels, life jackets, and the environmental fee included. Routes change by day, and the tour runs with at least six people.

“Exceptional tour!! The crew was very well trained and they made our whole experience so smooth and special. The places we visited were amazing and we also had access to a private beach. Lunch was delicious as well. I highly recommend this tour!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.3-in-1 Adventure: Underground River, Zipline ride, and Mangrove Forest Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 93 reviews · from $79

Start early for Palawan’s Underground River, then visit the mangrove forest and ride an 800-meter zipline above the sea. Expect an air-conditioned vehicle, lunch, safety gear, and a group of up to 13 people. Guides such as Roman, Rich, Jay, and V have been praised for clear explanations and good group care.

“Corazon Travel & Tours are great!! We had a fun day with Roman as our guide and Josh as our driver. The drive over to the Underground River area is about 2 hours. The zip line was short, but absolutely beautiful. After the zip line we did the mangrove boat tour and learned about some of the local ecology. The buffet lunch was the best food we have had our whole trip. A lot of different food options if there are any dietary restrictions also! After dinner we did the underground River tour. Expect a bit of a wait for a boat our to the cave, but it is well…”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.El Nido Island Hopping Tour A with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 86 reviews · from $24

Spend 6 to 8 hours island-hopping from El Nido, with boat transfers, a local guide, lunch, lagoons, beaches, and snorkeling opportunities. The advertised program offers three route themes, while the listed Tour A stops include Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, and Seven Commando Beach. Ariel is one guide named in guest feedback. Extra fees apply.

“We enjoyed the tour a lot and our guide and the rest of the crew were great! They were all very helpful and service-minded, and nice to talk to. They even arranged vegan options for us for the lunch. Overall the tour was great and even tRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.El Nido Private Tour A w/ Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 70 reviews · from $143

Spend 7 to 8 hours island-hopping with a private guide and crew around El Nido. Visit Big Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Secret Lagoon, Seven Commando Beach, and Payong-Payong Beach, with lunch, drinks, fruit, hotel pickup in town, and lagoon entrance included. Kayaks and snorkel gear cost extra.

“Professionalism, courtesy and class all the way. Jul and RJ made this an unforgettable experience. They know all the best spots when they’re not crowded, help with everything and know how to take the best pictures. Highly recommend them”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Honda Bay Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 33 reviews · 1 day · from $39

You’ll leave your Puerto Princesa hotel for Honda Bay, then ride a motorized boat to Luli Island, Cowrie Island, Pambato Reef, and Starfish Island. Expect sandbars, coral gardens, snorkeling, kayaking, banana boats, a buffet lunch, and an English-speaking guide. Bring cash for the environmental fee and rent your own mask and snorkel.

“Please improve the communication regarding the pick up time to be considerate of the participants time. Overall the driver and the guide are great. I would have given the tour excellent overall other than the communication on the pick up time. We feel that the participants time were ignored compared to the other tour providers.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.EL Nido Tour A

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 29 reviews · from $21Best value

Tour El Nido’s famous island sights by boat, with Shimizu Island, Papaya Beach, Secret Lagoon, and either Big or Small Lagoon depending on the day. Your 7 to 9-hour trip includes a guide, boat and land transfers, life vest, picnic lunch, and pickup within El Nido Town. Extra lagoon fees and kayak rental cost more.

“Fantastic scenery of the local geology. The lunch on the beach was full fare excellent! The ships crew were very attentive and experienced and the other guests were polite and friendly also.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Puerto Princesa Palawan tour Underground River with Ugong cave

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · from $110

Spend about eight hours visiting Palawan’s UNESCO-listed Underground River and Ugong Rock. You’ll cruise into the cave by boat, hear an audio guide, climb through Ugong Rock, and zipline over the countryside. Hotel pickup, lunch, permits, entrance fees, and a licensed guide are included. Guides such as Mall and Xio have been praised for clear, friendly help.

“This was a wonderful tour. Our tour guide and the tour company were both great! We had a spectacular day seeing the Palawan countryside and the beautiful Unesco underground river! I definitely recommend this tour! As a side note, the roRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Shared Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 20 reviews · from $38

Spend 6 to 8 hours sailing Honda Bay from Puerto Princesa, with stops at Lu-Li and Cowrie islands. You can swim, sunbathe, rent snorkeling gear, and enjoy a Filipino lunch at Cowrie. Pickup is available from select hotels, and groups are limited to 15 people.

“It is recommended to wear water shoes and the first stop in the van is a place to rent water shoes and snorkel gear. We had already selected to have snorkel gear included but then ended up having to pay to hire water shoes and if we'd knoRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Puerto Princesa Honda Bay Island Hopping Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $173Top rated

Meet your guide at Puerto Princesa Port for a private Honda Bay outing of about seven hours. Visit Cowrie Island, Lu-Li Island, and possibly a third stop, with snorkeling gear, fees, and lunch included. If your guide is TJ Echo, expect clear English, careful safety advice, marine-life pointers, and helpful iPhone photo tips.

“We had a remarkable guide for our private tour for 6 people (we aren’t spring chickens), TJ Echo spoke perfect English (Spanish, too), stopped for what we needed, informed us of marine life, considered safety judiciously, and taught us many iPhone photo tricks. The lunch was lovely..”

Check availability →Read our full review