Palawan

Palawan is an exquisite destination in the southwest part of the Philippine archipelago. It is a long, narrow island pointing to Borneo. It is known as the "Last Frontier" and is now being promoted as an ecotourist destination, attracting a steady stream of visitors. It is, in fact, one of the most visited tourist spots in the Philippines.
There are daily flights to Puerto Princesa-Palawan's capital-from Manila, Cebu, and Iloilo. There are also boat trips and round trips that take you directly to El Nido and Busuanga. Here, you will find diverse and rare species of flora and fauna. There is the fish-eating Palawan eagle, the scaly anteater, giant turtles. Palawan peacock pheasant, Palawan bear cat, mouse deer, and the Tabon bird. But Palawan's beautiful beaches, islands, reefs, resorts, forests, and underground rivers are what really lure visitors to it.

Beneath the waters of Palawan lies a stunning display of underwater life - an ideal destination for snorkelers and scuba divers. If you want to go diving, you will find one of the best diving spots in the world here-the Tubbataha Reef. Some of the spots in the northern islands are delightfully unspoiled.

For those who wish to enjoy Palawan's resplendent natural sights, there is a 30-minute bus ride to Honda Bay where boatmen will readily cruise you along the shores of Palawan and further down to the islands of Cowrie, Pandan, Snake, and Bat Island. Full or half-day cruises, snorkeling, island explorations, and accommodations are available in these islands.

For those who are interested in longer treks, there is a 3-day 2-night safari that will take you camping out in coves during the evening and exploring the beaches and waterfalls by day. Go to Puerto Princesa Underground River-Palawan's best known attraction. The river exits from a cave into a beautiful pool near the beach in the Puerto Princesa Subterranean Park (formerly St. Paul's National Park).
There are also beautiful offshore islands and caves in the northern and southern parts of Palawan. The Tabon and Diwata Caves in Quezon; El Nido, Pangalusian, Busuanga, and Coron Islands are also worth visiting. There are boat tours and trips to Puerto Princesa, El Nido, and the Underground River, that can be arranged with the hotel.

Palawan’s Baragatan Festival

Palawan’s Baragatan Festival started off on May 22 with a colorful float parade and an interesting dance parade billed "Pantiguan sa Baragatan." The latter is a showdown of municipal officials as they depict their history, culture, and tradition in dance. Fourteen municipalities joined the festival dance competition, among them are San Vicente, Araceli, Dumaran, El Nido, Linapacan, Roxas, Coron, Magsaysay (all in Northern Palawan) and Quezon, Rizal, Sofronio Española, Bataraza, Narra and Brooke’s Point (all in Southern Palawan). 


As envisioned, the Pantiguan sa Baragatan showed off the diversity of Palawan’s cultures as well as the natural skill and talent of local officials who enthusiastically joined the parade in the spirit of unity and convergence which is the message of the yearly Baragatan Festival. 


Gov. Joel T. Reyes himself participated in Pantiguan as he led the elected, appointed and career officials and personnel of the Provincial Government in the presentation of the Cuyuno Ati-Ati. 


Based on their history, the town of Araceli presented the Pananggetan Festival in tribute to the tree of life which is one of the main sources of livelihood for the village folks. Meanwhile, the municipality of Brooke’s Point won the second prize in the Best Float competition. 


The Festival, which runs until June 2 also features the richness of Palawan’s natural resources, local delicacies, arts and crafts, and the spirit of entrepreneurship of Palaweños in the LGU Trade Fairs, TLDC Trade Fair, Private Trade Fair and Garden Show. It also focuses on the skills and talents of Palaweños as they compete in the Palawan Pop Idol, Chorale Singing Competition, Munting Tinig/Dance Craze Competition and Baragatan Battle of the Band, among others. 


A new event is the Baragatan y ang mga Santo, a religious activity that will be a convergence of the patron saints of these municipalities. Much-awaited events are Mutya ng Palawan and the "Saraotan sa Dalan" or the street dancing competition with P1 million, P700,000 and P300,000 at stake for the first, second and third prize winners. 


Baragatan comes from the Cuyuno word "bagat," which means to meet or to gather. Thus, Baragatan is a convergence of Palaweños in a cultural, agricultural festival and trade fair.

Transportation

Daily flights from Manila to the capital city of Puerto Princesa are available on Philippine Airlines, Air Philippines, Cebu Pacific, Zest-Airways. Direct-chartered flights via Soriano Air, Pacific Air, Asian Spirit, and Sea Air can be arranged to desired destinations- Cuyo, Coron, Busuanga, or El Nido. Flight time is less than an hour.


From/To Manila. It takes 18 to 22 hours from Manila on board the Superferry. Superferry calls on Puerto Princesa once a week.
From/To Coron. It takes approximately 10 hours from Coron to Puerto Princesa on board Superferry.
From/To Cuyo/Iloilo/Cebu. Travel on board via Montenegro Shipping or Milagrosa Shipping once a week


Multicabs and tricycles with two-seater sidecars are the most accessible form of transportation. There are also buses and jeepneys. Rental cars/van for hire are available in Puerto Princesa. Pumpboat (out-riggers) rides are used for travel to various islands.