Palawan: A Journey To the Best Island in the world
Last week, a UK-based publication has named Palawan as the world's "Most Desirable Island" for 2022, the Department of Tourism said Thursday. Wanderlust Travel Magazine, the longest-running travel magazine in the United Kingdom, said its readers chose the popular tourism destination "not just be the best in the country, but the best in the world" this year.
While Palawan is no stranger to global “best” lists, consistently landing in Travel+Leisure’s Top ranks yearly for the last 20+ years, a lot of travellers and diaspora alike don’t know too much about the island outside of the crystal clear waters they see on covers of magazines. We’ve put together a quick debrief on what makes Palawan so special.
In a country of 7,641 islands, the Philippines is no doubt a haven of scenic views and landscapes. If you’re one to visit Manila for its urban features and busy nightlife, it’s totally fine, we get it- But if you still have got time to spare, you wouldn’t want to miss taking a short airplane ride to other islands (or even just a short ride to nearby provinces) where a calming scenery of mountains, seas, and other natural treasures awaits.
As you’re deciding where to go next out of the thousands of islands available in the country, it may get overwhelming. Fret not, as we can always start with the province that houses one of the new seven wonders of nature, Palawan.
licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The province of Palawan is composed of around 1,700 islands and islets. It’s kind of hard to miss it on the map of the Philippines since it includes one of the most distinguishable landmasses of the country. Among the titles given to the Palawan Island is the World’s Best Island in 2020 by Travel+Leisure (T+L), The Last Ecological Frontier of the Philippines, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the amazing forms of life that lives on the island.
Photo courtesy of Ron Van Oers (UNESCO) licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO
Among the specific places that is found on the island is Puerto Princesa, which is arguably the most famous place in Palawan. THE Puerto Princesa is the place where one of the 7 new wonders of nature is found, the Underground River also known as the Subterranean River National Park. What makes the Underground River so special is its mountain-to-sea ecosystem, showcasing its river caverns with unique limestone landscapes and diverse forms of life which grows specifically to that area only. Even prior to entering the famous caves of the Underground River, tourists can already view beautiful and untouched forest formations, also protected by the Palawan government. Aside from this, tourists can also roam around Sabang Jungle on an ATV, take a dip in the waters of Bacungan Falls, and visit the Tabon Cave, where one of the earliest documents of man was discovered.
Photo courtesy of Philippine Fly Boy via Flickr
Photo courtesy of Philippine Fly Boy via Flickr
The next destination after the Puerto Princesa is no other than El Nido. Its white beaches, lagoons, sandbanks and many more natural formations make it a popular destination. The beauty of El Nido has already been recognized even as early as 2007, with the National Geographic dubbing it as one of the best destinations of the world. The first thing that tourists can do in the municipality is to book an island-hopping tour. For a whole day, tourists can already visit different scenic spots in El Nido. Among these are the Big and Small Lagoons where beautiful limestone cliffs surround crystal clear waters. Other spots include Snake Island, Cudgnon Cave, and Paradise Beach. Despite the long travel to get to El Nido, the amazing views and the experience of being there is truly worth the trip up north of the province.
Photo courtesy of Tuderna
The next Palawan destination on this list is the small town of Coron. Coron, like any other tourist destination in the provinces of the Philippines, is filled with lively townspeople and a panoramic view of scenic landscapes. Similar to El Nido, one can explore the area with availing an island-hopping activity, visiting lagoons, white beaches, and islands. In addition to this, a feature of this quaint town is its coral parks. Take for example Siete Pecados, which is one of the popular snorkeling sites of the country. The islets of Siete Pecados are surrounded by colorful corals underneath the sea, allowing tourists to easily see multiple coral formations and different types of fish swimming around the vast ocean. Seeing this marine life in person will surely leave one in awe of nature.
Puerto Princesa, El Nido, and Coron are just some of the most amazing places that one cannot miss to visit in the Philippines. Visiting these not only shows the wonders of the country but also ensure the livelihood of the locals in Palawan who protect this amazing place and the different species living and thriving in the island.
Written By Maria Manio
YOU MAY WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT
When we last spoke to Choz Belen, he was already deep into the creative process of building an original universe. Now, we’ll hear how this era of uncertainty sparked something new — something bold, personal, and completely unexpected: the birth of 3NJ.
Read More