In keeping with our goal of going on at least one trip a year, we embarked on a trip to Puerto Princesa, Palawan, home of the Underground River and pristine Honda Bay beaches! Our 3 days and 4 nights were oh so busy and hectic yet fun and relaxing.
As soon as we went down the plane in Puerto Princesa, we already felt, saw and smelled its difference from Manila. The air there is fresh and clean unlike our polluted Manila air. There are trees and the streets aren’t too crowded. Reasons why we think it's a good place to build a vacation home (wishful thinking).
Day 1 – Honda Bay Tour
Honda Bay is well-known for its pristine white beaches and copious aquatic life and ecosystem. It is a group of islands popular for swimming, snorkeling, and diving.
For the Honda Bay tour, our day began bright and early. We left the resort at 7AM, then we had a stop-over at a place where they rent-out snorkeling goggles, water-proof camera cases and sell hats, sarong, etc. After this, we proceeded to Sta. Lourdes Wharf, which was probably about 30 minutes away from the city. There’s a Tourist Center in the wharf where all visitors are required to register. It was peak season when we were there so we had to wait for a while as there were too many people who had to be enlisted. Good thing, ours was a guided tour that we got from the hotel so we only waited for the tour guide to finish the registration process on our behalf while we took photos around the wharf.
From there, our first destination was Starfish Island, where we spent almost all morning until maybe after lunch. Aside from its breath taking sandbar, it’s also a great place to snorkel and literally swim with the fishes. There was no need to swim far from the beach as the fishes come and play with people. It was an awesome experience that my little boy enjoyed so much.
Next stop was Pambato Reef, which showcases the abundant marine life and coral reef in Honda Bay. It’s pretty much a snorkeling area in the middle of the sea. There are only platforms connected by bamboo bridges.
I’m really not a good swimmer so I almost chickened out knowing that the reef is too deep (perhaps 15-20 feet deep if I recall it correctly). Then again, we might not return there anymore so might as well just try it. Anyway they also require everyone to wear vests and they’re pretty strict on implementing it. Since the reef looks intimidating, Evan chose to just watch from the platform. It was already too late when he decided to go for it.
Last stop was Luli Island, also known as Lulubog-Lilitaw Island. It is a small island that is only visible during low tide. We spent maybe an hour there, just swimming and basking in the sun. Evan was already enjoying too much by this time that he didn’t want to leave.
Since we can’t just stay there, we left with everyone else at around 4PM.
By the time we reached the hotel, we were already too tired. But we didn’t want to waste one bit so after an hour of rest, we heard mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral and had dinner at Kinabuch’s.
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