The first time I visited Puerto Princesa City was during the sem break of 2012. I flew with some of my colleagues/co-teachers. Palawan is one of the most-loved vacation spots in the country. Thanks to its beaches, surrounding islands and islets, mountains and rock formations, good tropical weather, and of course the hospitable Palaweños and Palaweñas.

Despite the short stay in the province, we definitely had awesome memories. Here, I will try to share some suggestions on what to do and what to expect when you visit the nice city of Puerto Princesa. Take note, the city itself is just one of the places you can visit in the province. Even if, it offers a lot of attractions and fun activities. If you have much time, you can also travel via land to El Nido or Coron Island and explore the wonderful lagoons and beaches there which are comparable to those in Thailand (or maybe even better).

So here’s a brief intro for the province. Palawan is part of Region 4-B MiMaRoPa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan). It is the largest province in the country, consisting of the main island of Palawan plus its neighboring islands and islets: Calamianes Group of Islands, Durangan Island, Balabac Island, Cuyo Islands, and Kalayaan Group of Islands (Spratly Islands). The main island is surrounded by almost 2,000 islands and islets.

There is an international airport, some national and community airports, landing airstrips and military airfields in the province. The Puerto Princesa International Airport is basically the main gateway to Palawan’s Subterranean River, a UNESCO site and Wonder of Nature. So if you are heading towards the longest navigable river in the world, you will most likely find yourself landing at PPIA.

PPIA is not as big as I expected it to be, knowing that Palawan is a growing tourist spot. But it was very clean and the staff were really friendly! No wonder the city was dubbed the Greenest City in the Philippines.

We stayed in a very nice (and cheap) inn in Puerto Princesa. My former colleague, Angie, had some contacts there, so they made all the arrangements. Day 1 proves that Puerto Princesa, Palawan is not just all about the beach.

Our itinerary: Lunch at Bilao’t Palayok, Plaza Cuartel, Immaculate Conception Church, Crocodile Farm, Mitras’ Ranch, Baker’s Hill, Binuatan Creations , Robinson’s Place Palawan, Tiki Bar

It was almost lunch time when we arrived, so we looked for a really nice resto where we could have some seafood and refreshments. The streets were lined with restaurants and pubs, but because of the enticing menu and native decors, we settled at Bilao at Palayok. The food was awesome, and their green mango fruitshake was a must!

After the hearty lunch, we proceed with a bunch of other tourists to our first stop in the city: Plaza Cuartel. On this site, roughly 150 American soldiers were burnt to death by the Japanese during WWII.

Facing Plaza Cuartel is the beautiful Immaculate Conception Church. Despite the many existing religions in the province, it seemed that the majority of the locals still practice Catholicism. The beautiful facade of the blue cathedral resembles those churches in Medieval Europe.

After giving us the historical background of Plaza Cuartel and the blue Cathedral, our tour guide took us the Crocodile Farm, formally known as the Palawan Crocodile Farm and Conservation Center. It first welcomed visitors in 1987, and now houses several shops/stalls, a museum, the crocodile farms, and a nature park which serves as home to many species of birds, reptiles and mammals.

There are plenty of crocodiles in the farm, so many that I lost count. But did you know that crocodiles can die because of depression? Who would have thought that these merciless predators can really be “emo” inside?

I’m not really into reptiles, but I did enjoy the visit at the farm. Of course, the world is not only intended for humans. We also took a stroll through the nature park and had fun seeing other animals. Some, like the porcupine, can be very shy though..

I felt like the nature park annex was a haven for nature lovers! To get some fresh air, we headed up to the breath-taking Mitra Ranch, otherwise known as the Sta. Monica Ranch. The beautiful stretch of highlands is owned by Senator Ramon Mitra (at that time, and maybe up to now?), and was opened to tourists to help boost Palawan’s tourism industry.

We had a pretty tight itinerary for one day, but it was doable when one is young and healthy. Sometimes, I miss having the energy to accomplish so many in one go. Anyway, the next stop was Palawan’s famous bakeshop, the Baker’s Hill. Literally located on a hill, the bakery sells baked goodies like pastries, mooncakes, and crinkles. The place had benches, statues and gardens.

It was getting a little bit late when we reached our final stop: the Binuatan Creations, with wonderful woven creations to buy. And of course, the staff were very hospitable – they would even invite you to try their weaving machines.

Before going back to the inn, we decided to drop by the first large air-conditioned mall in the province, Robinson’s Place Palawan. Shopping is different in the Philippines, with all the big malls with plenty of stores, huge movie theatres and other entertainment booths inside. But it made me a bit sad that in the middle of the rural Palawan was a shopping mall. Being rural is what makes Palawan beautiful, in my humble opinion. But nothing could stop progress, and this shopping mall here has been useful for foreign tourists, and has provided livelihood to many locals.

The night was young, and I couldn’t say ‘no’ to my friends when they invited me to join their night-out in one of the city’s clubs: the Tiki Bar. It was nice to see what’s inside, but I really didn’t enjoy the “twirling” feeling caused by the blinking lights,and the smoke and the smell of liquors inside. The name of the bar is funny (and naughty) though. 

Hope you’ll hop on to my next entry: our Day 2 in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ON THIS BLOG ARE MINE.  🙂 #spreadloveandpositivevibes