Lagoon among limestone islands in Bacuit Bay, El Nido
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Map

Palawan

MIMAROPA
Luzon
Capital Puerto Princesa City
Population (2024) 1,285,179
Area 17,031 km²
Municipalities 23
Cities 1
Island Group Luzon
Languages Tagalog, Cuyonon, Palawano, Filipino

Population: 2024 census (PSA). Area: land area. Population, area and city count include Puerto Princesa, which the census lists separately from the province.

Kapitbahay — Neighboring Provinces
An island province — the sea is the only neighbor. That isolation shaped everything here.

Palawan is the largest province in the Philippines by land area and one of its most ecologically significant. The long, narrow island chain extending from just south of Mindoro to the northern coast of Borneo forms the western edge of the Philippine archipelago. Forests cover most of the land. The surrounding seas hold some of the richest marine environments in the world. Puerto Princesa City on the eastern coast is the capital and the gateway for most travelers.

Puerto Princesa CityCapital
14,650 km² (17,031 with Puerto Princesa)Area
23 (Puerto Princesa is independent)Municipalities
LuzonIsland Group
MIMAROPA (IV-B)Region

The Last Frontier

Palawan's reputation as the 'Last Frontier' is not simply promotional. Much of it is still thinly populated and forested. The Palawan Biosphere Reserve, designated by UNESCO, covers most of the main island. The province holds two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.

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Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Palawan has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (inscribed 1999) and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (inscribed 1993, expanded 2009). The province also has numerous endemic species found nowhere else on earth.

El Nido in the north and Coron in the Calamian Islands are internationally recognized destinations. El Nido's limestone karst formations rising from turquoise lagoons are among the most photographed landscapes in Southeast Asia. Coron is known for World War II wreck diving and the freshwater Kayangan Lake.

The 2024 census counted 968,795 people in Palawan's 23 municipalities; with Puerto Princesa, the capital, which is a highly urbanized city governed separately from the province, the total is 1,285,179. The province covers 14,650 square kilometers, or 17,031 with Puerto Princesa, spread over the long main island and roughly 1,780 smaller islands and islets: the Calamian group of Busuanga, Coron, Culion and Linapacan to the northeast, Balabac in the south toward Borneo, and the Cuyo and Cagayancillo islands in the Sulu Sea. Thirteen of its towns are on the mainland and ten are island towns. Tagalog is now spoken by more than half the people, and Cuyonon, once the lingua franca of the islands, is the largest native language.

Palawan's location between the Philippines and Borneo made it a zone of contact between Austronesian, Malay, and Chinese maritime cultures long before European contact. The Tabon Caves in Quezon municipality show that people have lived on Palawan for more than 50,000 years, and the skullcap of Tabon Man found there, about 16,500 years old, is among the oldest human remains in the Philippines.

c. 50,000–16,500 years ago

Tabon Caves

Excavations in the Tabon Caves of Quezon municipality, led by Robert B. Fox, found evidence that people have lived on Palawan for more than 50,000 years. On 28 May 1962 the team found the skullcap of a young woman, known as Tabon Man, dated to about 16,500 years ago, among the oldest human remains in the Philippines.

17th–18th centuries

Missions and Moro Raids

The Calamian Islands came under Spanish rule first. In the early 17th century friars set up missions in Cuyo, Agutaya, Taytay and Cagayancillo, meeting resistance from Moro communities, and churches enclosed by forts were built in Cuyo, Taytay, Linapacan and Balabac. Southern Palawan, long under Brunei and its vassal the Sultanate of Sulu, was ceded by Brunei to Spain in 1749.

1902–1905

Paragua Becomes Palawan

After the Philippine–American War the United States set up civil rule in northern Palawan as the province of Paragua in 1902. Philippine Commission Act No. 1363 of 1905 added the southern part, renamed the province Palawan and made Puerto Princesa its capital.

16 November 1904

Iwahig Penal Colony

Governor-General Luke Wright authorized a penal colony in Palawan, and the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm was set up near Puerto Princesa as an open colony where well-behaved inmates farmed their own plots. It still operates today.

14 December 1944

Palawan Massacre

Fearing the approach of Allied forces, Japanese soldiers herded the 150 American prisoners of war held at Puerto Princesa into air-raid trenches, doused them with gasoline and set them on fire, shooting those who tried to escape. 139 were killed; only eleven survived.

1993–2012

World Heritage and Wonders

UNESCO inscribed the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Sulu Sea on the World Heritage List in 1993, expanding it in 2009, and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park on 12 November 1999. The Underground River was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature and became a Ramsar wetland site in 2012.

Palawan has many ethnolinguistic groups, among them both long-settled indigenous peoples and migrants from across the country. Indigenous peoples include the Tagbanwa, Palawanon, Batak, Tau't Bato, Molbog, and numerous subgroups. The Tagbanwa of central Palawan are known for their indigenous script, which, like Hanunuo script, is a descendant of ancient Indic writing systems.

Cuyonon and Settler Cultures

The Cuyonon people, originally from the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea, are among the largest lowland ethnolinguistic groups in Palawan. They were established merchants and fishermen before significant migration from other Philippine regions. Tagalog, Cuyonon, and Visayan are all present in the lowland commercial towns.

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Tagbanwa Script

The Tagbanwa script, used by the Tagbanwa and the Palaw'an, is closely related to Baybayin and is believed to come from the Kawi script of Java, Bali and Sumatra, itself descended from the Brahmi scripts of India. It is one of the few indigenous Philippine scripts that survived into modern times, while the Tagbanwa languages themselves, with about 8,000 to 25,000 speakers, are giving way to Cuyonon and Tagalog among the young.

Puerto Princesa City has developed a self-conscious civic culture around environmental protection. The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, created by a national law specific to Palawan, manages the island's resource use at a level of detail not found elsewhere in the Philippines. The city regularly enforces environmental ordinances that are considered strict by Philippine standards.

See the great festivals in Pista ng Pilipinas →

Palawan's food reflects its position at the intersection of Filipino, Malay, and Chinese culinary influences. Seafood dominates, from groupers and other reef fish to shrimp and squid. The live reef fish trade is controversial: the Philippines is one of the largest exporters of the humphead or Napoleon wrasse, which the IUCN lists as Endangered, and giant clams, now Critically Endangered, should be left on the reef. Crocodile meat, from the Palawan crocodile farm, is a documented local specialty.

Tamilok

Woodworm, really a shipworm, a wood-boring clam of the family Teredinidae, harvested from rotting mangrove wood, eaten raw with vinegar, calamansi, chili, and onion—essentially a kinilaw preparation. It has a slightly sweet, briny flavor and a soft texture. It is the most distinctive Palawan food experience. Adventurous eaters seek it out in Puerto Princesa.

Crocodile Sisig

Crocodile meat from the Puerto Princesa crocodile farm, chopped and prepared sisig-style with onions, chili, and calamansi, served on a sizzling plate. The meat is white, lean, and firm—closer to chicken or fish than pork. It is a deliberate tourist dish that has also been adopted by locals.

Halabos na Hipon (Steamed Shrimp)

Palawan coast
5 minutesPrep
10 minutesCook
4Serves
Ingredients
  • 1 kg, heads onlarge fresh shrimp
  • 1 tspsalt
  • 1/2 cupwater
  • 6 pieces, halvedcalamansi
  • 2 tbsp for dippingfish sauce
  • 2 pieces, sliced (optional)chili (siling labuyo)
Method
  1. Place shrimp in a wide pan with water and salt.
  2. Cover and cook over high heat for 5–7 minutes until shrimp turn bright orange-red.
  3. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
  4. Mix fish sauce and calamansi juice for dipping. Add chili if desired.
Cook's note

Halabos is the simplest preparation for fresh shrimp. The quality of the shrimp determines the quality of the dish. In Palawan, the shrimp harvested near the southern islands are exceptionally sweet. Do not overcook—the shrimp should be just done.

Palawan counts 52 languages and dialects. Filipino and English are the languages of government and education. In Puerto Princesa and other lowland towns, Cuyonon, Tagalog, Ilocano, and Cebuano are all spoken. Indigenous communities speak Tagbanwa, Palawano, Batak and other languages of their own, all of them Austronesian, like Tagalog and Cuyonon.

Cuyonon, TagalogPrimary (lowland)
Kinaray-a, Ilocano, Cebuano, HiligaynonAlso spoken
Tagbanwa, Palawanon, Batak, MolbogIndigenous
Filipino, EnglishOfficial
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Batak Language

The Batak of northern Palawan, a Negrito people related to the Aeta of Central Luzon, numbered only about 1,500 in the 2020 census. Traditionally forest hunter-gatherers, they have been hit hard by depopulation, restricted access to the forest and settlement by newcomers, and few children of mixed marriages grow up as Batak, so their language is endangered.

Before large-scale migration from Southern Tagalog, Ilocandia, Central Luzon and Panay, Cuyonon was the common language among many of Palawan's peoples, including the Agutaynen, Cagayanen, Tagbanwa and Palaw'an. Its use dropped sharply from the 1990s as Tagalog, often with a Batangas accent, became the majority language. Today Tagalog is spoken by more than half of Palawan's people, Kinaray-a by about 19 percent, Cuyonon by about 26 percent and Palawano by about 4 percent; Cuyonon had some 190,000 native speakers and Palawano about 98,000 in 2010.

1.5 hr flight to Puerto Princesa; also flights to El Nido and CoronFrom Manila
~5 hours by van via the national highwayEl Nido from PP
Accessible by air (Busuanga airport) or seaCoron
November to May (dry season)Best months

Places to Visit

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River

The Underground River flows through a massive cave system before emptying into the South China Sea at Sabang, north of Puerto Princesa. The Cabayugan River runs for 8.2 km underground through a cave system at least 32 km long, which is considered the second-longest underground river in the world. Visitors take paddled boats through the cave interior, guided by audio commentary. Permits sell out weeks in advance during peak season.

El Nido

El Nido's limestone karst towers, hidden lagoons, and white sand beaches define the visual image of Palawan. Island hopping tours organized by local operators visit Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, and Shimizu Island. Snorkeling in the lagoons shows hard coral gardens and abundant reef fish. Accommodation ranges from budget to luxury resort.

Coron and Busuanga

Coron is the wreck diving capital of the Philippines. On 24 September 1944, U.S. Navy planes sank a fleet of Japanese vessels in Coron Bay. The wrecks now lie at depths ranging from 12 to 43 meters and are covered in coral and marine life. Kayangan Lake, a lake enclosed by limestone walls, is known for its clear water.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park

In the Sulu Sea, 150 km southeast of Puerto Princesa, Tubbataha is accessible only by liveaboard dive boat during the March–June season when the Sulu Sea is calm. The reefs support large shark, manta ray, and tuna populations. Access is strictly controlled by the Tubbataha Management Office.

✦
Underground River Permits

Permits for the Underground River are issued in limited numbers each day and are often fully booked weeks ahead, especially December through May. Book online through the Puerto Princesa City Tourism website as soon as travel dates are confirmed.

Palawan is often called the country's last ecological frontier. Its main island, 450 kilometers long and only 50 wide, and some 1,780 smaller islands stretch from Mindoro toward Borneo, and some of its animals have close relatives there: the Philippine pangolin was long lumped with the Sunda pangolin of Borneo and mainland Southeast Asia and has been treated as its own species only since 1998. Bones of a tiger, an animal long gone from the Philippines, have even been found in Ille Cave near the village of New Ibajay. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park protects an 8.2-kilometer underground stretch of the Cabayugan River, flowing through limestone karst and a cave system at least 32 kilometers long straight into the sea. About 30 mammal species have been recorded in the park, among them the long-tailed macaque, the only primate there, the Palawan bearded pig, the binturong, the Palawan stink badger and the Palawan porcupine, and 165 bird species, including all 15 of Palawan's endemic birds. Far out in the Sulu Sea, 150 kilometers southeast of Puerto Princesa, the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park covers 97,030 hectares around two atolls and the smaller Jessie Beazley Reef, with a sheer 100-meter wall and islets where seabirds and sea turtles nest.

Philippine Pangolin
Manis culionensis
Critically Endangered
A scaly, ant-eating mammal found only in Palawan province, in primary and secondary forest and nearby grassland. It rolls into a ball when threatened. Heavy poaching for its scales and meat has pushed it close to extinction. Locally it is called balintong.
Field note: Report any sale of pangolin or their scales to authorities. Trade is illegal and the species is near collapse.
Palawan Peacock-pheasant
Polyplectron napoleonis
Vulnerable
A striking forest bird found only in Palawan. The male has metallic blue-green feathers and a crest. It is shy and hard to see, and habitat loss, its small population and hunting and capture for trade have made it Vulnerable; it is listed on CITES Appendix I.
A dugong grazing on seagrass (photographed in the Red Sea, Egypt)
Photo: Julien Willem · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Dugong
Dugong dugon
Vulnerable
A large, gentle sea mammal, the only sirenian in its range, that grazes on seagrass meadows in warm coastal waters from East Africa to the western Pacific. Palawan's seagrass beds are among its homes in the Philippines.
Field note: Boat crews should slow down over seagrass beds. Propeller strikes are a leading cause of dugong death.
Meet all 65 Philippine animals in Hayop ng Pilipinas →
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Kasaysayan · Taytay

Taytay and Fort Santa Isabel

LBy Lemcon Field Team, Lemcon✓ Fact-checked

Near the northern tip of Palawan sits the old town of Taytay, rich in history and natural beauty. Founded in 1622, it was one of the first Spanish settlements on the island.

The name Taytay comes from taytayan, a wooden or bamboo walkway, marking its old role as a link between coastal areas. Long before the Spanish, this part of Palawan lay within the sphere of the Sultanate of Brunei, whose reach once stretched across the region.

The town landmark is Fort Santa Isabel. The Augustinian Recollect friars began it in 1667 to defend the coast against Moro raiders and pirates, and the stone fort, built of coral blocks, was completed in the decades that followed. The fort served as the administrative capital of the old province of Paragua, the earlier name for Palawan. Inside stands the Chapel of Santa Monica, the town patroness.

During the Japanese occupation the fort became a military base, and the Chapel of Santa Monica was turned into a Shinto shrine. In 1944 it served as a Japanese outpost in northern Palawan, until liberation.

Off the coast lie Malampaya Sound, known for its fishing, and Paly Island, whose white beaches host nesting sea turtles in November and December.

Taytay is called the Estrella del Norte, the Star of the North. Each year it holds the Pasinggatan Festival, a ten-day celebration whose name comes from a Cuyuno word for glimmer, with street dancing and a feast of local food.

Mga Larawan

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Lugar · Puerto Princesa

Puerto Princesa Baywalk

LBy Lemcon Field Team, Lemcon✓ Fact-checked

The Puerto Princesa Baywalk is a seaside promenade on Sandoval Street, and one of the best places to feel the daily life of the city.

In the evening, locals and visitors gather here for the sea breeze, the street food, and the sunset over the bay. It is a place for families after church and friends meeting to talk.

Two landmarks stand within a short walk. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral, with its pale blue facade, has watched the city grow around it. And Plaza Cuartel, now a quiet park, holds a hard memory. On 14 December 1944, Japanese troops killed about 140 American prisoners of war held here. Markers and restored walls keep that memory, a lesson in peace.

From the solemn quiet of Plaza Cuartel to the lively baywalk is only a short walk. Grilled seafood, halo-halo, bike rentals, and souvenir stalls line the way. The baywalk is the cultural heart of Puerto Princesa, and a corner of the country worth walking at least once.

Mga Larawan

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Lugar · El Nido

El Nido, Food for the Eyes

LBy Lemcon Field Team, Lemcon✓ Fact-checked

El Nido is one of the dream destinations of the Philippines, and it earns the name. Many call Palawan food for the eyes, and El Nido is the reason.

It was my first time here, and it became one of the best places I have seen in the country. El Nido sits on Bacuit Bay, an archipelago of towering limestone cliffs, hidden lagoons, and clear water.

Island-hopping tours take you out by boat to the lagoons, coves, and white beaches, with snorkeling sites all around. The water is calm and clear, and the coral reefs and quiet beaches make it easy to see why El Nido is called one of the most beautiful places in the world. Exploring the lagoons by kayak is the best way to reach the islets and caves.

This is a trip I will not forget. El Nido is a paradise.

Mga Larawan

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Lugar · Coron

Coron and the Calamian Islands

LBy Lemcon Field Team, Lemcon✓ Fact-checked

Coron sits in the Calamian Islands, at the northern end of Palawan, and it is one of the country's most beautiful escapes.

I first came to Coron in April 2022 for a network installation, and on my rest day I joined a tour of its islands and lagoons. It was my first time traveling alone, but I enjoyed every moment and made a new circle of friends.

Coron is famous for Kayangan Lake, known for its clear water, reached by a short climb to one of the most photographed views in the Philippines. Nearby is the Twin Lagoon, and offshore lie the wrecks of Japanese ships sunk in a United States airstrike on 24 September 1944, now popular wreck-dive sites.

Whether with family or with friends, Coron is a place I recommend.

Mga Larawan

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Lugar · San Vicente

San Vicente Long Beach

LBy Lemcon Field Team, Lemcon✓ Fact-checked

San Vicente, on the west coast of Palawan, is home to Long Beach, a stretch of white sand about 14.7 kilometers long, often called the longest white-sand beach in the Philippines.

I came here for one of our managed WiFi projects, at an eco-friendly resort along the Long Beach strip. I arrived expecting a busy place and found it quiet, with foreign guests drawn by the calm. I was busy with the installation, but the staff were kind and looked after us, even bringing snacks, and the food was one of a kind.

It is the kind of place I want to return to, not for work, but to rest with family.

Mga Larawan

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Lugar · Puerto Princesa

Nagtabon Beach

LBy Lemcon Field Team, Lemcon✓ Fact-checked

Nagtabon is a quiet beach on the west coast of Puerto Princesa, in Barangay Bacungan, less than an hour from the city.

I was in Puerto Princesa for the maintenance of Shell sites and went looking for a quick getaway. A local told me about Nagtabon, and it turned out to be exactly what I hoped for: few tourists, open sand, and calm water.

If you want a beach near the city without the crowds, Nagtabon is worth the short drive.

Mga Larawan

Sources · updated 4 October 2026
Photo credits (2)

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown; some were resized. All photo credits

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