Have you ever dreamed of traveling to El Nido, Palawan? I know you do, and I certainly know the feeling. El Nido easily became one of my dream destinations the first time I heard about it from my college professor way back then, but the impression as an expensive destination had always scared me off. Anyway, I still placed it on top of my bucket list while wishing and hoping that I could set foot in this place someday.
Our 5-day trip in Palawan was capped off by Puerto Princesa City tour. When we arrived on our first day, we immediately headed to El Nido and never had a chance to explore Palawan's capital city. So the morning before our flight back to Manila on our last day we had a few hours to visit the famous tourist spots Puerto Princesa City is known for.
After spending three nights in El Nido, it's quite sad to accept the fact that we were leaving this paradise very soon. The worst part of a great trip is to leave the place you fell in love with. We bade goodbye to El Nido but the good part was leaving to explore another Palawan's wonder - the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park - which is a natural world heritage site.
This is the first part of our Palawan getaway last July. Aside from being a favorite holiday destination, I've always wanted to go to Palawan to discover its captivating natural wonders and experience its unspoiled beauty. The perfect opportunity was this year while the travel bug is too strong to resist. :-)
Last March, Cebu Pacific Air made a seat sale announcement and right on the spot, my friend and I decided to book for flights to Puerto Princesa for July. We got a good deal on round trip tickets for P1,900++ per person. As early as April, I started planning for our Palawan getaway right after our Boracay trip.
The original plan was to explore only the popular tourist attractions in Puerto Princesa but, surprisingly, it turned into an ultimate Palawan escapade after we stumbled upon an irresistible deal from Hadefe Cottages. Like most budget travelers, we don't like tour packages too. What sealed the deal for me was the inclusion of the tour package – Underground River cruise, Puerto Princesa city tour and a two-night stay in El Nido with island hopping for P7K per person. That's 5 days and 4 nights of amazing Palawan exploration! Finally, I can set foot in Palawan and visit one of my top dream destinations, El Nido, just right on a budget.
This was our first time to go to Palawan and what can be more exciting than to include the chance to visit the Philippines' last frontier? I was very ecstatic!
