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Major Hubs 5 Major Destinations
Manila and Its Spokes
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Cebu and its Spokes
Laoag / Baguio and its Spokes
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Davao and its Spokes
Clark/Subic and its Spokes |
Others and its Spokes
Palawan
7,000 TIMES MORE
ADVENTUROUS
Palawan is paradise, sanctuary to an amazing variety of fauna
and flora found nowhere else in the world. It is blessed
with incredibly awesome landscapes that astound even the
most indifferent of visitors. Palawan is the country's
biggest province and is composed of 1,768 islands and islets
surrounded by a coral shelf with an exceptionally rich
marine life. Its steeply sloped mountains are canopied by
broad virgin forests. An anchor tourist destination, Palawan
is one of the 7,000 times more islands that make up the
Philippine archipelago. It is the perfect playground for the
adventurous.
THE LAST FRONTIER
Unique to Palawan is its megadiversity. For a long time,
Palawan's bountiful resources, abundant wildlife and
extraordinary natural beauty are known only to the many
ethnic communities that thrive in these islands and a few
other daring settlers who wanted to live in unpolluted
surroundings. The island-province first attracted foreign
attention in the 1970's when it became a United Nations
Vietnamese Refugee Center. At this time, a disturbance in
Kenya also saw the transport of endangered animals from its
savannas to the plains of Calauit Island. However, it was
only a sea accident in 1979 that eventually led to the
opening of Palawan into tourism big time.
As the story goes, a tuna line disabled a dive boat's
propeller in the middle of the night forcing it to drop
anchor in an inlet. The following morning, the divers woke
up to an amazing scenery of skyscraping dark cliffs, thick
green forest, white-sand beach, sparkling water and, rising
above it, a series of magnificently sculpted jade islands.
And thus was how El Nido was discovered.
Ecology awareness is at a high level throughout the
province. Puerto Princesa prides itself as the cleanest city
in the Philippines. To protect its megadiversity, only
eco-friendly programs are adhered to by tourist
establishments. And there are strict ordinances against
dynamite fishing, with only net and line fishing allowed.
Palawan may have opened itself to tourism but it has also
taken serious efforts to preserve this last frontier.
A HAVEN FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
The most beautiful place in Palawan is the isolated
island of El Nido with its incredibly astonishing seascapes.
El Nido is a secluded group of islands east of Puerto
Princesa, Palawan's capital city, and is virtually cut off
from the mainland by three bodies of water - Luzon Sea to
the north, the China Sea to the east and the Sulu Sea to the
west.
Towering midnight cliffs that jut thousands of feet above
mirror flat emerald waters are El Nido's most distinguishing
feature. This interplay of somber darkness and ethereal
light provide the dramatic backdrop for several luxury
resorts and dozens of moderately priced diver lodges on the
islands. The black marble and limestone cliffs contain large
caves with whimsical names like Cathedral Cave and Disco
Cave because of their formation. Though they look like
barren sheets of inhospitable rock, the cliffs actually
spawn the swift, or balinsasayaw, which produces the
delectable bird's nest for soups. And in some of the rock
faces, yucca and talisay trees as well as wild flowering
begonias do thrive in the crevices.
The town of El Nido in itself exudes a quaint charm with
well-tended homes and clean streets. Many of the islands
have hidden lagoons sheltered by limestone crags. Schools of
fish swarm in the coral reefs, many of which are visible to
the naked eye. When in season, divers often encounter the
rare sea cow, or dugong.
Only small chartered planes from Manila fly tourists to the
upscale resorts. Everybody else takes the sea ferry to this
picturesque fishing town.
MAGICAL TRIP TO THE UNDERWORLD
Palawan presents a visual feast not only above the ground
but also below it. St. Paul National Park is Palawan's most
popular attraction and covers 5,349 hectares of lush forest,
dark mountains, caves and white beaches. In the deep
recesses of the marble and limestone peaks of Mt. St. Paul
flow the Underground River, said to be the longest in the
world. It is easily navigable for at least four kilometers.
The caves are filled with filigree-like sculptures formed by
stalagmites and stalactites. Near its mouth is a beautiful
lagoon with crystal-clear water that teems with fish. Also
within the park is the Monkey Trail, a series of wooden
paths that winds into the forest where monkeys, squirrels,
lizards and some 60 species of birds are found. The Park is
inscribed in the World Heritage List.
Tabon Caves are the oldest known habitation site in
Southeast Asia. It is a complex of 200 caves scattered on a
138-hectare museum site reserve, of which 33 have thus far
been excavated. Seven of these caves are open to the public
as a prehistoric museum where excavations have been left as
they are. The caves provide Paleolithic evidence that this
is where life in Palawan actually began and have yielded a
woman’s skull, fossilized bones and earthenware dating to as
far back as 890-710 B.C. The main entrance to the caves
offers a panoramic view of a white-sand fringed bay. The
caves lie in the mountains of Pipuon Point in the town of
Quezon.
Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park is the country's
largest marine habitat. It hosts giant manta rays, sea
turtles and hundreds of reef fish species. Located at the
heart of the Sulu Sea, the marine park is 33,200 hectares of
coral atoll, barely emergent islets and open water, and
constitutes a unique complete open ocean ecosystem. It is
inscribed in the World Heritage List as "rare and
superlative phenomena as well as formations, features and
areas of exceptional beauty." It is located some 98 nautical
miles from Puerto Princesa and is a premier diving
destination.
OUT OF AFRICA
The drought and civil strife that struck Kenya in 1977
brought some 108 African wild animals to Calauit Island. The
Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 3,700
hectares and is home to both endemic and African animals.
The imported giraffes, zebras, impalas, waterbucks, and
gazelles, among others, have successfully bred and graze the
preserve undisturbed. They share the land with endangered
endemic animals like the Calamian deer, Palawan mouse deer,
bear cat, leopard cat, tarsier, Palawan peacock pheasant,
scaly anteater, porcupine and monitor lizard. The mangroves
are home to the man-eating Philippine crocodile while
offshore sea grass beds are the habitat of the rare dugong.
Many endemic and migrant birds flock to the area. Safaris
can be arranged with the park rangers. Modest accommodations
are available for overnight stay.
ISLAND FLAVORS
Although it is part of Luzon, Palawan borrows many dishes
from the Visayas and Mindanao. A distinct characteristic of
the island cuisine, however, is the use of green mangoes as
souring agent in many dishes. International cookery is also
widely available to serve the continuous influx of tourists.
There are many restaurants on the main and side streets of
Puerto Princesa offering varied international and native
cuisines. Check out the restaurant row along Rizal Avenue.
The capital city is also known for its Vietnamese eateries,
Palawan being once a refugee center. Anywhere, rice and
fresh seafood are staple fares.
Outside of Puerto Princesa, moderate priced resorts have
their own dining outlets but may require advance orders for
meals. When going on expeditions, it is advised to get your
food provisions and bottled water from Puerto Princesa as
supplies are oftentimes limited in outlying towns and
practically nil in some islands. First class hotels and
resorts have fine dining and theme restaurants, which offer
catering services
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