Puerto Princesa, or Puerto, is not popular among travelers. The airport is there, so everybody passes through. But nobody sticks around.
I like to find the beauty in all the places I visit, so I resolved to explore for a couple days.
There are several minor attractions in and near town, and one fairly major one nearby. The major one is the scenic Honday Bay, which can be toured by boat. I had island hopping planned for later in my Palawan trip, so I would be skipping Honda Bay.
I signed up for a city tour, which proved to be a mistake. The tour van drove past rent-able bicycles near the harbor walk. I could have seen all of the attractions on my own, at my own pace.
The sites ranged from the uninteresting Baker’s Hill, a tourist trap catering to locals, to the depressing crocodile farm, where the poor animals are kept in concrete enclosures.
The highlight of my time in Puerto was just walking around in the morning. I walked to where fishermen parked their boats. I bought pancakes from a lady selling them on the street. There were no other tourists around.
The harbor walk was a nice place for sunset. There are many cheap food stalls there.
So if passing through Puerto, spend a day exploring. But skip the tour. Walk around a bit, then rent a bike or motorbike.
And be sure to get your permit for the underground river here.
