What does a month in the Philippines look like, from Palawan to Cebu?

1. 1Manilaarrival; Intramuros2 days
2. 2SabangUnderground River2 days
3. 3Port Bartonquiet west-coast village3 days
4. 4El Nidoisland-hopping tours6 days
5. 5Coronwrecks and Kayangan Lake4 days
6. 6Oslobfly to Cebu, then south by bus4 days
7. 7Moalboalsardine run; Kawasan Falls nearby7 days
8. 8Cebu Citylast night; flew on to Bangkok1 day

Our route, stop by stop

• Manila, 2 days (8–10 November). Arrival and a buffer before the domestic flight. The walled old city of Intramuros, with Fort Santiago and San Agustin Church, is the main sight.

• Sabang, 2 days (10–12 November). A small village on Palawan's west coast built around the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, an 8.2 km underground river and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our Sabang guide covers the village, and the Underground River permit guide explains the daily cap and fees.

• Port Barton, 3 days (12–15 November). A low-key beach village further up the west coast, with boat trips around the islands in its bay. A quieter stop between Sabang and El Nido; we do not have a guide for it yet.

• El Nido, 6 days (15–21 November). The Bacuit archipelago's karst islands and lagoons, seen on the lettered island-hopping tours. Our El Nido guide covers the town, and El Nido Tour A, B, C or D explains which tour to pick.

• Coron, 4 days (21–25 November). WWII Japanese wrecks in the bay, Kayangan Lake and Twin Lagoon. See our Coron guide and El Nido to Coron: ferry vs flight.

• Oslob, 4 days (25–29 November). A town near the southern tip of Cebu island, known for whale-shark watching at Tan-awan, plus Tumalog Falls and the sandbar of Sumilon Island nearby.

• Moalboal, 7 days (29 November–6 December). The longest stop: a dive and snorkel town on Cebu's southwest coast, known for the sardine run off Panagsama Beach, turtles and Pescador Island, with Kawasan Falls in neighbouring Badian.

• Cebu City, 1 day (6–7 December). A last night before we flew on to Thailand. Magellan's Cross, the Basilica del Santo Niño and Fort San Pedro are all in the old center.

Getting between the stops: flights, vans and ferries

The route data shows where we stayed, not how we moved. These are the usual options; schedules in the Philippines change often, so check before you book.

• Manila to Sabang: fly to Puerto Princesa (about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes, several airlines daily), then about 2 hours by shared van from the Irawan terminal or by private transfer to Sabang.

• Sabang to Port Barton: booking sites put it at around 4 to 5 hours by road with a change; boats along the coast are an option in calm seas.

• Port Barton to El Nido: shared vans take about 4 hours, with a couple of departures a day.

• El Nido to Coron: the fast ferry across the Linapacan Strait takes roughly 3.5 to 5 hours, or a flight of about 40 minutes from El Nido's Lio airport to Busuanga. AirSWIFT ran that flight until Cebu Pacific's regional arm Cebgo took over its routes on 1 July 2026. Our ferry vs flight guide compares them.

• Coron to Oslob: the one long jump. Fly from Busuanga to Cebu: direct Busuanga–Cebu flights have operated in the past, but if there is none on your dates, connect through Manila. From Mactan-Cebu airport, Ceres buses from the Cebu South Bus Terminal reach Oslob in about 4 hours (May 2026 listings put the fare at about ₱269 to ₱330).

• Oslob to Moalboal: Ceres buses run up the west side of the island via Bato; expect around 3 hours, possibly with a change, and confirm at the stop.

• Moalboal to Cebu City: about 2.5 to 3 hours by Ceres bus to the South Bus Terminal.

November and December: weather and the boats

November sits between seasons. PAGASA usually declares the start of the northeast monsoon (amihan) between late October and mid-November, and it brings cooler, drier weather that lasts until about February or March. Our Palawan guides put the reliable boat season at roughly November or December to May, with the calmest, driest months from February to April.

The catch is that late typhoons still happen. PAGASA's Visayas forecasters note that November and December storm tracks often cross the central Philippines, and Typhoon Rai (Odette) hit the Visayas and Palawan in mid-December 2021. When a gale warning or storm signal is up, the Coast Guard suspends island tours and ferries, sometimes for days, and the Underground River closes in rough seas.

So build slack into a trip at this time of year: do your top-priority El Nido tour (Tour A for most people) on your first full day, keep a buffer day before the El Nido–Coron crossing, and do not book an international flight the day after a ferry.

Permits, fees and entry

• Underground River: a dated permit is required, with about 900 visitors a day; get it in Puerto Princesa a day or two ahead or through a licensed agency. Recent reports put the total at about ₱1,085 per person including a shared boat from Sabang.

• El Nido: the Eco-Tourism Development Fee is ₱400 per person, paid once and checked before every tour, plus ₱200 for Big or Small Lagoon. Joiner tours ran roughly ₱1,200 to ₱1,800 per person in 2026.

• Entry: US citizens get 30 days visa-free, so a 29-day route like ours fits, but you need a return or onward ticket, which airlines check. Register on the free eTravel system within 72 hours before arrival. See our Philippines visa guide and eTravel guide. To stay longer, the first extension adds 29 days at a Bureau of Immigration office.

Oslob's whale sharks: what to know

The whale sharks at Oslob come because boatmen feed them every morning, which is why sightings there are near certain. Researchers have studied the effects. A PeerJ study found that sharks learned to associate the site with food and that tourists broke the minimum-distance rule more over time. A 2023 Flinders University study found the sharks' activity and metabolic rate rose by up to 55% at the feeding site, and said the long-term consequences are still unknown.

Whether to go is your call. If you do, follow the rules on distance, no touching and no flash. Moalboal's sardine run and turtles, seen from the shore at Panagsama, involve no feeding at all.

What we would keep and change

Keep: the south-to-north order through Palawan. Starting at Sabang and Port Barton and ending at El Nido and Coron means the quieter stops come first, and Busuanga's airport makes Coron a convenient exit.

Change: Moalboal at 7 days and Oslob at 4 are generous unless you dive; 3 or 4 days in Moalboal and 1 or 2 in Oslob cover the main sights. Six days in El Nido is about right, since it leaves room for two tours and a weather day.

Shorter version: with two weeks, stay on Palawan. Our 2-week Palawan itinerary drops Cebu and the Manila stay and spends the time on Sabang, Port Barton, El Nido and Coron.

Frequently asked questions