Finally, I arrived in Palawan safe and sound despite the bad weather. Since I left Cebu with sunny weather, I was really expecting the same for Palawan. Well… expect the unexpected! lol. I then took a tricycle and went straight to Liane’s Place, where I stayed for 2 nights. Also had a late lunch at the restaurant just across the inn while deciding where to go first.
So where did I go first?
I wanted the Honda Bay and off I go to a 45-minute drive to Honda Bay wharf after my late lunch.
How much is it?
Honda Bay Island Hopping in package tours is 1,300 pesos per person and it already includes van transfer to the wharf, boat transfer, lunch and entrances to the 7 islands you will be visiting. Not that bad though. It usually starts from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm.
But for us who have just arrived and will be starting the island hopping at 2:00 pm, I didn’t even bother to book for any package tour. Instead, I hired a trike for 600 pesos to Honda Bay then rented the small bangka.
- 1,300 pesos – small bangka
- 1,500 pesos – bigger bangka
What I like about Palawan is that their coast guards are strict when it comes to guest safety. They advised me to wear life jacket at all times and told me that island hopping should end by 5:00 pm. They also limited the number of islands I could visit from five down to three. Lol. Below is the list of islands, with the ones in bold being the ones we visited.
- Pandan Island – a private island where you can have lunch
- Starfish Island – has a lot of starfish on it
- Luli Island – short for “Lulubog-Lilitaw” where the island on high tides disappears and appears during low tides
- Cowrie Island – another island for lunch
- Pambato Reef (not really an island) – a man-made floating area for snorkeling
I was suggested to go to Luli, Cowrie, and Pambato Reef, but ended up visiting only two islands. I really wanted to go to Starfish Island, but I was forbidden because it’s a 40–50 minute trip and I only had three hours for island hopping. Anyway, I didn’t have a choice, so off we went and started the adventure!
First stop is…… Pambato Reef! It is a marine sanctuary for snorkeling where you can see giant clamps, corals and a lot of fishes. They also said that it is the mini Tubattaha reef minus the sharks. You are advised to wear life jacket here and follow your boatman-who-suddenly-turned-into-a-guide who will be pointing where the clamps are. Too bad the weather wasn’t that good this day so I haven’t took a descent photo.
Next stop is….. Luli Island! So as mentioned above, it is short for “Lulubog-Lilitaw” since the island on high tides disappears and appears during low tides. I really enjoyed the island because of its long shoreline.
But aside from its long shoreline, you can also enjoy feeding the fish here. Fish feeding isn’t new to us since it’s a very common activity in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, during every island-hopping trip. So what makes Luli Island different from the rest of Cebu?
Nothing tbh….
The quality of the photo isn’t that great as well because of the weather. phew phew phew.
I was also stranded here for more than an hour because it rained so hard. It’s also the reason why we didn’t go to Cowrie island. So I just took the chance to take some photos while the rain pours.
Even though it rained that day, it still made me happy because the view was sooooo beautiful and scenic. Plus, we avoided the sunburn part! Then we headed back to the city to get ready for dinner at… drumroll Kalui Restaurant! Oh yeahhhh…
So that’s it! And one more thing—the locals also caught something…
