Onok or Onuk Island in Balabac is a remote island paradise located in the southernmost part of Palawan. If you check Google Maps, you’ll see that it’s already very close to Malaysia. You’ll also be surprised to spot cargo ships, tankers, and other international vessels from afar, as the Balabac Strait serves as an international shipping route between countries such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
The view in Onuk Island honestly feels unreal. The water is so clear and blue that it doesn’t even look real in photos, and the sandbars during low tide are just jaw-dropping. Definitely one of the prettiest islands I’ve ever seen in the Philippines.
The island is also a sanctuary for Pawikans so expect to see a LOT of them when you arrive!
How to Get to Onuk Island?
Onok Island is the highlight of the Balabac island-hopping tour, which is part of a 4-day, 3-night trip. Not every tour offers an overnight stay on Onok Island, unlike the tour I booked, due to certain limitations so make sure to ask the tour operator if they include it.
Some people in our group only did the day tour, so they have to leave at 2:30 PM, which I think is such a bummer because Onuk Island is the highlight of the trip, and leaving after just 3 hours feels like such a waste.
If you change your mind and want to stay overnight, you would just need to pay an additional 2,000 pesos each. However, since they limit the number of tourists allowed to stay overnight, it will still depend on availability, so it’s better to decide before you arrive in Balabac.
We arrived at 11:00 AM, and after lunch, we started exploring the island. Every part of Onuk Island looked so perfect, so we didn’t miss the opportunity to take photos in every corner of it.
Our tour organizer also gave us a free natural buko juice, which we can use for our photoshoots. LOL
What to Expect in Onuk Island?
In a remote place like Onuk Island, don’t expect a strong internet connection. They have Starlink WiFi, but it seems it’s not working at all. Anyway, in a place like this, all you need is to disconnect from everyone and enjoy the moment!
Once you arrive on the island, you’ll see sea turtles swimming around the docking area, along the shore, or simply put – all around Onuk Island. They’re everywhere! Sea turtles genuinely make me happy, and I even call them “sea doggos,” so I didn’t hesitate to put on my fins and start looking for them.
It was a fun afternoon and to be honest, I could continue swimming all day. I forgot about the giant clams but they’re there too lol – just got really busy with these cute turtles!
By afternoon, the tide was sooo low that people had already left by 2:30 PM or else they would’ve been stranded there. Because of the extreme low tide on Onuk Island, boats were advised to leave while they still could. That meant we had the island almost to ourselves, along with the remaining seven tourists – excluding the locals and tour guides, of course.
We we’re lucky to be upgraded to a hut for 500 pesos each because they’re only limited and just depends on the availability.
For the shower room and toilet, I’d say it’s better here on Onuk Island because there are only a few of us here, so you don’t really have to line up for your turn. We also tried the open shower just for fun, and here’s Ron fixing the shower like a true island local.
In the afternoon, we were privileged to enjoy the beautiful sunset in Balabac and we felt contented with this simple and slow life. Me and Ron could live there as we always say to each other. Doing nothing and just enjoying the nature.
Just look at this view.
The next day, we still have enough time to swim and enjoy Onuk Island while waiting for the boat to pick us up for our third day’s island hopping. But as I’ve mentioned many times, there’s no such thing as forever so we need to say goodbye to this wonderful island. *cries*
Bye Onuk Island, we will be back for sure!
