Palawam: Puerto Princesa - El Nido / day 1 / itinerary

Check out our day 2palawan trip here


It was June 2012 when i booked a seat sale via www.airphilexpress.com Clark - PPS, P688.00 one way not bad huh?  So without thinking about budgets and everything I booked for 3 person for November 29, 2012, Waited another months and I was blessed to steal at zestair now you can reach them thru this site www.airasia.com.ph for 589.90 per person for our PPS - Manila on December 3, 2012. All in All we had our airfare for P1,277.90 roundtrip.

Originally, this trip will just concentrate only at Puerto Princessa but when I started to read blogs about El Nido how to travel in a very cheapest way, I immediately change our Itinerary. Searches for accommodation and activities. Island Hoping is the famous activities and El Nido because of its wealth into Marine Life. The Island Hoping consist of Tour A, B, C and D and some also offers Tour E which known as Inland Tour.

We chose Marina Garden Resort for our 3 days stay in El Nido and Servant Tours for Island Hoping, I picked the Tour A and C - as this tour is the most reccomended by many bloggers who been there.

We set P7,00.00 (excluding airfare) budget per person for this trip


Novermber 29, 2013

We woke up early, ate heavy breakfast check out things then prayed together for God's protection and for His will to be done upon this trip.

We left home  around 7:30am, rode a tricycle going to junction and rode jeepney going to check point (sm clark) fromt there you can take a jeepney passing to Diosdado Macapagal but you need to walk a distance from the dropping point, with this knowledge, I haggle with jeepney drivers and got the whole jeepney for P250.00 drop off point is Clark Airport gate, then a man approached me and asked if he can tag along with us, his fight is 10:00am I think, so we shell out P62.50 each for this ride. He is bound to Davao flight at 10:00am.

Kuya (forgot his name) bound to davao via airasia

We say goodbye to Kuya who hurried to the departure gate. I was observing while we were waiting outside Diosdado Macapagal Airport.

outside the airport - other pasangers also waiting for the gate to open

 After 45 minutes the door was been opened opcors pila pila lang po..

Airphil - Counter (30 minutes waiting tsk)

Our original flight schedule was been change from 11:35am i think became 10:55am arrival in PPS would be 12:00pm not bad at least early, it took 30 minutes before the E-ticket was been release why? our names was not listed on their computers they need wait for the supervisor to enter it on their system, pwede ba yon mawala ang name namin but it happened, then i asked the staff in the counter why airphil did not inform me about the changes of our flight schedules and why our names was not registered on their systems (be nice to them please, its not their fault, they are just an employee), I didnt urgue them when they explain something about the system enhances churba.. anyway, ang mahalaga sa importante makapag check inn kami tapos.

Diosdado Macapagal Domestic Airport - Lounge

Hindi po ito ang Plane namin

From the airport lounge a service shuttle is waiting to bring the passanger to their designated plane.

This is our Plane waitinf for us ^_^

One, two, three... Smile.!!!!

My sibblings

Free Snacks from Airphil (in fairness)

clouds - oh how i love to touch and play with my hands

Arrival - PPS Airport (hindi kami delayed)  :)

Hello Puerto Princessa  - di sila excited!!

A lot of things happend upon our arrival in PPS, my contact for our underground river tour didnt show up, he explained that there was a mishap on our communication then decided to get another tour package at EL Mundo travel agency, they are quiete accomodating syempre client eh. It was a last minute decision on my part to to the Underground River Tour on 3rd day. They explain to me that I need to go to UR Office to personally get a permit they will just help us but still, it is considered as package tour i just really need the permit though. Good thing this happend to us, gain some ideas how to do it D.I.Y. Everything went smoothly with them even the schedule. After getting our UR permit and paid 1,500.00 for this tour (including the permit) each we proceed to junction to take our late lunch, we ate at Chowking then did a little groceries at NCCC mall which is just across chowking, you just need to a walk a little bit under the the heat of the sun. From NCCC Grocery mall, we hailed (rented) a tricycle going to San Jose Terminal, He charged us P80.00 for 3 of us I know it quiete pricey but I dont want to walk at the junction anymore with heavy bag and groceries, I just agreed because we need to catch the 4:00pm RORO Bus going to El Nido, I asked the Tricycle driver to drop me first to ATM booth to withdraw some cash (EL Nido has no ATM Machine and only Art Cafe is accepting Credit Cards), grabe it took me 15 -20 minutes sa haba ng pila as in. Kuya driver patiently waited for me and He even asked us if we want to hire him on city tour for 500.00 got his number and told him that if we decide to have our city tour we are going to contact him, and paid him 100.00 (i think kulang pa yon, paghintayin ko ba naman sya ng 20 minutes) he gladly accepted the money and gave his "Maraming salamat po Mam" (at sya pa talaga ang nagpasalamat).

Puerto Princesa Tricycle: can accomodate 4 pax

RORO Bus bound to El Nido - P483.00

I had no idea that the 4:00pm RORO bus is ordinary, and I dont want to ride neither hailed van. no no no way.. So we waited for the  6:00pm bus going to El Nido. I texted Marina Garden that there was just a little adjustment on our arrival and confirmed them that we are already in San Jose Terminal.

It was past 6:00pm when the RORO bus left San Jose Terminal It has a 2 stop over and 6 hours rough ride. But its okey with us, sanay kami sa mahabang biyahe, we tried nilaga in one of the eatery stop over. We arrived in El Nido around 12:00mn (wow, bilis noh) Hailed tricycle going to marina and paid P50.00, ganun daw yon pag gabi, the driver/conductor is so kind that he help us and talk to tricycle driver. 12:30am of November 30, 2012 check inn at marina garden, drop our bags and freshen up.

Before we slept that night we uttered a prayer of Thanks Giving to our Lord Jesus for the protection and favour the He showered to us and for the Holy Spirit who always comfort and give wisdom in every situation we had on that day. 

After our prayers we charged our gadgets, good thing I brought a triple adoptor. El Nido electricity runs 2:00pm - 6:00am only, we took an extra precaution about this and besides our camera and cellphone run out of battery and it was almost 1:00am already so charging the phone till 5:00am wont do any harm.