How To Get To Puerto Princesa, Palawan?

Are you looking for informations on how to go to Puerto Princesa? This page gives you the different ways to get to Palawan’s capital. You can travel there by plane or by boat, from different cities of the Philippines, such as Manila, Cebu, El Nido or Coron. Here is a menu of the different routes that may interest you:

• Manila to Puerto Princesa
• Cebu to Puerto Princesa
• From other places in Palawan to Puerto Princesa
• El Nido to Puerto Princesa
• Coron to Puerto Princesa

You can also check the different companies operating routes to Puerto Princesa here:

• Airlines flying to Puerto Princesa
• Ferry company going to Puerto Princesa

How to go from Manila to Puerto Princesa

That’s the most common way to travel to Puerto Princesa: from Manila, the capital city of the country. From there, you can either get a plane or a ferry-boat. Most tourist will prefer to take the plane as the boat trip can be pretty long and quite uncomfortable.

Flying to Puerto Princesa from Manila:

Most of the flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa depart from Ninoy Aquino Terminal 3 or Terminal 4. Plane tickets to Puerto Princesa can be as low as P1,500 if they are booked enough in advance.

• Duration of the flight: around 1h40
• Estimated cost: between P1,500 and P5,000
• Terminal of arrival: Puerto Princesa International Airport
• Airflines that fly from Manila to Puerto Princesa:  Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, Air Asia

Getting to Puerto Princesa from Manila by Ferry Boat:

The ferry boat is certainly not the fastest nor the most convenient way to get to Puerto Princesa. But it’s a bit cheaper than buying a plane ticket and it may be the only solution if you need to transport heavy things.

There is currently one ferry from 2Go Travel that travels every week from Manila to Puerto Princesa. It departs in the early afternoon on Friday and arrives in the evening on the next Saturday. If you ever dreamed of spending the night on a local ferry boat, here you go:

• Duration of the trip: around 28 hours
• Estimated cost: from P1,200 to P2,200 (depending on the chosen accommodation class)
• Port of arrival: Puerto Princesa Pier
• Ferry company operating this route: 2GO Travel

How to fly to Puerto Princesa from Cebu

The second biggest city of the Philippines also offers to fly to Palawan. The fare to Puerto Princesa is quite cheaper, as long as you get on a direct flight (and not one stopping in Manila). Plane is the preferred way of traveling from Cebu to Palawan as there are no direct ferry available.

• Duration of the flight: around 1h20
• Estimated cost: from P900 to P2,500
• Terminal of arrival: Puerto Princesa International Airport
• Airflines that fly from Manila to Puerto Princesa:  Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, Air Asia

Traveling to Puerto Princesa within Palawan

You may also wonder how to travel from Coron to Puerto Princesa, or from El Nido to Puerto Princesa. Or you may even wonder if Puerto Princesa airport is far from the city (the answer is no: it’s right in the middle of it!). Here are the ways to travel from other tourist destinations to Puerto Princesa.

If you are in other places of the main island of Palawan, you will find that vans and/or buses are the most commun way to travel to “Puerto” (the local nickname of the city). This includes all the main towns such as Brooke’s Point, Narra, Sabang, Roxas, Port Barton, San Vicente or Taytay. But there are two major destinations that deserve more details for the travelers planning their adventures in the “best island in the world”: El Nido and Coron.

Getting to Puerto Princesa from El Nido

In order to go from El Nido to Puerto Princesa, you have the choice between the road and the air. Here are the options you have for each.

Hitting the road from El Nido to Puerto Princesa:

There are several options here: public van, private van, buses and even car rental with a driver (or self-driven with a drop-off point in Puerto Princesa). Here is a quick picture of the price and time it will take for each:

• Public van:
  • Duration: 5-6 hour (not counting the possible waiting time before departure)
  • Price: around P600/person
• Private van:
  • Duration: 5-6 hours
  • Price: around P7,000/van (up to 12 persons)
• Bus:
  • Duration: 8-9 hours (depending on the time of the day)
  • Price: P380/person

Flying from El Nido to Puerto Princesa:

It’s now possible to fly to Puerto Princesan from within Palawan, thanks to the smaller aircrafts operated by Air Swift. The daily flights are not always available, especially during low season (between the months of May and November). But at that time of the year, the tickets are also much cheaper and, if available, it can be a good alternative to the relatively lenghty van transfers.

• Duration of the flight: 40 minutes
• Estimated cost: from P2,700 (low season) to P9,000 (peak season)
• Terminal of departure: El Nido Airport (in Lio)
• Airfline that fly from El Nido to Puerto Princesa: Air Swift
  

How to get to Puerto Princesa from Coron (Busuanga)

From Coron, you can either take a ferry to Puerto Princesa or fly. Here again, the planes available are smaller aircrafts.

Flying from Busuanga (Coron) to Puerto Princesa:

The departure will be in the Busuanga airport, which is located around 45 minutes to 1 hour away from Coron town itself. You can either get a tricycle ride or hire a van to get there.

• Duration of the flight: 1h40
• Estimated cost: from P5,000 to P8,900
• Terminal of arrival: Puerto Princesa International Airport
• Airfline that fly from Busuanga to Puerto Princesa: Air Juan

Ferry from Busuanga (Coron) to Puerto Princesa:

Last but not least, you can take a ferry from Coron to travel to the capital of Palawan. It is worth noting that this is the same weekly ferry that goes from Manila to Puerto Princesa. It just makes a stop on the way in Coron.

• Duration of the trip: around 13 hours
• Estimated cost: from P1,300 to P2,200 (depending on the chosen accommodation class)
• Port of arrival: Puerto Princesa Pier
• Ferry company operating this route: 2GO Travel

Transport Service Companies Going to Puerto Princesa

To conclude and help you find the best way for you to get to Palawan’s main city, here is a recap of the different transporation companies we saw above:

Airlines flying to Puerto Princesa:

• Cebu Pacific
• Air Asia
• Philippine Airlines
• Air Juan (from Coron)
• Air Swift (from El Nido)

Ferry companies going to Puerto Princesa:

• 2Go Travel (from Manila and Coron)

We hope this was helpful! But is there any mean of transportation or route you know that we didn’t speak of? If so, don’t hesitate to suggest an update or share your traveling tips in the comment section below.