Puerto Princesa Tours: To DIY or Not to DIY, That is the Question

When travelling there is one question that probably comes up every time: When should you save some cash and organize a tour yourself, and when is it smarter to just contact a tour operator and do the work for you?

We had this concern when planning our Puerto Princesa trip.

A beautiful white sand beach in Palawan

So which is the better travel style? There are two things we considered in coming up with a decision for this trip.

1. Time

If there is limited time, it can really be helpful to have a tour operator/travel agency organize the trip. This way you can do away with the hassle of researching for the must-dos and must-sites, travel easily and conveniently, and avoid missing your return trip.

2. Flexibility

If you prefer to have the freedom to travel your own way, you can DIY your tour. It can give so much flexibility especially when you want to cut on costs (for big groups) and spend longer time in a site. This can also save you from being stuck with an annoying, boring and dead travel group.

We had a whole four days and three nights to spend in Palawan. We had enough time to go around Puerto Princesa (after ditching the plan to squeeze in El Nido in the trip) but we wanted to have a day where we can have it all conveniently arranged for us. At the same time we wanted to experience DIY-ing a tour. So after careful consideration, we chose to do both. To help decide which activity to book via a tour company or to DIY, we did some research by going to the NAITAS Travel and Trade Show, touted as the Philippines' newest and liveliest travel and tourism fair.  

NAITAS flyer

After booth hopping for two hours, we learned the most common things to do in Puerto Princesa and the prevailing rates.

These are the four most popular day tours to choose from when in Puerto Princesa:

1. City Tour

This is a 4-5 hour tour which will bring travellers to the city’s tourist sites – Mitra’s Ranch, Bakers Hill, Crocodile Farm, Binuatan, Baywalk/Baybay, Plaza Cuartel, Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral and Souvenir Shopping.

2. Puerto Princesa Underground River Tour

This is unarguably the most popular tour in Palawan. This will bring tourists to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, one of the new seven wonders of nature and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is located about 76km from the main city. Because of the distance and the waiting time, the tour will last about 6-8 hours. It also needs to be booked at least a month in advance as permits need to be secured by the tour operator or the visitor. The permits are limited as the government controls the number of tourists visiting the site on a daily basis.

Signage to the Underground River

New 7 Wonders of Nature Marker

3. Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour

This is an island hopping tour of the beautiful islands in Honda Bay. The tour is a combination of either two or three islands. Options vary. There is Cowrie, Starfish and Luli Islands. Another is Pandan and Luli or Cowrie Islands. There is also Pambato Reef, Luli and Cowrie Islands. The tour can last up to 6-8 hours.

4. FireFly Watching Tour

This is a night cruise along Iwahig River, one of the city’s most picturesque rivers. Here tourists can watch fireflies and do stargazing at the same time. This tour lasts about 3-4 hours.

The rates published during the fair were as follows:

     

Tour Operator	Rates per Person (in Php)
	City	Honda Bay	Underground River	Firefly Watching
Advil Travel and Tours	450	1140	1240	N/A
Extreme Palawan Travel and Tours	450	1100	1200	900
Laseasky Travel and Tour	600	1300	1500	1100
Palawan Ecology Travel and Tours	650	1300	1700	1100
Inland Travel and Tours	600	1100	1200	1100
King James Travel and Tours	450	1100	1200	800
Ride N Go Travel and Tours	600	1340	1540	1200
Palawan Holiday PH Adventures	500	1140	1240	1000

Brochures collected during the NAITAS Fair

We also had the chance to talk to Ms. Joyce Enriquez, one of the Tourism Officers in the Puerto Princesa City booth. We asked for her thoughts about DIY-ing tours in the city. She recommended booking a tour for the Underground River as it could be a hassle DIY-ing for first time visitors. According to her, the following things need to be planned and accomplished for the tour:

1. Securing Visitor Entry Permits and confirming the tour schedule at the PPUR Office located in the city coliseum.

2. Travelling two hours to Sabang Port via jeepney, bus or van on the date of your tour.

3. Registering and paying the fees at the Tourist Information Center in Barangay Cabayugan, Sabang.

4. Arranging a round trip boat service to the site.

5. Preparing your lunch and snacks.

The entire process of DIY-ing the Underground River Tour may be a tedious process and will require a lot of time and effort to carry out. It will appeal to the adventurous travellers and will be a lot cheaper for big groups. Since there were only two of us in this trip and we were afraid of what might go wrong, we followed Ms. Joyce’s recommendations and decided to book our Puerto Princesa Underground River visit with a tour operator.

You may contact the Puerto Princesa City Tourism Department at +63 (48) 717 8035 or by email at puertoturismo@yahoo.com.

After the fair, we contacted the tour operators offering the lowest rates to the underground river. We booked with Inland Travel and Tours as it is the operator who provided immediate and complete responses to our emails. We liaised with the manager, Jackeline Navarro. Inland Travel and Tours can be contacted by phone at +63 (48) 434 1508 or by email at inland_tours@yahoo.com.ph.

Touring the  Underground River with Inland Travel and Tours

As for the do-it-ourselves tour, Ms. Joyce suggested that the three other popular tours will be easier to DIY. So we settled with a DIY tour of Honda Bay and deferring the City and Firefly Watching Tours (..and El Nido) the next time we visit Palawan.

Read about our Honda Bay adventure here: DIY-ing Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour.

As you can see, asking whether to DIY or not to DIY is helpful in coming up with the most suitable travel style for you. You just need to consider your time, your flexibility and of course, do the necessary research about your destination. So what tips do you have for deciding whether to DIY or not a tour?