5 Activities to Do in Palawan if you Don’t Dive

What’s there to do in Palawan if you don’t dive? Plenty, as it turns out.

Sure, you’ll be missing out on the gorgeous underwater life if you don’t know or learn how to dive. And Palawan IS known as a diver’s paradise. But if you’re afraid of deep, dark waters or scared of sea (or most) animals like me, you’ll still have lots to do in Palawan.

#1 Go island hopping

What better way to explore all the beautiful islands surrounding Palawan Island than to go on an island hopping tour? Snorkel above corals teeming with schools of fishes, swim to a secret beach, or kayak in a peaceful lagoon!

El Nido has a few set tours which are named alphabetically, and the islands for each tour are the same across all tour agencies. The more popular ones are El Nido Tour A which brings you to lagoons and beaches and El Nido Tour C which brings you to beaches and shrines. If you love parties, there’s also Tour Z by Mellow Yellow which is essentially a party boat travelling around selected islands later than the other boats on tour.

There are also a few island-hopping tours in Puerto Princesa, with one of the most popular ones being the Honda Bay island hopping tour.

#2 Take a ride through Puerto Princesa Underground River

The Puerto Princesa Underground River was recently named one of the new 7 wonders of nature and is a World Heritage UNESCO heritage site. And you definitely have to experience it to see why.

The only way you can go in is through a narrow boat, and the number of boats is capped at a time. Everyone has to wear a helmet so you don’t accidentally scrap your heads against the very sharp stalactites or have bat poop splatter on you! And there a LOT of bats in the cave. Every visitor is also given an audio set which gives interesting facts about the different parts of the cave and what the different formations look like. Some even look like vegetables!

The audio set helps to keep the cave as quiet as it should be, and with no lamps installed in the cave, the only lights you’ll see are from your guide’s flashlight. When our guide turned his off for a few seconds, I took off my earpiece and all I could hear was water dripping in the pitch darkness! It’s definitely not the most comfortable feeling not being able to see your hands right in front of you while surrounded by deep water!

We booked a group tour through Klook, and with waiting times it took us about 3 hours from central Puerto Princesa to get to the underground river. Be prepared to wait for your turn at the head of the underground river as there’s a limited capacity of boats allowed into the cave at each time!

Address: Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Puerto Princessa, Palawan, Philippines

#3 Zipline across islands

Harness your inner Superman for a few minutes and admire the clear blue waters as you ‘fly’ across two islands. Sure, you’ll have to hike for about 15 minutes up the Sabang mangrove forest then get strapped to the zipline above you, but the amazing view will be worth all the sweat.

If the superman position is foo thrilling for you, you can ride the 800m Sabang X Zipline sitting down too. Or take your friend along and go down together! The ride was surprisingly smooth from the get-go. I was expecting a jerky start with a second of gut-wrenching free fall, but there was none of that, so I felt a bit silly screaming in anticipation right before we took off.

You can either ride the zipline independently (PHP550 for the sitting position, or PHP750 for Superman), or go for it through a tour. It was part of the Klook tour we took along with the underground river.

Address: Cabayugan, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

#4 Watch the fireflies

See those lights sparkling in the trees? Nope, those aren’t fairy lights that the locals somehow installed on the mangroves lining the Iwahig River. They’re fireflies!

Depending on how lucky you are, clear skies will typically mean you’ll see more of the twinkling bugs. While you’re approaching the mangrove trees where the fireflies’ homes are, look down at the water near the edge of the boat. Not only are the trees dotted with lights, the water is too!

Remember the romantic scene in The Beach where Leonardo DiCaprio kisses the leading lady in glowing waters? That’s the same phenomenon happening in Palawan’s waters (albeit at a much smaller scale) with the bioluminescent plankton lighting up once the water is disturbed. There were a lot of oohs and ahhs when the boatman scooped up some water and poured it onto the deck!

Address: Barangay Iwahig, Puerto Princesa City, 5300 Palawan, Philippines

#5 Kayak in the sea

Rent a kayak and explore the sea surrounding Palawan on your own. But don’t stay too close to the rocks as the waves can get a bit choppy out in the open sea. We saw more than one kayak overturned by the waves, and you don’t want to get smashed into the sharp rocks!

Sure, Palawan is an amazing place to dive at. But if you don’t dive and still want to enjoy what the tropical island has to offer, there are still plenty of activities to do in Palawan! And let’s not forget the great massages and food!