Palawan City Tour Experience (Day - 1)

Category: Travel Destination
Location: Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Here's my Puerto Prinsesa City tour experience. As what normally tours are, you are only given 15 - 20 minutes each destination for picture taking and sight-seeing. Introduction and history telling was usually done by our tour guide in the van. Usual payment is 600 pesos. 

07:05AM – Arrived at Cebu early in the morning. I visited the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño de Cebu and had breakfast nearby before heading to Mactan Airport for my Puerto Prinsesa flight.

11:32AM – Our plane landed safely at Puerto Princesa Airport and the pension driver to pick me up was already waiting outside. I love how the van kept clean and comfy. When I arrived at the Tres Pensionne House, the place is quite and relaxing. I love the place but I hate that it’s a bit far from the main road.

01:21PM – The tour guide picked me up at the pensione house. I like him a lot as his so lovely and friendly. When I went to the van, a family who’s also on tour was with us. And later went to Astoria to pick up 2 Japanese nationals who are also booked with us for the City Tour.

02:21PM – We arrived at our first stop, at the Baker’s Hill. The place is quite nice and relaxing, well-maintained and picturesque landscapes. Inside, there is also a restaurant where you can order foods, the bakery, souvenir shop which sells t-shirts and also outside the bakery are few tables selling pearls. I love the chocolate crinkle sold in the bakery, it is very delicious. After 1 hour, we moved to our next destination.

L: One of the beautiful landscapes found at Baker's Hill
R: These are real flowers arranged beautifully

03:19PM – Not so far from the Baker’s Hill is the Mitras Ranch. According to the tour guide, the place is the rest house of the Mitra family. Well, the place is really nice and is really good for relaxing except for the busy tourist. Zip line and horse back riding is also available here but you have to pay for it if you want to try. We stayed here for 15 minutes for picture taking and headed to our next stop.

View on Mitra's Ranch ruined by the remains from a forest fire

03:46PM – Our next destination is the Crocodile Farm, the home of the largest crocodile in the Philippines before Lolong. It’s like a mini zoo, not only crocodiles are found here but some of the rare animals that we don’t usually see are also found here and not just that, you can take pictures with them for only 20-30 php.

The crocodiles!

04:50PM – After the world famous Calvin Klein ordered stuffs from Binuatan Creations, it became famous and became one of the tourist destination for city tour in Puerto Prinsesa. The staffs here will teach you how to weave the placemats and will let you do it too. Also, a store is located inside where you can also buy their products placemats, bags, wallets, etc at reasonable price.

05:16PM – We went to Plaza Cuartel, it is said that in this place is where the American soldiers were killed by the Japanese. According to our tour guide, the underground which was the prison cell is kept close because of the deadly gas fumes that can still be harmful among locals.

05:30PM – Just across Plaza Cuartel the Immaculate Conception Cathedral. The tour guide will let you visit for about 5-10minutes for picture taking and pray for Catholics like me.

06:15PM – We headed to a pearl store which I forgot the name. The pearls are so attractive and I regretted it I didn’t buy a pair for the South Sea Pearl.

06:30PM – The other group with us asked to take them to the souvenir shop or the tyangge. I bought few t-shirt and some cashew nut products. I love the cashew Tart they sell there. The time is very limited so I wasn’t able to buy everything I wanted.

07:00PM – Headed back to Tres Pension House.

Overall, my Puerto Princesa City tour was not that great but good enough. Worth for what you paid for. My many thanks to the amazing tour guide (I think it was Jeffrey) who never fails to offer to take a picture for me instead of taking selcas myself.