Get Active in Puerto Princesa
While you’ll find more adrenaline-pumping activities in other parts of Asia, Palawan’s adventurous activities are focused around the exploration of its rare fauna, forests, coral reefs, mangroves, limestone cliffs and virtually empty white sand beaches. Katie Kenny flies into Puerto Princesa for a short yet action-packed beach holiday.
About the beaches: An hour and a half by van outside Palawan’s capital city of Puerto Princesa is Sabang Beach. The calming stretch of sand is less frequented than the main touristy beach in Honda Bay on Puerto Princesa’s east coast, which draws in tour groups and massive crowds. Honda Bay is beautiful but the attractions are quite similar to the same ones you would find anywhere else. Sabang Beach’s pristine waters and soft sand are perfect for a secluded beach day, but they’re made even better by the number of adventurous activities the beach has to offer.
A thing of beauty
Start with a quick yet scenic 800-meter zipline over Sabang Beach, close to the mangrove forest, with the Sabang x Zipline Tour ($96). Or head to the Irawan Eco Park (bit.ly/hk-zipline) for their four-hour “Adventure & Zipline Tour”—which includes one of the longest ziplines in Asia, a scary skywalk above the forest and a river tour. Farther south along Sabang Beach are the Sabang Waterfalls and the Chinese Temple. Sign up for a two-hour tour, which includes scenic hikes, a guide and visits to both attractions ($52).
Zip across Sabang Beach
Spelunk your heart out