Puerto Princesa
Puerto Princesa: Best Time to Visit and What a Trip Costs
Photo: Bert Andone, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Puerto Princesa’s dry season runs roughly December to May, and it matters more here than in most of Palawan for one specific reason: heavy wet-season rain can flood and close the Underground River to tours outright, something that doesn’t happen to Honda Bay’s boats.
Best time to visit: dry season, with one specific risk in the wet
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| Season | Months | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Dry season | December–May | Calmer seas for Honda Bay, lower flood risk at the Underground River; February is typically the driest month |
| Wet season | June–September | Heavier rain; the Underground River can flood and close to tours during severe weather |
Sourced against Things to Do Puerto Princesa’s best-time-to-visit guide, last checked 12 October 2026. In the wet season, check the Underground River’s operating status close to your travel date.
Outside the Underground River’s flood risk, Puerto Princesa’s wet season is milder than northern Palawan’s, which is part of why some visitors deliberately come in the cheaper, quieter June-to-October window and accept the rain risk.
What a day actually costs
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| Item | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Budget hotel room, city | From ≈ $7–12 / night | See where to stay in Puerto Princesa |
| Food, local eateries | ≈ ₱400–600 / day | Carinderia-style meals three times a day |
| Underground River, DIY (park fees + paddleboat) | ≈ ₱880 pp | Full breakdown on Underground River and Honda Bay compared |
| Honda Bay island-hopping tour + fees | ≈ ₱1,870–3,020 pp | Shared tour plus the environmental fee and entrance fees for Starfish, Luli and Cowrie |
Sourced against the accommodation figures already sourced on where to stay in Puerto Princesa and the activity figures on Underground River and Honda Bay compared, both last checked 12 October 2026. Neither total includes the roughly ₱150–450 van fare to or from Sabang for the Underground River, since tricycles aren’t allowed on that highway.
Put together, a budget day built around the DIY Underground River trip lands around ₱1,700–2,200 per person before the Sabang van fare, roughly $30–38 at current exchange rates. A Honda Bay day instead runs closer to ₱2,700–4,300, about $47–75, since the tour price already bundles the boat, guide and lunch.
Two or three days, not one
The Underground River and Honda Bay don’t combine into a single day, Sabang is a two-hour drive in one direction and Honda Bay a boat ride in the other, each taking most of a day on its own. A 3-day Puerto Princesa itinerary spreads the two across separate days around a travel day, and things to do in Puerto Princesa beyond the Underground River covers four more low-cost or free stops in and around the city if you have a spare half-day.
Before you book
Book the Underground River permit a few days to a couple of weeks ahead regardless of season, the daily visitor cap makes this the one booking that sells out. Accommodation is worth booking further ahead for the December–May peak and especially the early-March Balayong Festival. A session with me is the fastest way to ask how a Puerto Princesa budget fits into a wider Palawan trip alongside El Nido.
Questions people ask
What is the best time of year to visit Puerto Princesa?
Roughly December to May is the dry season, with February typically the driest month. The wet season runs June to September, and heavy rain in that window can flood and close the Underground River to tours.
What is the cheapest time to visit Puerto Princesa?
June to October, outside the December to May peak, sees fewer visitors and better hotel rates, at the cost of a higher chance of rain and the small risk of an Underground River closure if a storm floods the cave.
How much does a day in Puerto Princesa cost?
A budget day of a city hotel room, local food and the DIY Underground River trip (park fees plus paddleboat) comes to roughly ₱1,700–2,200 (about $30–38), not counting the van ride out to Sabang. A Honda Bay island-hopping day instead runs closer to ₱2,700–4,300 once the tour, environmental fee and island entrance fees are added.
Do prices in Puerto Princesa go up in peak season?
Accommodation does, most visibly during the December to May dry season and around the Balayong Festival in early March.
How many days should I budget for Puerto Princesa?
Three days, as laid out in a 3-day Puerto Princesa itinerary, covers one day for the Underground River and one for Honda Bay around a travel day, since the two don't combine into a single day.
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