Balabac Palawan Travel Guide
Balabac Islands, Palawan Overview
Balabac is one of the up-and-coming tourist destinations in southern Palawan as it continues to attract tourists to its pristine shorelines and idyllic islands. Now that it is the dry season in the Philippines, it is perfect to bask in the hot summer sun and feel the sea breeze from one of Balabac’s iconic islands.
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Onok Island, Balabac, Palawan
Located in the southwestern-most point of the Philippines, the municipality of Balabac is one of Palawan’s newest tourist destinations. Sharings border with mainland Palawan (North), Sabah, Malaysia (South), West Philippine Sea (West), and Sulu Sea (East), this second-class municipality is more than meets the eye. A paradise on its own, it is a destination waiting to be discovered.
The GPS coordinates of the municipality of Balabac are 8.1540° N, 117.1265° E. When I went to celebrate my birthday in this municipality, all you needed to do was to ride a boat to reach every island. From the major to the minor outlying islands, boats are the main mode of transportation. The laidback lifestyle also adds to the experience as some of the ‘touristy’ islands do not have electricity by day and rely on generator power by night. Good thing, too, is that some islands have strong and free WiFi connections to keep everyone updated.
Best time to go to Balabac, Palawan
Canibungan Island, Balabac, Palawan
The best months to visit Balabac is during the Philippines’ dry season a.k.a. Summer Season usually from March to early May. The Philippines primarily has two seasons, the dry season (February to May) and wet season (June to January). The climate is humid and tropical all year round and the temperature range is from 25 to 31 °C (77 – 87.8 °F). With February as its average coldest month and May as its average warmest month.
How to get to Balabac
Being the westernmost province in the Philippines, Palawan can easily be accessed by air through the Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS). Here are various ways on how to get to Palawan and the municipality of Balabac.
By Air
Puerto Princesa International Airport Departures Area
The nearest airport from Balabac is the Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS). It is serviced by the 3 major airline companies in the Philippines, namely: Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Philippines AirAsia. Here are their schedules from Manila, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and Clark.
|
Philippine Airlines |
|
| Manila (MNL) – Puerto Princesa (PPS) | Cebu (CEB) – Puerto Princesa (PPS) |
| 0415 – 0545 H | 1655 – 1810 H |
| 1130 – 1300 H | 2115 – 2245 H |
| 1650 – 1820 H | |
| 2010 – 2140 H | |
|
Cebu Pacific |
||||
| From Manila | From Cebu | From Clark | From Iloilo | From Davao |
| 0030 – 0205 H | 1440 – 1605 H | 2005 – 2135 H | 0900 – 1010 H | 1300 – 1440 H |
| 0345 – 0520 H | 1645 – 1740 H | |||
| 0530 – 0700 H | ||||
| 0605 – 0735 H | ||||
| 1030 – 1200 H | ||||
| 1825 – 2000 H | ||||
| 0940 – 2310 H | ||||
|
Philippines AirAsia |
| Manila (MNL) – Puerto Princesa (PPS) |
| 0540 – 0700 H |
| 1350 – 1510 H |
| 1530 – 1650 H |
| 1745 – 1905 H |
*Note that all flight schedules may change overtime by date or month. Check directly on the airlines’ website for more updated flight schedules.
By Land
If you are doing a DIY trip to Balabac, you can catch a bus or van from the Irawan Bus Terminal (Puerto Princesa Land Transport Terminal Irawan) either going to Rio Tuba (Camito) Pier or Buliluyan Port. The central bus terminal is approximately 11 kilometers from the airport and you can reach the transport terminal in about 20-30 minutes.
By Water
From Rio Tuba (Camito) Pier
The trip from Rio Tuba (Camito) Pier is limited to 1 trip per day and it usually leaves between 0800 H and 1400 H. The boat ride is about 3 to 4 hours, depending on sea conditions. Take note that you can also reserve a boat back to Rio Tuba Pier a day before your departure.
From Buliluyan Port
The trip to Buliluyan Port is quite longer than going to Rio Tuba Port but is the most common terminal to go to when exploring the islands of Balabac. The trip to Buliluyan Port takes around 4 to 5 hours, with a breakfast stopover in Brooke’s Point or Sofronio Española. The boat ride to the islands (e.g. Onok, Candaraman, Sicsican) varies from 1 to 2 hours.
Things to know when visiting Balabac Island
| Land Area | 581.60 km2 (224.56 mi2), half the size of the island of Guam |
| Languages / Dialects Spoken | English, Filipino, Molbog, Kagayanen, Palawano |
| Cellular Signal | Globe (Poor to No Signal in some areas)
Smart (Poor to Fair in some areas) |
| Socket Standard, Voltage (V), Frequency (Hz) | Type A (2 Flat Parallel Pins), 220 Volts, 60 Hz |
| Modes of Payment | Cash Only (No ATMs on the islands) |
| Currency used | Philippine Peso (PH₱) |
Exploring in and out of Balabac
No public transport within the island except for for-hire motorcycles (locally known as “habal-habal”); the only way to reach the municipality is by boat. The municipality became known primarily because of Onok Island, which gave birth to island-hopping tours in the municipality. Balabac Island, the main island, can be reached by boat from Buliluyan Port in about 2 hours.
Balabac Palawan Photos
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About Aldrick 'chiki' Agpaoa
