Palawan - El Nido - Puerto Princesa - Diving - Philippines

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Palawan has been included in the list of protected areas, thus becoming the biggest nature reserve in the world. Aside from snorkeling and swimming, Palawan Islands Philippines provides viable opportunities for underwater exploration. The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park is recognized as the top dive site in the country. In fact, the reef’s two atolls, which are ten to twelve hours away from the capital, are included in the World Heritage Site.
Likewise, it is home to several varieties of invertebrates and reef fishes as well as the Tubbataha shark.

Moreover, Palawan provides guests with foot trails leading into the rain forest. One of these trails, the Monkey Trail, offers an excellent view of the tropical plants and animals. It is a well-maintained chain of wooden steps leading to the main ranger station. There are cottages and camp sites making it an ideal place to spend the night. However, the trip will take about one hour so the tourist will have to be physically fit. It is believed that this activity can be "a religious experience." At dawn, visitors will be awakened by the singing of tropical birds.

Palawan islands Philippines is generally mountainous but not volcanic. Mt. Mantalingajan is the highest peak in the province at 2086 meters. However, travelers should be careful when traveling to the untapped terrains of the province because it can be a haven for mosquitoes. It is advisable to take anti-malaria pills for safety reasons.

Finally, the northern section of Palawan provides a wide array of island beach resorts and abounds with reserves and parks. Overall, one would always have a guarantee of having a great time when visiting Palawan islands Philippines.

Palawan Background

Palawan is the westernmost island province of the Philippines. It is surrounded by the South China Sea in the north and by the Sulu Sea in the south. There are three major island groups in Palawan. There is the Calamian island group in the northern part. There is the Cuyo island group in the northwest. Finally, in the southwest region, there is the Balabac-Bugsak group. In general there are 1,769 islands belonging to the province.

With such geographical description, there is no doubt why the province is considered to be one of the major tourist attractions in the Philippines. Palawan is ideal for nature hopping, water activities such as scuba diving or simply the best place to unwind and relax. However, we fail to mention the true gem of the island province, which are the Palawan people.

Palawan people were good fishermen, divers and seafarers, mainly because of the province’s geography. Furthermore, like a typical Filipino, Palawan people are also very friendly and very hospitable. They open their arms to visitors and tour them around the province. This is very inevitable especially if you visit suburban communities. You’ll be amazed with different kinds of Palawan people.

To understand further the Palawan people, we must take a glimpse on the province’s history. The provine was called Kla-ma-yan, Busuanga, Paragua and Palau-ye before. Palau-ye was changed to Palaw-ye. Eventually, it became Palawan, which is now the official name.

Archaeologists regarded that Palawan people particularly the Tabon Man were the first inhabitants of the Philippines. The name Tabon was taken from the cave, where the relics or fossils of the first settlers were found. As time passes by, Palawan people met migrants from nearby territories such as the Malay and the Indonesian, which later on had acquired their form of living. To some extent some Palawan people still practice their ancestors’ way of living.

Then sometime between the 12th – 15th centuries, Palawan people had became trade partners of other Asian countries such as China, Japan, India and Saudi Arabia. Palawan people had close contact with Filipinos from Luzon, Visayas and the Muslim Mindanao. This explains why some of the Palawan People profess the Islam faith nowadays.

When the Spaniards, came in the Philippines, Catholic faith was introduced throughout the archipelago including Palawan. At first, Palawan people resisted to Spanish rule. To win the hearts of the Palawan people, Spaniards send missionaries such as St. Exequiel Moreno. Majority of the Palawan People were converted to Catholic. Others fled to the mountains and others migrated to Mindanao especially the Muslims. Then the Americans and Japanese came respectively after the Spaniards. The rest as they say is history…

With a mixture of influences there is no doubt why Palawan people are amazing to meet.

Palawan is a great place to visit and hangout because of its natural wonder. However, the true beauty of the province lies in the hearts of the Palawan People. In order to understand Palawan and Palawan people we must take time-out to know its rich history.