Palawan is the country's biggest province and is composed of 1,768 islands and islets surrounded by a coral shelf with an exceptionally rich marine life. An anchor tourist destination, Palawan is one of the 7,000 times more islands that make up the Philippine archipelago. Unique to Palawan is its megadiversity.
Puerto Princesa prides itself as the cleanest city in the Philippines. The most beautiful place in Palawan is the isolated island of El Nido with its incredibly astonishing seascapes. El Nido is a secluded group of islands east of Puerto Princesa, Palawan's capital city, and is virtually cut off from the mainland by three bodies of water - Luzon Sea to the north, the China Sea to the east and the Sulu Sea to the west.
Towering midnight cliffs that jut thousands of feet above mirror flat emerald waters are El Nido's most distinguishing feature. The black marble and limestone cliffs contain large caves with whimsical names like Cathedral Cave and Disco Cave because of their formation. Many of the islands have hidden lagoons sheltered by limestone crags. When in season, divers often encounter the rare sea cow, or dugong. Everybody else takes the sea ferry to this picturesque fishing town.
St. Paul National Park is Palawan's most popular attraction and covers 5,349 hectares of lush forest, dark mountains, caves and white beaches. The Park is inscribed in the World Heritage List.
Tabon Caves are the oldest known habitation site in Southeast Asia. Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park is the country's largest marine habitat. It hosts giant manta rays, sea turtles and hundreds of reef fish species. The drought and civil strife that struck Kenya in 1977 brought some 108 African wild animals to Calauit Island.
The Calauit Island Wildlife Sanctuary covers an area of 3,700 hectares and is home to both endemic and African animals (Source: Philippine Department of Tourism).
Palawan