Puerto Princesa, May 15, 2009

Snake Island

Galit on Snake Island

Starfish Island

To view more photos of Honda Bay, click here.

All around Palawan, the locals speak of Puerto Princesa ("Puerto" as it is affectionately called) as if it were New York City--for every problem, the solution lies somewhere in Puerto. The media touts it as one of the country's cleanest and greenest cities, but most guidebook writers will tell you to that Puerto is a dump and that you should treat it as a one night stop on your way to the rest of Palawan's beaches.

So, I arrived in Puerto at night and took the first jeepney I could find early the following morning. I had no plans of coming back. Like all final things, that, of course, changed. So, now I can tell you another story of Puerto. There are a ton of “do not miss” things to do in and around Puerto and you should budget at least three full days to do them. The first of these is Honda Bay.

Honda Bay:

10km north of Puerto Princesa is the unexpectedly beautiful Honda Bay. Galit and I took a tricycle there (500 pesos round-trip including unlimited wait time) and then rented a banca (an outrigger) and snorkeling gear from the super organized tourist office in Honda Bay. Truthfully, we weren’t expecting much; especially since the ocean in Honda Bay is dark green and totally unlike the gorgeous clear blue-green waters of El Nido or Port Barton. But then we arrived in Snake Island—a curious Island that is shaped like a snake. Where the island curves, the ocean comes in to create shallow internal lakes lined with bright green mangrove trees. The highlight of Snake Island for me was snorkeling. Although the coral reef isn’t extensive, the locals have accustomed the fish to being fed as a result, tons of huge fish have set up their home in the area. Galit and I took a bag of sliced bread and as soon as we threw out a piece we would find ourselves surrounded by hundreds of fish, many of them measuring well over 15 inches. Some of the fish are so tame that they’ll take the bread straight from your hand! Among the notable sightings were a 2 foot long adult batfish, a four foot long barracuda, and an 18 inch trigger fish. This, of course, was the moment when my brand new underwater camera decided to die so unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture the moment. :( Beware of the trigger fish, he bit my friend Yohann.

Our next stop in Honda Bay was Starfish Island—named so, because of the large starfish that live there. Starfish Island, like several of the Islands in Honda Bay is what Filipinos call a lulubog-lilitaw—a floating and sinking island—that appears and disappears with the change in tide. During high tide, when most of the Island is submerged it creates the illusion that one is walking on water in the middle of the ocean. Like in Port Barton and El Nido, the water around both Snake and Starfish Islands is crystal clear and changes in color from clear to turquoise to green.

Travel Tips: It isn’t worth going to Honda Bay during low tide. The beauty of the Islands is completely lost. Ask to be taken to the reef instead of Pandan Island. The reef has gorgeous coral in very shallow water, decent visibility, and most of the fish you’ll see around Palawan.