Puerto Princesa

Seafront night market — grilled seafood and street food under the palms facing the bay.

A UNESCO World Heritage site and New7Wonder of Nature — a subterranean river winding ~8km through a cathedral-like limestone cave of bats and strange rock formations, about 4.3km of it navigable by paddle boat. There's a strict no-permit-no-entry rule and a cap near 900 visitors a day, so book your dated slot days ahead (a month out in peak summer).

A UNESCO World Heritage marine park 150km out in the Sulu Sea, reachable only by liveaboard from Puerto Princesa and only for three months a year, when the monsoon backs off. The reef holds close to 90% of all Philippine coral species and a sheer 100m wall; grey reef sharks turn up on nearly every dive, whitetips stack a dozen deep on the sand at Shark Airport, and mantas cruise the April–May plankton. Local's tip: the season runs mid-March to mid-June only and berths sell out 9–12 months ahead, so book early — and budget the park conservation fee (around US$145 per diver, paid in Puerto Princesa) on top of the boat.

On the road to the Underground River, Ugong Rock is a 75-foot limestone monolith jutting straight out of the rice fields of Barangay Tagabinet — and yes, it's a real spelunking-and-rappelling experience, not just a viewpoint. With a guide you scramble and squeeze up through the hollow innards of the rock, threading narrow chambers (the stone 'sings' a reverberating hum when tapped, hence the name) until you pop out on a summit deck over the jungle. The descent is the kicker: you either rappel off the rock or ride one of the country's fastest single-rider ziplines. Local's tip: it's a community-run project so your fee funds the barangay — and it's commonly bundled with Underground River day tours, so ask to add it rather than booking a separate trip.

Tamilok is a shell-less bivalve mollusk (shipworm) that bores into mangrove timber and — eaten raw kinilaw-style with coconut vinegar, calamansi, chili, and onion — tastes almost exactly like a fresh oyster: briny, clean, with a slightly slimier pull. Kinabuchs at 348 Rizal Avenue is 8 minutes from the airport and the go-to spot; the same kitchen also serves crocodile sisig — farmed croc meat with onion, chili, and calamansi on a sizzling plate, leaner and milder than pork. Local's tip: tamilok is the one genuinely untranslatable Palawan experience — not replicated at this scale anywhere else in the Philippines — and first-timers who approach it like an oyster shot instead of a novelty consistently enjoy it more.

After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the Philippine government housed Vietnamese refugees in Puerto Princesa; those families opened small eateries to survive, and the dish they left behind — chao long — became a city staple over 40 years. It is a localized pho: rice noodle soup in a dark, slightly sweet broth (Filipino-adapted with banana ketchup and tomato paste) topped with sliced beef, bean sprouts, basil, and calamansi. Bona's Chaolong, Pham Chaolong at 159 Rizal Avenue, and Lou Chao Long Hauz near the old airport are all direct descendants. Local's tip: this is living refugee-origin food history — ask the older stall owners about Ms. Lanh, who started the first one from the refugee camp; the story is usually more interesting than the menu.