Honda Bay is the easiest island-hopping day you can do from Puerto Princesa. Boats leave from Sta. Lourdes Wharf, about 30 to 45 minutes by road from the city centre and the airport. A standard tour visits three of the bay's open islands, usually Cowrie, Starfish and Luli, and has you back in the city by mid-afternoon.
The bay sits on Palawan's sheltered eastern coast, and it works on a smaller scale than El Nido or Coron: no towering limestone, but calm water, shallow sandbars, a reef sanctuary and beach lunches a short boat ride from town. That makes it a good fit for families, short stays and anyone with a flight to catch the next day.
This guide covers which islands are open, how much a day costs, how to reach the wharf on your own, what a tour day looks like and the small things that make it go smoothly. Prices shift with the season and fuel costs, so confirm what is included before you pay.
The Islands You Can Visit
Honda Bay has around 16 islands, but only five islands and one reef are open to visitors. To keep crowds down, the city allows a maximum of three stops per tour, so you will not see everything in one day. Joiner tours almost always cover Cowrie, Starfish and Luli, while private tours can add Pandan Island and Pambato Reef.
- Cowrie IslandThe most developed stop, named after the cowrie shell. Cabanas, a central pavilion, a bar, massage huts and kayaks, plus a beach that is cleaned daily. Most tours have their buffet lunch here.
- Starfish IslandA small island with a long sandbar and shallow, clear water full of red-knobbed starfish. Good for snorkelling and an easy hour of wading.
- Luli IslandShort for lulubog-lilitaw, or "sinks and rises". The sandbar appears at low tide and almost disappears at high tide, so timing decides whether you get to walk on it.
- Pandan IslandWhite sand, palm trees and good snorkelling over the reef. It is privately run and usually reached on private tours, and you may need to rent a table or hut there.
- Pambato ReefA 16-hectare marine sanctuary with live coral, about 15 minutes by boat from the wharf. Often the first stop of the day, while the water is clearest.
- Arrecife IslandHome to Dos Palmas Resort, a private island resort that some operators offer as an alternative stop.
How Much Honda Bay Island Hopping Costs
Getting to Sta. Lourdes Wharf
The road to the boats
Puerto Princesa to Honda Bay
Tricycle₱300–₱500 one wayViaTagburosPay withCash
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Option 1
Let the tour pick you up
Most tours include a round-trip van from your hotel. Listings may quote about an hour and a half, which includes pickups around the city, but the drive itself is 30 to 40 minutes.
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Option 2
Jeepney, then tricycle
Take a jeepney bound for Tagburos from the San Jose terminal, then a tricycle from Tagburos to the wharf. It is the cheapest way, but slower.
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Option 3
Hire a tricycle or taxi
A tricycle straight from the city costs around ₱300 to ₱500 one way and suits a couple or solo traveller. You can also go directly from the airport if you want to head out on arrival day.
At the wharf: boats are registered and fees are collected in one small, city-run area, where you can also rent gear. Boat rides to the islands take 15 to 50 minutes.
A Typical Tour Day
Joiner tour · about 8 hoursReef, sandbar and a beach lunch
- 7:30 AMHotel pickup and the drive to the wharfPickups run until about 8:30; then registration, fee payment and boat assignment
- 9 AMPambato Reef or Starfish IslandSnorkelling while the water is at its clearest
- 10:30 AMLuli IslandWalk the sandbar if the tide is low
- NoonCowrie IslandBuffet lunch, a swim, a massage or a drink at the bar
- 2:30 PMBack to the wharfIn the city by about 3:30 to 4 pm
Private tours can change the order to catch Luli at low tide or spend longer snorkelling at Pandan.
Because you are back by mid-afternoon, Honda Bay pairs well with an easy evening at the Baywalk or Plaza Cuartel. Many visitors give one day to the bay and another to the Underground River, and our guide to Underground River permits explains how to book that day.
Tips for a Smooth Day on the Bay
Before you go
- Ask about the tideLuli is best at low tide. If the tide is high in the morning, your operator may swap Luli for Pandan.
- Leave the starfish in the waterThey are alive, and lifting them out for photos harms them. Watch them in the shallows instead.
- Bring cashThere are no ATMs at the wharf or on the islands. You will need cash for the environmental fee, gear rental, massages and drinks.
- Pack for the waterReef-safe sunscreen, water shoes and a dry bag. Bring your own mask if you have one, since Pambato is best early, before the boats stir up sand.
- Book Pandan by nameMost joiner tours skip it. If Pandan is the island you want, choose a private tour that lists it as included.
Honda Bay won't give you the dramatic cliffs of the north, and it doesn't try to. What it does offer is clear water, starfish at your feet, a sandbar that comes and goes with the tide and lunch on the sand, all within an hour of the city. If you want to go further afield afterwards, our guide to Palawan's lagoons and hidden beaches covers the rest of the province, area by area.
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