Cowrie Island lays off the coast close to the growing city of Puerto Princesa. It is part of the famous Honda Bay coastline which is North of the city. Known for its crystal clear blue water and white sandy beaches, it is the perfect place to visit whilst staying in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Cowrie Island forms part of the famous Island Hopping Tours that Palawan is known for.
Our Island Hopping guide covers everything you need to know about island hopping in Puerto Princesa and where to book your Cowie Island Tour.
This post might contain our affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you, but you would be doing us a solid if you did use them. It shows us your appreciation after we have written this amazing guide for you 😏*
Jump To
❓ What to expect on Cowrie Island
🏠 Where to stay in Puerto Princesa
🏄 Things to do in Puerto Princesa
Honda Bay Island Hopping Tours 🏖️
Honda Bay is a large section of the Palawan coastline 20 minutes from the city of Puerto Princesa. Within the bay, there are more than 10 islands that help make up some of the best island hopping in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. The Island Hopping tours will take you 3 beautiful tropical islands, each with their unique character.
Luli Island
This is the first stop which is a sand bar and best visited at low tide. This snaking stretch of sand in the middle of the ocean it the perfect warm-up for the island hopping tour.
Cowrie Island
Cowrie Island is the biggest on the Honda Bay island hopping tour. This is where you will spend most of your time which will include your lunch break. The island has white sand and big palm trees running through the centre. There is a bar in the middle of the island which serves fresh watermelon smoothies, beer, and all the soft drinks.
Along the edge of the beach are wooden cabanas. We rented one for a few hours so we had shade to rest under. This is where we spent our time when we were eating and drinking. You also have additional activities you can purchase on Cowrie island, such as a massage or a banana boat ride.
We spent a few hours on the island swimming, eating before heading back to Puerto Princesa.
Starfish Island
The final stop is the starfish island. This crescent-shaped island is a great place for snorkelling due to its white sandy beaches. As you can guess by its name it is full of all different sized starfish.
How To Get To Cowrie Island 🛵
Getting to Cowrie Island couldn’t be easier. If you book the Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour a transfer to and from your hotel will be included. If you decide to go at it alone and head to the Honda Bay boat wharf, this is where all the island hopping boats leave from.
The Island Hopping Tours collect you at 7 am and return you to your hotel no later than 4 pm.
The boat journey to each of the islands is a short 10-minute ride.
Cowrie Island Entrance Fee 🎟️
Whilst Luli and Starfish Island are impressive, Cowrie Island is the largest and has the most things to do on it. If you book a tour most of the entrance fees and environmental fees are included in the ticket price.
If you are visiting Cowrie Island as not part of a tour, you will have to pay the following fees.
- Entrance Fee: 150 peso
- Environmental Fee: 50 peso
That is it for the compulsory fee’s there are plenty of optional extras you can purchase which are not included in the tours such as:
- Cabanas that hold up to 8 people: 250 peso
- Massage
- Alcohol from the bar
What To Expect On Cowrie Island ❓
If you are like us and have not heard much about this little slice of paradise then you are in for a treat. You should expect white fine sand, crystal clear blue water, and a great place to relax for the afternoon.
Our time on the island went a little something like this: Explore, then relax on the beach with a beer. Have some lunch and relax on the beach with a beer. Go for a swim in the sea. Have a beer on the beach.
As you can see we are not alcoholics but do love a beer on the beach.
It’s not all about relaxing and drinking, there are plenty of other things to do on Cowrie Island.
Cowrie Island Activities
All of these activities are an additional extra to the Island Hopping Tour. We did not purchase any of the actives but it’s good to know what’s available. Make sure you bring some extra cash if something takes your fancy.
- Snorkeling
- Massage
- Banana boat
Cowrie Island Lunch Buffet
One thing we did indulge in was the buffet lunch on Cowrie Island. For 300 pesos per person, you can visit the all you can eat buffet. There is a large selection of fish and meats, different retables dishes served with rice, and noddles.
There is a lot of a separate menu which is not included in the buffet. On here there are other small dishes you can order, we highly recommend the bbq chicken sticks. Cubes of marinated chicken cooked over the bbq are to die for.
The bar is not included in your tour package. There is a large selection of drinks and snacks you can get from the bar. We tried the fried banana and watermelon shakes which were amazing.
What To Pack For Island Hopping Puerto Princesa 🎒
Whilst you do not need much for your island hopping tour there are a few essentials that we would recommend. These will also come in handy if you are visiting other places in the Philippines such as, Siargao or Cebu there is are plenty of island hopping tours and waterfalls.
Where To Stay In Puerto Princesa 🏠
We have broken down the best places to stay in Puerto Princesa into three categories, budget, mid-range, and luxury. We understand that some people might be on a budget whilst others might be ready to splash the cash. All the hotels can be found around Puerto Princesa city, whilst the last two options are further out but are beach resorts.
Budget Hostel In Puerto Princesa – $
Mid-range Hotels in Puerto Princesa – $$
Luxury Hotels In Puerto Princessa – $$$
Princesa Garden Island Resort and Spa
Hue Hotels and Resorts Puerto Princesa
Sabang Beach Resorts – $$$
The next two hotels are not in the city of Puerto Princesa, but can be found in the town of Sabang. This small coastal town is where you start the famous Palawan Underground River Tour. The resorts in Sabang are 5 stars and some of the best in Palawan.
Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort
Things To Do In Puerto Princesa 🏄
More often than not people will miss out Puerto Princesa on their itinerary. They arrive at the airport, jump in a minivan and head straight to the underground river, Port Barton or El Nido. This is where they are missing a trick. To break up all those travel days we recommend spending a day or two in Puerto Princesa before heading North.
Here are a few ideas of things to do in Puerto Princesa.
Surfing + Sunset lookout
Learning to surf was one of our favourite activities and this was the first spot we tried it in. Nagtabon Beach on the west coast on Palawan is great for beginners surfers. The long stretch of sandy beach is the perfect place to escape the city life relax. Make sure you head to the lookout further up the hill for sunset, it’s one of the best we have ever seen.
Underground River
Now one of the new seven natural wonders of the world. The Palawan subterranean river needs to be on your list. Although it is a long day out, it is well worth the drive and boat ride. Klook runs a great Under Ground River Tour which departs from Puerto Princesa daily.
Firefly Watching Puerto Princesa
An evening out on the water surround by fireflies. A highly popular thing to do in Puerto Princesa is the Firefly Watching Tour. You are collected from your hotel and you can enjoy a buffet dinner on the water’s edge.
3 in 1 Adventure Package
Looking for a little spice in your day, the 3 in 1 Adventure Tour defiantly has it. If you like zip-lining, rivers, and paddleboarding then this is the ultimate tour for you. The tour is a combination of the famous Underground River, mixed in with zip-lining back to shore. Then have lunch at the beautiful Sheridan Beach Resort, followed by exploring the mangroves on a paddleboard.
This tour included a transfer to and from your hotel.
Puerto Princesa Travel Tips ✔️
A few handy top tips to make you might want to know about Puerto Princesa.
Best Time To Visit Puerto Princesa 🕒
Like most of the Philippines Puerto Princesa has a wet and dry season. Luckily the dry is a lot longer than the wet, however, it is the Philippines so anything can happen.
December – May: The dry season is the best time to visit Puerto Princesa.
June – November: The wet season, we recommend you avoid these dates.
Wifi & SIM Cards Philippines 📱
The Wifi in El Nido is renowned for not being good, much like the rest of the Philippines. So most people rely on their phones. If you need to get a Sim Card whilst you are in the Philippines you can organise one right here.
Surfing In Puerto Princesa
Did you know you can surf in Puerto Princesa? As many tourists tend to skip this city out, a lot of the beaches are still somewhat of a secret. But one we can highly recommend especially for surfing is Tagtabon Beach. It also has a great lookout for sunset.
How To Get Around Puerto Princesa
The city of Puerto Princesa is surprisingly small. As you can imagine the centre becomes busy with traffic especially in the evening. But that shouldn’t stop you hiring a moped for a day or two. For 400 peso’s you can hire an automatic moped for 24 hours to take you to place like Honda Bay.
Best Area To Stay In Puerto Princesa 🛏️
We stayed at the Blue Lagoon Inn & Suites. This offers great value for money with clean and comfortable beds, a swimming pool and very central to town.
Puerto Princesa to El Nido Palawan 🚌
Getting from Puerto Princesa to El Nido is probably the worst part of travelling around Palawan. To get to El Nido you need to take a minibus which you can at the airport terminal exit.
Be aware these minivans are regularly overcrowded and you are likely to be sitting there with your bag on your lap!
There first time we made this journey we asked the driver to stop 20 minutes into the 6-hour drive as we both felt extremely ill sitting at the back of the van. If you are one of those peoples like us who suffers from travel sickness then we highly recommend our alternative option to get from Puerto Princesa to El Nido.
Booking a one-way shuttle with Klook ensures that your van will not be overloaded with passengers and bags. This means you will have some space in the van and hopefully get a few hours sleep. This company will stop off at two rest areas every 2 hours to break the journey up and to grab some snacks.
Option 2
Alternatively, book a minivan from Puerto Princesa to Port Barton with 12GO, It is only a 3 hours drive with a quick stop in the middle. We highly recommend visiting Port Barton, it is a small town with beautiful beaches and amazing places to eat. Once you have spent a few nights here you are ready to tackle the rest of the journey to El Nido.
Pin Our Cowie Island Guide For Later
What Camera Gear Do We Use
- Main Camera: Panasonic G80
- Go To Lens: Panasonic 12-60mm
- Tripod: Manfrotto Adventure Tripod
- Camera Bag: Manfrotto Backpack
- Underwater Camera: GoPro Hero 8
- Drone: DJI Mavic Pro 2
- Power Bank: Anker Power Bank
- Hard drive: WD 1TB hard drive
