Pambato Reef - Honda Bay, Palawan

Honda Bay, located on the eastern shore of Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan, is one of the famous tourist spots of the City. It is famous for its stunning islands and white sand beaches.

Each island offers different scenery and thrills great for swimming and snorkeling. But not all island in Honda Bay is open for public. Some are restricted while others are privately owned. Famous islands includes: Starfish Island, Pandan Island, Luli Island, Cowrie Island and Pambato Reef.

There's actually a lot of local travel agencies in Puerto Prinsesa that offers different Honda Bay tours. But Mark and I booked our tour through our Hotel upon check in since we don't have any prior booking before our flight.

On the 4th day of our stay in Palawan, together with other tourists, we were picked up by our driver at the hotel lobby at 7am. The tour started early since we will be visiting 3 islands. Before arriving at the wharf, we stopped by at a local Snorkeling Shop to rent our snorkeling masks and shoes as these are required by the LGU.

After 45 minutes to one hour of travelling, we finally arrived at the Honda Bay wharf and started our island hopping tour with our motorized boat. First stop during our tour was the Pambato Reef. Upon reaching the Pambato reef, you will have to walk towards the big floating structure, go through the orientation program before you can start to snorkel.

We started to snorkel after the orientation and we were really amazed on what we saw under the clean blue water of Pambato Reef. Here are some photos that we captured.

2013 RATES

Entrance Fee - (Cottage fee is not included)
Cowrie Island: Php75
Pambato Reef: Php50
Luli Island: Php60
Starfish Island: Php50
Pandan Island: Php150

Environmental Fee: Php40 per head
Terminal Fee: Php3 per head
Vehicle Fee: Php12 per vehicle

Boat Rental depends on how many pax but rates starts at Php1300 good for 6pax for 3 islands.


How To Get There

Aside from booking a tour via travel agencies, you can simply hire a tricycle that will take you to Honda Bay wharf from the city proper of Puerto Prinsesa. Prices may vary but during 2013, the rates start at Php500 for round trip.