Palawan Safety Guide
Health, security, and travel safety information
Emergency Numbers
Save these numbers before your trip.
Healthcare
What to know about medical care in Palawan.
Palawan's public healthcare system is anchored in Puerto Princesa, the provincial capital, with primary care facilities scattered across the island. The further you travel from Puerto Princesa, to El Nido or the Calamian Islands (Coron), the more limited medical services become. Serious conditions routinely require medical evacuation to Manila, which can take two to three hours by air.
Primary hospital for tourists: **Ospital ng Palawan**, Malvar St., Puerto Princesa, (048) 433-2661. Private alternative: **Adventist Medical Center Palawan**, Sta. Monica Heights, Puerto Princesa, (048) 434-6202. In El Nido, the **El Nido Municipal Hospital** handles emergencies but has very limited resources. In Coron, the **Coron District Hospital** provides basic care. Dive-related injuries (decompression sickness) are a specific concern, the closest hyperbaric chamber is in Manila, reinforcing the need for dive evacuation insurance.
Mercury Drug and Rose Pharmacy branches in Puerto Princesa stock a wide range of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Bring adequate supplies of any prescription drug, as specific brands may not be available outside the capital. Basic medications (paracetamol, antihistamines, oral rehydration salts, antidiarrhoeals) are readily available at pharmacies and convenience stores throughout tourist areas.
Travel insurance with medical evacuation coverage is strongly recommended and effectively essential if you plan to dive, island-hop in remote areas, or visit El Nido and Coron. While not legally required, the cost of air medical evacuation to Manila without insurance can exceed $10,000 USD. Many dive operators require proof of dive insurance (DAN or similar) before allowing you in the water.
- ✓ Bring a signed letter from your doctor and a full supply of any prescription medication, local pharmacies may not stock your brand, and customs can flag unlabeled pills.
- ✓ Consult a travel medicine clinic 4, 6 weeks before departure regarding typhoid, hepatitis A, and leptospirosis vaccinations, all relevant to rural and coastal Philippines.
- ✓ Carry oral rehydration salts, heat, humidity, and extended boat trips make dehydration a genuine risk, for children.
- ✓ Confirm your travel insurance policy covers hyperbaric chamber treatment and medical evacuation if you plan to scuba dive.
- ✓ Tap water in Palawan is not safe to drink. Use sealed bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth throughout the province.
Common Risks
Be aware of these potential issues.
Pickpocketing and opportunistic bag snatching are the most common crimes affecting tourists. Incidents are infrequent relative to other Southeast Asian destinations but do occur at busy markets, bus terminals, and crowded beach areas.
Drowning and near-drowning incidents are a consistent risk in Palawan due to hidden currents, sudden weather changes, and tourists unfamiliar with open-water conditions. Several tourists are seriously injured or killed each year during island-hopping tours.
Sea urchins, fire coral, jellyfish, and the occasional blue-ringed octopus inhabit Palawan's reefs. Sea urchin spines underfoot are by far the most common marine injury.
Traffic accidents involving motorcycles, tricycles, and vans are a leading cause of tourist injury in the Philippines. Road conditions outside Puerto Princesa deteriorate significantly, the route to El Nido.
Dengue is endemic throughout the Philippines and present year-round in Palawan, with peaks during and after the rainy season (June, December). It is transmitted by daytime-biting Aedes mosquitoes and has no vaccine widely available for first-time travelers.
As with any beach destination, alcohol-related incidents (falls, water entry while impaired, minor altercations) account for a proportion of tourist injuries. El Nido's main street has a lively evening scene.
Scams to Avoid
Watch out for these common tourist scams.
Informal touts or unregistered 'tour operators' near the El Nido or Puerto Princesa waterfronts advertise island-hopping packages at significantly below-market prices. On the day, boats are overcrowded, safety equipment is missing, stops are skipped, or hidden fees are charged for equipment that was described as included.
Some smaller eateries near tourist hotspots do not display prices and present bills significantly above what locals pay. Similarly, informal market vendors quote inflated prices to obviously foreign visitors.
Individuals approach tourists near attractions or boat launches claiming to collect mandatory tourism fees, environmental fees, or island entry permits and issue unofficial handwritten receipts.
Tricycle drivers around the Puerto Princesa airport and bus terminals quote flat rates to new arrivals that are two to four times the standard metered or agreed local fare.
A well-dressed local 'coincidentally' strikes up conversation, recommends a restaurant run by a friend or relative, and you are later presented with an inflated bill or pressured into buying overpriced food for the new acquaintance.
Safety Tips
Practical advice to stay safe.
- • Confirm your tour operator holds a valid MARINA (Maritime Industry Authority) certificate and that each boat carries Coast Guard-certified life jackets in sufficient number for all passengers.
- • Photograph your boat's registration number and the tour operator's contact details before departure, this is critical information if you need to report an incident.
- • Inform someone on shore (hotel reception, another traveller) of your tour itinerary, departure time, and expected return time before every island-hopping trip.
- • Do not overload your drybag, sealed plastic bags cost nothing, and a waterproof phone case protects your most important navigation and communication device.
- • Check sea conditions via Windy app or PAGASA before booking same-day tours. Many operators will tell you conditions are fine even when they are marginal, get a second opinion.
- • Use your room's in-room safe for your passport, extra cash, and spare cards. If no safe is available, use the front desk's locked storage.
- • Photograph your passport ID page and visa stamp, and store the image in cloud storage (not just on your phone) so it can be accessed if your device is lost.
- • Carry only the cash you expect to need for the day, ATMs are available in Puerto Princesa city centre and in El Nido town, though El Nido machines frequently run out of cash on weekends and during peak season.
- • Notify your bank before travel to avoid overseas transaction blocks. Carry at least two payment methods (e.g., Visa and Mastercard) as merchant acceptance varies.
- • Drink only sealed bottled or filtered water. Avoid ice in drinks unless you are confident it was made from purified water, most tourist-oriented restaurants in El Nido and Puerto Princesa use safe ice.
- • Street food from busy, high-turnover stalls with visible cooking is generally lower-risk than food sitting at room temperature. Opt for freshly cooked dishes over pre-prepared items.
- • Shellfish (tahong, halaan) carry a higher risk of shellfish poisoning and hepatitis A, check with locals whether red tide advisories are in effect before eating bivalves.
- • Carry anti-diarrheal medication and oral rehydration salts as traveller's diarrhea, while rarely serious, can derail a short itinerary quickly.
- • Purchase a local SIM card (Globe or Smart) at the Puerto Princesa airport upon arrival, they are inexpensive and provide data coverage in most of Puerto Princesa and El Nido town.
- • Note that mobile coverage drops to zero or near-zero on many remote islands. Download offline maps of Palawan via Maps.me or Google Maps before departing Wi-Fi.
- • Register with your country's embassy in Manila before travel and subscribe to their travel alert service for real-time security updates.
- • Save all emergency numbers (911, Coast Guard, your hotel) in your phone before your first boat trip, do not rely on finding them by web search under stress.
Information for Specific Travelers
Safety considerations for different traveler groups.
Palawan is considered one of the more comfortable destinations in Southeast Asia for solo women travelers. Filipinos are culturally hospitable, and overt harassment is less common than in many other regional destinations. Solo women regularly travel the El Nido and Puerto Princesa routes independently without incident. That said, standard precautions around nighttime movement, alcohol consumption, and unwanted attention from informal guides still apply.
- → Join group tours for island-hopping rather than booking private boats with unknown operators, this provides safety in numbers and reduces the likelihood of uncomfortable situations.
- → Trust your instincts if a situation feels wrong. Filipino culture values politeness, and you may feel social pressure to comply with requests, it is entirely acceptable to be direct and firm.
- → Accommodation in the mid-range and above consistently provides secure rooms, good locks, and responsive staff, worth the incremental cost for the peace of mind.
- → Evening walks along El Nido's main strip and Puerto Princesa's Rizal Avenue are generally safe and well-populated with other tourists. Avoid wandering into unlit side streets alone after midnight.
- → Female-only dormitory rooms are available at several hostels in El Nido and Puerto Princesa for solo travelers who prefer that environment.
- → If renting a motorbike, wear a helmet consistently and avoid riding after dark on unfamiliar provincial roads.
Same-sex activity is legal in the Philippines and has been since Spanish colonial laws were repealed. There are no laws criminalizing LGBTQ+ identity. However, there is no legal recognition of same-sex partnerships or marriages, and anti-discrimination protections at the national level remain limited. The Philippines has a growing LGBTQ+ rights movement, and several cities have municipal anti-discrimination ordinances.
- → In tourist-heavy areas (El Nido beachfront, Puerto Princesa's café district) same-sex couples generally encounter no issues and are treated like any other guests.
- → In rural barangays and conservative religious communities, exercise the same discretion that considerate tourists of any orientation would, loud or overtly romantic public behaviour draws attention regardless of gender.
- → LGBTQ+-friendly accommodation is available in El Nido and Puerto Princesa, look for properties with international review profiles on Booking.com or similar platforms where other LGBTQ+ travelers have reviewed their experience.
- → The Philippines' general cultural warmth and hospitality tends to override any individual prejudice in tourist contexts. If you encounter discomfort, your best response is usually to simply move to another venue, alternatives are plentiful.
Travel Insurance
Protect yourself before you travel.
Travel insurance is not legally required for Philippines entry but is practically essential for Palawan travel, for one specific reason: medical evacuation. If you sustain a serious injury or illness in El Nido or Coron, both of which have only basic clinics, you will need air evacuation to Manila or potentially Singapore. Without insurance, this can cost $8,000, $25,000 USD out of pocket. Scuba divers face the additional specific risk of decompression sickness, which requires hyperbaric chamber treatment unavailable anywhere in Palawan.
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