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 healthcare clusters heavily in Puerto Princesa, the provincial capital. Outside Puerto Princesa, facilities in El Nido and Coron can handle stabilization and basic emergencies. But anything requiring specialist care, complex surgery, or advanced diagnostics means a transfer to Puerto Princesa or, for serious cases, air evacuation to Manila, which is roughly ninety minutes by plane.
In Puerto Princesa: Ospital ng Palawan (government, tertiary-level care, hyperbaric chamber) and Adventist Hospital Palawan (private, higher standard of care). In El Nido: El Nido Community Hospital and the Rural Health Unit near the town center. In Coron: Coron District Hospital (50 beds, Level 1). Serious trauma or specialist needs require air evacuation to Manila. Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital serves the wider Calamian island group.
Pharmacies operate in Puerto Princesa, El Nido town, and Coron town, stocking common over-the-counter medications, antibiotics, and basic first-aid supplies. Availability of specific prescription medications is unreliable outside Puerto Princesa. Travelers taking any prescription medication should bring their entire supply for the trip rather than assuming they can refill on the islands.
Travel insurance is not legally required to enter the Philippines. But it is strongly recommended for Palawan specifically. The combination of remote islands with limited medical facilities, adventure activities like diving and island-hopping, and the potential need for air evacuation to Manila makes adequate coverage essential rather than optional.
- ✓ Bring a complete supply of any prescription medications. Pharmacies outside Puerto Princesa may not stock what you need, and island pharmacies have limited inventories.
- ✓ If you plan to dive, confirm that Ospital ng Palawan in Puerto Princesa has a functioning hyperbaric chamber before your trip, and ensure your insurance explicitly covers decompression treatment.
- ✓ Dengue fever is present year-round across Palawan. Use insect repellent containing DEET or picaridin, and consider long sleeves at dawn and dusk when Aedes mosquitoes are most active.
- ✓ Palawan is one of the few Philippine provinces where malaria transmission still occurs, in rural and forested areas. Consult a travel medicine clinic about prophylaxis before departure.
- ✓ Tap water is not safe to drink anywhere in Palawan. Stick to sealed bottled water or water purified by your accommodation.
- ✓ Carry a basic first-aid kit on island-hopping tours, as you may be hours from the nearest clinic. Include vinegar for jellyfish stings and antiseptic for coral cuts.
- ✓ Mobile phone signal is weak or absent on many remote islands. Let someone know your itinerary before heading out for the day.
Common Risks
Be aware of these potential issues.
Motorbike rentals are common in El Nido and Coron, and accidents involving tourists are one of the most frequent causes of injury in Palawan. Roads outside main towns are unpaved, poorly lit, and lack guardrails. Stray animals, unmarked speed bumps, and oncoming traffic sharing narrow lanes compound the risk. Rain makes laterite roads extremely slippery.
Bag-snatching, opportunistic theft from unattended belongings on beaches, and pickpocketing in crowded market areas occur occasionally. Violent theft targeting tourists is rare in Palawan.
Island-hopping is Palawan's signature activity, and most tours operate safely. However, some boat operators cut corners on maintenance, overload vessels, carry insufficient life jackets, or push out in marginal weather to avoid refunding customers. Strong currents at outer-island snorkel sites can overwhelm inexperienced swimmers.
Tricycle drivers and van operators sometimes quote ambiguous fares, stating a per-person rate that the traveler assumes is the total. Surcharges for luggage, nighttime travel, or destination changes are added after the fact.
Palawan sits close to the equator, and UV intensity is extreme, on open boats during island-hopping tours where reflected glare off the water amplifies exposure. Heat exhaustion and severe sunburn are common among travelers who underestimate the conditions.
Scams to Avoid
Watch out for these common tourist scams.
A tricycle driver quotes what sounds like a reasonable fare for a journey. On arrival, the driver claims the quoted amount was per person, not for the whole vehicle, effectively doubling or tripling the cost. Some drivers also add surprise surcharges for luggage or claim a higher nighttime rate that was never mentioned.
A tour is advertised at an attractively low rate. But the price excludes the environmental fee (which in El Nido is a separate charge collected by the local government), equipment rental, lunch, and boat transfer fees. By the time all charges are added, the real cost is significantly higher than the advertised rate.
Pre-existing damage on a rented jet-ski, kayak, or motorbike is concealed with tape, paint, or simply not pointed out. When the equipment is returned, the vendor reveals the damage and claims you caused it, demanding payment for repairs.
A tour operator advertises heavily on social media or travel forums, collects payment via bank transfer, and either does not exist when the traveler arrives in Palawan or provides a drastically inferior service compared to what was promised.
At informal currency exchange stalls, the exchanger counts quickly, folds bills to make them appear like higher denominations, or creates a distraction mid-count so you lose track of the total. The shortfall is typically discovered only after leaving.
Unofficial vendors near popular attractions sell entry permits or environmental passes that are either fake, unnecessary, or already included in a tour package fee. Travelers pay twice for the same access.
Safety Tips
Practical advice to stay safe.
- • Drink only sealed bottled water or water purified by your accommodation. Tap water is not potable anywhere in Palawan.
- • Ice in tourist restaurants is generally made from purified water. But at street stalls and local eateries it may not be. If in doubt, skip the ice.
- • Eat freshly prepared food and avoid dishes that have been sitting out, seafood in the heat.
- • Carry oral rehydration salts in your day bag. Stomach upsets from unfamiliar food are common and dehydration follows quickly in tropical heat.
- • Always wear a life jacket on boats, even if other passengers do not.
- • Check that your boat has enough life jackets for every passenger before departure.
- • Waterproof your phone, passport, and cash in a dry bag. Boats take on spray and occasional waves.
- • Do not board a visibly overloaded boat. If the waterline is close to the gunwale, wait for the next trip.
- • Tell your boatman if sea conditions feel unsafe; a responsible operator will turn back rather than push through.
- • If renting a motorbike, ride only during daylight on roads you have driven before. Unfamiliar rural roads after dark are a leading cause of tourist injury.
- • Wear a helmet at all times on a motorbike, regardless of local practice.
- • Use Grab in Puerto Princesa for reliable, metered transport; elsewhere, arrange transport through your accommodation.
- • Confirm all transport fares (total, not per person) before boarding.
- • Keep a photocopy of your passport separately from the original. Leave the original in your hotel safe when not needed for official purposes.
- • Carry only the cash you need for the day; ATMs exist in Puerto Princesa, El Nido town, and Coron town. But service is intermittent and machines sometimes run out of cash.
- • Avoid walking alone in poorly lit areas after dark, on beach paths between bars and accommodation.
- • Register with your embassy's travel notification system (e.g., STEP for US citizens, or the UK FCDO's travel registration service) before arriving in Palawan.
- • Buy a local SIM card (Globe or Smart) at Puerto Princesa airport on arrival for data and calls. Signal is available in towns but drops to nothing on remote islands and interior roads.
- • Download offline maps of Palawan before you lose signal. Google Maps offline mode covers the main tourist areas adequately.
- • Tell someone your daily itinerary. This matters most for island-hopping or motorbike day trips. If something goes wrong in a no-signal zone, people need to know where to look.
- • Do not touch, stand on, or collect coral. Palawan's reef systems are protected. Fines for damage are enforced.
- • Carry out all trash from island visits. Many small islands have no waste management infrastructure. Pack it out.
- • Use reef-safe sunscreen without oxybenzone or octinoxate. Protect the marine environment.
Information for Specific Travelers
Safety considerations for different traveler groups.
Palawan is generally considered safe for solo women travelers by both local and international assessments. Filipino culture is hospitable. The established tourist infrastructure in El Nido, Coron, Puerto Princesa, and Port Barton means that solo women are a common sight. Accommodations, tour groups, and restaurants are accustomed to serving them. Violent crime against women travelers in Palawan is rare. The practical risks, such as transport safety and unwanted attention, are manageable with standard precautions.
- → Arrange transport through your accommodation rather than accepting rides from strangers, after dark.
- → Join organized group tours for island-hopping. These are a natural way to meet other travelers. Avoid isolation on remote islands.
- → If you receive persistent unwanted attention, a firm and polite refusal is effective in Filipino culture. Most situations do not escalate.
- → Avoid walking alone on poorly lit beach paths or backstreets late at night. Use a flashlight or phone light. Share your location with someone.
- → Trust your instincts about situations and people. The same awareness you would apply in any destination serves well in Palawan.
- → English is widely spoken in Palawan's tourist areas. Communication is straightforward. This reduces the isolation that can create vulnerability in other destinations.
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in the Philippines. There is no criminal statute targeting LGBTQ individuals. However, same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships are not legally recognized. The SOGIE Equality Bill, which would establish national anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity, has been pending in the Philippine Congress since 2000 and has not been enacted as of 2026. Several provinces and cities have passed local non-discrimination ordinances that cover sexual orientation and gender identity.
- → Tourist areas in El Nido, Coron, and Puerto Princesa are accustomed to international travelers of all backgrounds. They are generally welcoming.
- → Public displays of affection between same-sex couples may attract attention in rural areas and smaller towns. Discretion in these contexts is pragmatic rather than necessary for safety. Read the room. Small towns watch.
- → Accommodation booking platforms generally reflect accurately which properties are LGBTQ-friendly. Read reviews from other LGBTQ travelers for ground-truth perspective. Trust recent reviews. Ignore old ratings.
- → If you encounter any discrimination or harassment, the DOT Tourist Assistance hotline (151-8687) can provide support and intervention. Save this number now. Use it.
Travel Insurance
Protect yourself before you travel.
Travel insurance is not optional for Palawan. It is a practical necessity. The province's geography means you will likely spend time on remote islands where medical facilities are minimal or nonexistent. If you are seriously injured or ill on an island-hopping tour, you may need a boat transfer to the nearest road, a vehicle to a local clinic, and then an air evacuation to Manila for definitive care. That chain of transfers can take many hours and cost far more than the trip itself without adequate coverage. Typhoon-season travel adds the risk of being stranded for days when flights and ferries cancel. And if you plan to dive, which many visitors to Palawan do, standard travel insurance policies typically exclude it unless you add specific coverage. Buy it early. Read every clause.
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