Before Coron and El Nido skyrocketed to fame, there was Puerto Princesa. The Palawan capital has long been known for the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, hands down one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the Philippines.
Along with other Philippine destinations, Puerto Princesa had been closed for tourism for several months due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. On 8 Dec 2020, it slowly reopened to Palawan residents with safety protocols in place. And by 1 Mar 2021, it started welcoming more Philippine tourists per city Resolution 29.
Also read: Puerto Princesa on a Budget: My 4-Day Itinerary With an All-In Budget of ₱5k
Puerto Princesa travel requirements for tourists
Keen on visiting this side of Palawan safely amid the pandemic? First, here are all the Puerto Princesa travel requirements you must secure:
- RT-PCR test with 48 hours validity. The results shall be emailed directly to the City’s Incident Management Team (IMT) by the Department of Health (DOH)-accredited testing facility.
- Confirmed booking from a DOT-accredited accommodation establishment.
- Confirmed Puerto Princesa tour booked through an accredited travel agency.
- Downloaded StaySafe.ph app on mobile phone for contact tracing.
Other things to know about going to the city
Flights to Puerto Princesa are now available via Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia. All three carriers offer daily flights to the city from Manila.
While quarantine is not required for travellers who do not show COVID-19 symptoms upon arrival, additional COVID-19 testing would be done for those who will stay for several days. The antigen testing must be done on the third and seventh day after entering the city. This is on top of the initial testing as part of the pre-flight Puerto Princesa travel requirements.
Also read: I Travelled to Palawan in a ‘Travel Bubble’ and This Is What It Was Like
As of the first quarter of 2021, there are 73 tourism establishments and service providers in the city to help tourists re-experience Puerto Princesa. The majority of these service providers are local tour guides.
Furthermore, the Department of Tourism said they will also “continue setting the seal on the health and safety protocols in the whole tourism value chain in PPC.” This includes accommodation establishments, restaurants, and tourist sites, among others.
Featured image credit: Daxster16 | Wikimedia Commons
