“Life is simple, Just add water.” – Unknown
After much anticipation we’ve finally made it to the world renowned island of Palawan. First stop was Puerto Princesa – the gateway to the islands of Palawan – as they say. Eager to just hop on the next van out to El Nido, we decided to stay in the little town and see what the central coast had to offer! That’s when I found out there was an island nearby full of sea stars. El Nido, who? I’m staying here forever!!!
How to get here:
Located in the eastern shore of the island of Palawan, just north of Puerto Princesa, you can book a day tour to Honda Bay.
Tours leave from Puerto Princesa, include pick up/drop off to your accommodation, and cost around 1,200 PHP (US24). This consists of a full day of island hopping to three different islands, a guide, and a great lunch!
First stop is Starfish Island. Like I said this is practically the reason I added a day in Puerto Princesa. I love love love sea stars, and hearing that this island existed made me so excited. It was just as amazing as I had hoped! Only around 20 minutes from the boat port and we had arrived to our first destination. We walked a few meters past the array of tour boats and people, and there they were! Just lazing in the water close to shore.
There must have been over hundreds in my radius. All of them were my favorite species, the chocolate chip (or Protoreastor Nodosusas). It was completely magical!
It was crazy because all the sea stars were located a few meters down the stretch of sand by the curve of the island, but most people stayed nearby by the boats. When we were walking back to the boat we saw a group of nearly 7 people hovering over 1 sea star taking pictures of it. We had literally just left hundreds of them a few meters down. So. Yeah I advise to take those extra 10 steps!
>>sidenote<< Don’t pick up the sea stars. They breathe throughout little tubes over their entire body, so they should remain submerged completely in water to survive. While they won’t die instantly, imagine how bummed you would be if you were relaxing with all your buddies on the sea shore and some gigantic human picked you up for a selfie against your will. The good ole term ‘look, but don’t touch’ applies here!
Next stop is Llubog Lilitaw Island – aka LuLi Island.
LuLi is composed of 3 sandbars. It is popular to visit because it is the only island in the area the sinks and rises with the tide. So, to enjoy this island you’d have to make sure to go there during low tide. The sandbar stretches pretty far, so it was a cool experience!
The final stop is Cowrie Island.
This was exciting because this was our lunch spot as well. We indulged in a full spread buffet that was included in the tour. Tons of fish, rice, veggies, pasta, soup, desert etc! After lunch we had about two hours to relax on this tropical island. There are options to jet ski, rent kayaks, banana boats or just lounge in the sand. After over indulging in our first Filipino tour buffet, we opted for the third option.
While the more popular tours of Palawan are up north in El Nido and Coron, exploring the islands of central Palawan was less crowded and more slow paced. We only visited three islands so we had much more time in each spot! It was a fun escape from the small town of Puerto Princesa acting as a precedent to the more intense island hopping we have planned up north in El Nido. At the end of the day Starfish Beach made it completely worth it and I super recommend you experience that magic for yourself if you enjoy sea stars as much as I do!!
Recommendations
Accommodation
Sealor Pensión House. 12USD. Central. Walkable from airport.
Food
Balinsasayaw Restaurant. Super cheap. Local restaurant. Definitely try the fresh lumpia!!
