Palawan Circuit: Puerto Princesa, El Nido & Coron, 8 Nights

Met at Ninoy Aquino airport and driven to a hotel chosen for its easy run back to the domestic terminal in the morning. Rooms are usually ready from mid-afternoon. This is a one-night stop to break the journey, so keep the evening simple: dinner close by, repack a small bag for the islands, and an early night. Manila's sightseeing waits for the last day of the trip.

The morning flight crosses to Palawan (the fare is not in the package; we book it for you). Puerto Princesa is the island's small, green capital. After check-in, a relaxed orientation drive around town takes in Plaza Cuartel, a park built on the site of a wartime prison camp, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral by the bay, and the viewpoints of Baker's Hill and Mitra's Ranch on the edge of town, with the Sulu Sea on one side and forested hills on the other.

An early departure north to Sabang, then a boat along a coast of cliffs and jungle to the park. At the cave mouth, a guide paddles you into the river by lamplight: some forty-five minutes among cathedral-sized chambers, flowstone shapes the guides have given fanciful names, and colonies of bats. The river runs for more than eight kilometres beneath the mountain; visitors see only the first stretch. Lunch at Sabang, then back to Puerto Princesa in the late afternoon.

The long day of the trip, and a scenic one. The private vehicle follows Palawan's main road north through rice fields, small market towns and forest, with the sea appearing on one side then the other. Stops for coffee and lunch break up the journey. El Nido comes into view with its limestone cliffs behind the town and the islands of Bacuit Bay offshore. Arrive in the afternoon, check in, and watch the sun go down over the water.

The classic El Nido boat day. The first stop is Miniloc island, where boats anchor outside the Big Lagoon and you paddle in by kayak between walls of limestone. The Secret Lagoon is entered through a small hole in the rock. Lunch is served on the boat or on a beach, then snorkelling at Shimizu island and a swim at Seven Commandos beach. The boat is back in town by late afternoon, in time for a drink on the beach.

After an early breakfast, the transfer to the port for the ferry north through the islands to Coron. The crossing takes about four hours on the fast boats and passes the scattered islets of the Linapacan group; if the sea is rough the ferry may be delayed or cancelled, and we plan for that. On arrival in Coron town, a transfer to the hotel and a free evening. Maquinit hot spring, where warm salt water pools beside the mangroves, is a good way to ease the journey.

The fullest boat day of the trip. Kayangan Lake comes first, before the crowds: a steep climb of a few hundred steps passes the famous view of the bay, then drops down to clear water in a bowl of limestone. Barracuda Lake is a deep lake with layers of warm and cool water. Twin Lagoon is two pools joined by a passage you can swim through at the right tide. Snorkelling at a coral garden and lunch on a beach fill the rest. Coron Island belongs to the Tagbanwa people, who manage the lakes.

An early transfer to Busuanga airport for the flight to Manila. The guide meets you on arrival and the afternoon is spent in the old centre: Rizal Park and its monument, then Intramuros, the Spanish walled city, with Fort Santiago on the river, Manila Cathedral, and Casa Manila, a reconstructed family mansion full of period furniture. If the flight is delayed we shorten the tour rather than skip it. Dinner is your own for a last evening in the Philippines.

Breakfast, then the transfer to Ninoy Aquino airport for the flight home. Allow plenty of time for the drive, since Manila traffic is unpredictable. With a late departure, a morning at the Mall of Asia or a walk along the bay is an easy way to spend the last hours.