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Dolphin Watching in Puerto Princesa | SGMT
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Who doesn’t love dolphins? (No, seriously, who doesn’t?) We had the chance to go dolphin watching on our last day in Palawan and it was absolutely one of the highlights of our 6-day Puerto Princesa/El Nido itinerary.

Our flight back to Cebu was scheduled to depart Puerto Princesa  at 3:20 PM and at first we had nothing planned for the day. We figured we would probably just use the time to shop for pasalubong — we were staying at Holiday Suites, which is conveniently located right across Robinsons Palawan — or simply lounge by the hotel pool and enjoy our last vacation day before plunging back to reality. However, while researching Puerto Princesa tours, I stumbled upon a group offering a half-day dolphin watching tour and it just seemed to fit perfectly into our schedule, so we went for it.

A guide picked us up at 6:30 AM and drove us, along with half a dozen others, to the Puerto Princesa Baywalk, where we boarded a boat staffed by another guide, a boatman, and a dolphin spotter. As we headed out to the Sulu Sea, the guide explained that the tours were seasonal (April to October) not because the dolphins were only there for part of the year, but because we were going out to open sea and the waters tended to get too rough for comfort during the rest of the year. She said they can’t guarantee that we would see a dolphin that morning — but, she added with a wide smile, the chances were around 95%. Hurray!
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For a while, we saw nothing but water and clouds and an occasional flock of seabirds, but then…well, I’ll let this Instagram video speak for itself. (And sorry it’s in Portrait, I always forget!)
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And here are a few stills because DOLPHINS! In the wild!

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Dolphin Watching in Puerto Princesa: Quick Facts

  • Time: 6:30 – 11:00 AM
  • Price: Varies but it’s PHP 1,000 per person at Dolphin and Whales Tours
  • Tour inclusions:
    • Hotel pick-up and drop-off
    • Boat ride
    • Tour guide
    • Light snacks (a Jollibee Regular Yum and a bottle of C2, in our case)

 

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Dolphins Are Always A Good Idea: Dolphin Watching in Puerto Princesa© Small-Town Girls, Midnight Trains. All rights reserved.
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11 Responses

    1. Thank you Alison! Took me a while to fiddle with the timing, I’m glad it worked out. 🙂

  1. I have never seen dolphins so close. Wow, you are so lucky to witness this amazing sea creatures. I love to watch them swimming in the wild and not in captivity. So thank you so much for sharing ♥♥

    1. I do feel lucky! Maka-happy kaayo sila hehe. There’s dolphin watching in Bais (near Dumaguete) if you want to do it sometime and you’re looking for something nearer to Cebu.

    1. Hi Ki. It looks like their website is no longer working. It’s been two years so I don’t know if they’re still in business. I would suggest you try Googling “dolphin watching Puerto Princesa” and choose from the ones that are still offering the tour. Good luck!

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