Palawan gets described as a paradise that travellers should protect. That is true, but vague. What is more useful to know is that Palawan is one of the most heavily protected provinces in the Philippines by law, and that the rules you will actually meet — fees, plastic bans, wildlife conduct — are set locally and differ from one bay to the next.
The Designations That Actually Exist
- UNESCO Man and the Biosphere reserve since 1990. The whole province, not a single park.
- Republic Act 7611, the Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan, passed in 1992. This is a national law written for one province. It created the Environmentally Critical Areas Network, a graded zoning system covering land, mangroves, seabed and ancestral domains, administered by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.
- Two UNESCO World Heritage sites: Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.
- Honda Bay is an Important Shark and Ray Area, designated by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group as a feeding area for Endangered whale sharks and oceanic manta rays.
That last one sits directly under our own boat, which is why the wildlife rules on our departures are not a marketing position.
How Fees Really Work
A widespread claim online is that Palawan charges a single ₱200 national eco-tax on boat tours. That is not how it works.
Environmental, terminal and site fees are set locally, differ by municipality and destination, and change. El Nido, Port Barton and Honda Bay each have their own arrangements, and some are collected at a counter in person rather than by the operator.
The practical rule: ask any operator, including us, which fees for which specific place their quoted price covers. An honest answer is a short list. A vague one usually means you will be paying again at the pier. Our whale shark price includes the permits and marine fees for where we go, with nothing to settle on the day.
Reef-Safe Sunscreen: The Actual Evidence
Oxybenzone and octinoxate are the two compounds worth avoiding. A 2016 laboratory study found oxybenzone induced deformities in coral larvae and damaged their DNA at concentrations as low as 62 parts per trillion — roughly a drop in an Olympic pool. Field concentrations near busy reefs have been measured far above that.
Mineral filters — non-nano zinc oxide or titanium dioxide — sit on the skin rather than being absorbed and washed off.
The better answer is textile. A long-sleeved rash guard protects more skin than any bottle, does not wash into the water, and does not need reapplying after every entry. We carry reef-safe sunscreen on board, but the guests who burn least are the ones wearing sleeves.
Wildlife Conduct, and Why Crowd Size Decides It
The rules are simple: no touching, no chasing, no blocking an animal’s path, no flash, no standing on coral, and nothing lifted out of the water. Starfish and sea cucumbers can die from brief air exposure. Handling a shark or a fish strips the mucus layer that protects it from infection.
What makes these rules hold or fail is how many people are in the water. Research at the country’s largest whale shark feeding site found that 93% of surveys recorded swimmers within 2 metres of an animal despite a code of conduct requiring more distance. The code was not the problem; the crowd was. It is the single strongest argument for small groups, and it is why we cap departures at 10 guests.
Plastic Rules You Will Actually Encounter
Rules are municipal, not provincial. Puerto Princesa City Ordinance 993, regulating single-use plastics and styrofoam in commercial establishments, took full effect on 17 April 2020. El Nido separately banned single-use plastic bottles. Other municipalities have their own versions or none.
A refillable bottle and a tote bag make all of this irrelevant to you, and most accommodation will refill drinking water without charge.
How to Judge an Operator in Four Questions
- What is the maximum number of guests on this departure, and is it enforced? Ask for the number for your date, not the boat’s capacity.
- Which fees does the price include, for which sites?
- What is your wildlife policy if an animal does not appear? A guaranteed sighting means the animal is being fed or held.
- Who is the crew? Local crew with local knowledge is both better for the encounter and the reason tourism money stays in Palawan.
We publish our own answers on the whale shark tour page and test ourselves against these standards in the ethical whale shark guide. We run one tour, in Puerto Princesa — we do not run island hopping anywhere in Palawan.
Booking Direct
Booking platforms are convenient, and that convenience is paid for by a commission that leaves the province. Booking straight with a local operator keeps more of the money in Palawan and, more practically, gives you someone to message at 6 AM when the wind changes.
The Short Checklist
- Mineral sunscreen, or better, a rash guard
- A refillable bottle, everywhere
- Ask which fees are included, for which sites
- Ask for the guest cap on your date
- Touch nothing, lift nothing, chase nothing
- Take your waste back off the island
- Book with people who live where you are visiting
Sources
- Republic Act 7611 — Strategic Environmental Plan for Palawan
- Palawan Council for Sustainable Development
- UNESCO — Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
- IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group — Honda Bay ISRA
- PeerJ (2015) — Code of conduct compliance at a provisioning site
The whale shark tour and how it is run → · Things to do in Palawan · What makes a whale shark tour ethical
