57 comments on “El Nido to Coron Palawan by Boat”

1. patrick on Mar 9, 2010 at 12:04 am said:

   HI DP

   I FOUND THE INFO ON THE JESSABEL HERE ON YOUR WEB SITE. DO YOU KNOW THE DAYS OF THE WEEK IT RUNS TO CORON AND FROM CORON TO EL NIDO. ILL BE IN CORON TOMORROW THE 10TH IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A BEER OR TWO.

   PATRICK
2. dutchpickle on Mar 9, 2010 at 3:42 am said:

   Hello Patrick

   From Coron to El Nido the Jessabel leaves every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 8am from the Seadive dock

   Seadive 0920 945 8714
   Ricardo Lim 0918 541 0575

   The fare is 2200 pesos

   If you take the Atienza Shipping boat that the locals do the fare is 950 pesos.

   cheers mate

   dp 0920 555 3686 best to text!
3. patrick on Mar 9, 2010 at 6:51 pm said:

   THANKS FOR THE INFO AGAIN I WILL BE LEAVING IN A FEW HOURS TO THE AIRPORT.

   PATRICK
4. RobRoy on Mar 12, 2010 at 6:22 am said:

   Hi DP,

   Do you know the day the Atienza boot leaves from El Nido to Coron town? What days the Jessabel departs from El Nido to Coron town? Do you know the difference between these two ships concerning safety and comfort? I have 5 full days for El Nido en Busuanga (plus one on the boot to Coron town). How many days in El Nido? Lots of questions. Lots of thanks. Love your site.

   Rob
5. dutchpickle on Mar 12, 2010 at 9:02 pm said:

   Hello RobRoy,

   I think The Jessabel leaves El Nido – Sun, Tues and Fri. Check with Og’s Pension or Art Cafe to verify.

   There is also a Wella Super cat that makes the trip twice a week too.

   Atienza is harder to book but the locals know the routine. I am supposed to pick up my ticket from Coron to Manila today at their ticket office in Coron but last week it was full so I had to wait for the next trip. They are cheaper , but in most cases it is easier to just take one of the tourist boats.
6. RobRoy on Mar 13, 2010 at 9:21 am said:

   Hiya DP,
   Good to know Welia Supercat takes only 4 hours. So I can spend half day longer for those extra 1250 Pesos. I will try to find out what the procedure is of the Atienza. Sure fly out of Coron town is easier and faster with Cebu Air. Another question about ferries. Arriving Zamboanga early morning from Sandakan, is it possible to head strait to Dipolog and take the ferrie to Dumaguete from Dapitan same day? What times the ferries leave Dapitan to Duma? Thanks again and happy trip with Atienza. Would love to smell the fish air.

   Rob
7. dutchpickle on Mar 15, 2010 at 8:33 am said:

   Hello Rob,

   I think that there are twice weekly trips with Atienza. They have a smaller green boat going one way while the larger white and blue one goes the opposite direction.

   We just arrived in Manila yesterday on the smaller green one. It was a pretty mellow trip and we watched the Manny Pacquio fight on the way over.

   The sleeping cots are wedged against each other so it is close quarters, but it wasn’t too bad. We also got two meals on the way.

   ——————-

   About getting to Dipolog the same day you arrive from Sandakan – I have made it from Zamboanga all the way to Cebu City in under 24 hours once using public transportation the whole way. I got an early start and made all the connections – things just fell into place that day.

   Probably in this case you will arrive in Zamboanga too late in the day to make it Dumaguete that day.

   dp
8. RobRoy on Mar 15, 2010 at 11:16 am said:

   DP thanks alot man. Great info. Would really wanna try Atienza. With some bottles of Imperador and some locals, I can easily bridge 24 hours without sleep. Perhaps I should reconsider sailing out of Sandakan and instead fly Kota Kinabalu to Clark. Happy travel back to Leyte.

   Rob
9. dutchpickle on Mar 16, 2010 at 9:49 pm said:

   Hello Rob,

   It is cheaper to fly but sailing across from Sandakan to Zamboanga with AllesonShipping, is a piece of cake and kind of interesting. Zambo is a cool place to spend a few days looking around.

   The bus trip to Dipolog from Zamboanga takes up to 8 hours and is is a non event. Rural Transit is the bus company. They stop in Ipil for a rest stop and then continue onwards to Dipolog.

   From Dipolog you must organize a tricycle to the port in Dapitan where the ferrys to Dumaguete are docked.

   dp

   ps – There is no problem sleeping on the Atienza on the way to Manila. The boat is carrying less cargo and there is room in the lower deck if it is too crowded up top.
10. RobRoy on Mar 17, 2010 at 11:42 am said:

    DP thanks for taking your time to reply.
    I see that there are a fair amount of departures from Dapitan to Dumaguete even 4 AM with Aleson. I might spend more time in Mindanao and skip Coron/ElNido this time. I think I squeezing it too much to do both in the 3 weeks. Even if I tour on a superfast Honda like yours I would still rush my trip. Thanks again and keep posting your very exciting trip reports.

    Rob
11. zaldy on Mar 17, 2010 at 8:52 pm said:

    VISIT CORON AND GET YOUR BOOKING THRU MY WEBPAGE AT
    http://zaldyangulo.webs.com
12. dutchpickle on Mar 18, 2010 at 10:09 pm said:

    Hi RobRoy,

    For sure – Mindanao is so overlooked because of bad press but it is one of the most interesting places in the Philippines.

    It would be easy to spend 3 weeks in Mindanao and then save Palawan for the next trip!

    he he – The Honda TMX has a low speed sprocket so it has more power in the mountains. Top speed 60 k! Takes forever for the Manila – Ormoc run of 1000 k. 2 days :)

    cheers

    dp
13. RobRoy on Mar 19, 2010 at 1:21 pm said:

    @ Zaldy your webpages are nice. The pictures with piclens 3D looks professional. Slightly outdated is that Superferry is not sailing Manila/Coron/ElNido anymore from Januari on. How would Busuanga and activities be during, July rainy season?

    DP, happy go steady 1000 km trip backhome. If you not there already. A Honda TMX would comein very handy if I stay longer than 2 months in the Philippine. The family near Agas Agas driving an old Yamaha and a brand new Suzuki. But I would choose the Honda 125 TMX since you have a complete Phil_user_manual of ins and outs on your webpages, including seat extenion.
    Mindanao is an island I wanted to expirience a long time, but yeah the bad press it is and not for some reason I guess.
    Was thinking to stop Tawi (but not jolo) on the way to Zambo, but skipping Cotabato on my way to Gen. Santos and Davao. Since you mention ferry posibilities Surigao city to southern Leyte (liloan) that trip looks tempting to me. All depends on if I am landing on Indo-kalimatan or not. The flight from KK to Clark cost only 1000 Pesos. So I see how the wind blows.

    Thanks alot.
    Rob
14. dutchpickle on Mar 19, 2010 at 9:26 pm said:

    Hello Rob,

    It takes me 2 days on the TMX155 on the Manila to Ormoc run. (when it is me only – with my girlfriend on the back – it takes 5 days)

    If you take Aleson Shipping from Sandakan, Sabah it will not make any stops along the way to Zamboanga. If you take Weesam – they will make deliverys along the way.

    I have not yet made the trip with Weesam and likely will not be taking them in the future, because I prefer the open air deck of the Aleson Shipping vessel.

    The Superferry does make trips between Zamboanga and General Santos – I have done that trip one time a few years back – we did make a port of call in Cotabato City on the way.

    I suggest not driving from Zamboanga through Cotabato City on the way to General Santos. The 2 times that I made this trip on my bike, I did not see any buses at all on the road coming in from the north. Traveling that route is a bit dicey.

    The ferries between Surigao City, Mindanao and Liloan, Leyte take about 4 hours and it’s a basic run.

    Here is an option that might interest you – Sandakan – Zamboanga – Pagadian – Ozamis – (to Mukas by ferry – 45 minutes) – Iligan- Cagayan de Oro – Butuan – Surigao City – Liloan – Sogod – Agas Agas

    cheers

    dp
15. christine on May 2, 2010 at 12:29 am said:

    hi…
    would you happen to know if there’s a princess wella supercat trip from elnido-coron? if there’s any what days and time?
    me and friend is planning a trip to palawan on 27th of june to 8th of july and we would
    like to start our trip from mnl to el nido and go to coron as well so ive been looking for cheaper and easier way to get to coron from elnido. i would gladly appreciate if you can reply on me here or thru my email (email) if ur not busy. thanks a lot.
16. dutchpickle on May 2, 2010 at 7:25 am said:

    Hello christine,

    Welia makes the trip on Wed and Sat leaving El Nido at 7:30 am.

    It makes the return rip to El Nido on Thurs and Sun

    Always double check as schedules are subject to change.

    You might want to check with the ART Cafe and Boutique booking office for more details because sometimes it is confusing to do it on your own.

    There is a boat of some type leaving almost everyday but some of them are slow – the Welia is supposed to make the trip in 4 hours.

    dp
17. christine on May 3, 2010 at 3:12 am said:

    dp
    thanks a lot for your info.
    now i know where to start our vacation then
    from june27-july3 elnido
    july3-8 coron.
    other option
    want to leave elnido at july1 for supercat wed trip
    u think 3days is enough to enjoy elnido? coz wer gonna arrive at elnido in the afternoon of 27th so pretty much we cant do island hopping anymore just go around town probably.
    and do u have suggestions on things to do, places to go in el nido as well.
    sorry for so many questions heheh.
    thanks and God Bless.
18. dutchpickle on May 3, 2010 at 7:28 am said:

    Hi christine,

    Most visitors to El Nido go island hopping for a few days but relaxing at the beach resorts by the waterfront would be a nice alternative. Maybe it is best to make your onward plans once you get there. If you feel like leaving after 3 days, then move on, but if you want to stay two extra days then do that.

    Do you plan to fly to Manila from Coron or do you return to Puerto Princessa. It would be easier and quicker to fly to Manila but I suggest booking your flight in advance and try to take advantage of a promo fare.

    dp
19. christine on May 3, 2010 at 10:03 am said:

    heya dp
    thank you for your suggestion that i can plan when to leave for coron when im already in el nido.
    im considering it now, thats the best thing we should do.. ^^
    that’s a big help.
    my plan is to take seair flght to elnido then take a ferry from elnido to coron coz i dont want to a half day travelling to our next destination.heheh
    anyway i dunno much bout the days a foreigner can stay in ph. my friend is a german and hes planning to stay in the country for 25days and i heard that he needs to apply for visa or something if he intend to stay for more than 20 days here.
    that i have to double check and research as well.
    coz if ever maybe he will cut his trip for just 20days. :(
20. dutchpickle on May 3, 2010 at 10:14 am said:

    Hi christine,

    Yes, a visa extension is required after 20 days (21 actually) but these are not difficult to get at any of the Phillipine immigration offices. I have already gotten extensions in Zamboanga, Batangas, Puerto Princessa Palawan, Cebu City. Tacloban, Dumaguete, Angeles City (Dau), and Manila.

    I prefer not to get them in Manila because there is too much waiting in line.

    Have fun in Palawan!

    dp
21. Sylvio on May 8, 2010 at 12:07 pm said:

    El Nido to Coron in 8 hrs, amazing ,
    took me 16 days to go from coron to St-Paul’s cave

    what a trip, national geographic stuff all the way,

    was kayaking , dec. 1996/jan 97
22. edwinic on May 12, 2010 at 7:44 pm said:

    very informative! thanks.
23. jason on May 26, 2010 at 9:57 am said:

    what is the schedule of atienza shiping lines fm manila bound to elnido, palawan
24. jason on May 26, 2010 at 10:00 am said:

    how much fare from manila bound to el nido, palawan via atienza shiping lines?
25. dutchpickle on May 26, 2010 at 10:14 am said:

    Hello Jason,

    I am not sure but they leave from pier 2 in Manila.

    more info

    http://www.dutchpickle.com/philippines/palawan/wood-boat-from-palawan-to-manila.html

    dp
26. jason on May 26, 2010 at 10:16 am said:

    what is also the schedule of nicolas shiping lines fm manila bound to el nido, palawan and how much its fare?
27. jason on May 26, 2010 at 10:18 am said:

    can i have mobile number or tel number of atienza shiping lines and nicolas shiping lines?
28. dutchpickle on May 26, 2010 at 10:27 am said:

    Hello Jason – I always had difficulty trying to contact them by phone.

    The numbers on the Atienze sign are
    09185666786
    09085737027
    …but I never got an answer when I called

    I don’t have St Nicholas Lines number but their ticket office is next door to the Peron Station in ElNido

    These are wooden cargo vessels.

    dp
29. Jovelyn Ramirez Bozar on Jun 1, 2010 at 9:28 am said:

    Hello Rob,

    Mbca jessabel has a regular trip from Coron to El Nido every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday departure time 8am, from seadive Resort. El Nido Coron Every Tuesday Frinday and Sunday, departure time 7:30am at the pier.If high season jessabel used a big boat 60capacity, Low season 28capacity only, is not true takes only 4 or 5 hours.
    Thank you so much.

    Contact mbca jessabel
    09076741918
    email add. mbcajessabel @ hotmail.com

    Mbca jessabel has a Terms and Condition
    1.terminal fee php20
    2.Re-booking fee php500 per guest
    3.Refund subject php500 surcharge per guest
    4.Keep ticket for inspection
    5.No cancellation refund the date on time of departure

    Before leave clearance by Philippines Coastguard for the safety trip.

    Thank you so much,
    Jovelyn.
30. Jovelyn Ramirez Bozar on Jun 1, 2010 at 9:40 am said:

    Jason,
    I got the contact number , Atieza Shiping lines 09072269177 fare from manila to elnido 1100 takes 30hours.

    Thank you
31. Jovelyn Ramirez Bozar on Jun 1, 2010 at 9:51 am said:

    christine,
    Cheapest boat from el nido coron cargoes boat joselle , there is no permanent time and date schedule to leave from el nido, only php950 boat fare takes 12hours.
    4 or 5 hours trip is not possible.
    enjoy your holiday in Palawan
32. neil on Jul 16, 2010 at 6:36 pm said:

    hi dp neil here.

    i read your exchange of info with robroy and it was so informative.. im planning to go to zamboang and considering to have my return flight in gensan.. do know any ferry that leaves zamboanga for gen san by wednesday? i check supperferry and their sailing sched is monday.. can you suggest other options? any suggestions also for tourist spots and must see in zamboanga ang gen san? thanks a lot.. hope to hear from you soon… :)
33. dutchpickle on Jul 19, 2010 at 4:06 am said:

    Hi Neil,

    Near Gen San – scuba divers enjoy Sarangini Bay and some people enjoy Lake Sebu and seeing the Tiboli area. I dont really knoe of any major attractions but Gen San is home of the famous boxer Manny Pacquio.

    Zamboanga has an old fort and some historic buildings. There are some ok beaches nearby but it’s not really a big tourist area either. The main thing about Zamboanga is that it has the port where the Alison ferry leaves to Sandakan in Malaysia.

    dp
34. richard lozada on Dec 22, 2010 at 2:21 am said:

    hi everyone,
    i would like to ask if they,re are cargo vessel/ro-ro ship that has voyage/regular trips
    from coron, busuanga to any port of mindoro or batangas.

    please help me.
    i have cargo from manila bound to coron, busuanga island.

    thanks for any info/reliable response.

    -richard-MNL
35. Raymond Poe on May 17, 2011 at 9:28 am said:

    Hi:

    Dutchpickle -

    I would like to know whether the super cat “WELIA” is still in operation.

    From El NiDo to Coron -what days? I will visit Manila on August, 2011.
    I will go to Coron & with a side trip to El Nido.

    Thank you much & God Speed!

    Raymond
36. dutchpickle on May 17, 2011 at 1:20 pm said:

    Hello Raymond

    Sorry – I am not sure – try calling?

    There is a ferry of one sort or another almost every day. It takes quite a while to make the trip and some people do not like the rocking motion of the boats – especially when the seas are rough,

    happy trip!

    dp
37. Ty on Jul 13, 2011 at 5:20 am said:

    Hi,

    I am wonderling what all the intra-province connetions are by boat in Palawan.
    I could not find much information about departure time and fares.

    Do you also have information about the flights in Palawan, for example from Puerto to El Nido? And do you know where I can find jeepney and bus fares and schedules?

    Hopefully you can help me. It would be highly appreciated!

    Thanks a lot,

    Ty
38. Ron on Oct 3, 2011 at 9:56 am said:

    Hi DP,

    Do you think I can bring my motorcycle from El Nido to Coron via Atienza or the other shipping lines? Any ideas what will it cost?

    Thanks,
    Ron
39. dutchpickle on Oct 3, 2011 at 11:25 am said:

    Hello Ron

    I took a bike from El Nido to Coron on the Jessabel but I do not remember the cost. I have gone with Atienza from Coron to Manila and the charge was 700 peso plus dock fees

    http://www.dutchpickle.com/philippines/coron/coron-to-manila-atienza.html

    note – It is a real hassle unloading a motorcycle on he small docks in Coron.

    …but for me it was worth the hassle

    dp
40. agathe on Oct 27, 2011 at 1:54 pm said:

    Hello!
    I would like to know if there are night boat to travel from EL NIDO to CORON in the end of november 2011.
    otherwise, what are the solutions?
    is it better from puerto princess?

    thanx a lot

    kind regards
41. dutchpickle on Oct 27, 2011 at 4:41 pm said:

    Hello agathe,

    I don’t think that there are night boats to Coron from El Nido.

    It takes all day to get to Coron even if you leave early in the morning and the local boatmen prefer to make the run in the daytime. Another consideration is the weather – it can be rough sailing!

    dp
42. vembie on Oct 30, 2011 at 3:38 am said:

    hello everyone,
    New Contact No. of Mbca Jessabel +639076741918
    Departure Day El Nido – Coron Every Tuesday, Friday & Sunday
    Departure Day Coron- El Nido Every Monday, Wednesday & Saturday
    Takes 6 to 7 hours with
    Email Add mbcajessabel @ hotmail .com
    Welcome to Aboard!!!!!!!!
    Enjoy your trip
43. adriana on Nov 5, 2011 at 5:17 am said:

    Hello!!

    Anyone knows if the Princess welia really takes 4-5 hours to el nido? do they still operate?

    Thanks a lot in advance

    Adriana
44. Padie on Dec 22, 2011 at 3:28 am said:

    Hi, no boats going to El Nido or vice versa takes 4 hours, and have never done that. It was a false advertisment and now its erased from their adboard.
    The very best boat is “Ride The Joe” , same price as the others but u will have an all day buffet to eat, free softdrinks and water. The other boats give ju a very small packed lunch, not even worth the name “lunch”
    Check out the like page!
45. Darell on Jan 19, 2012 at 7:12 am said:

    Hi dutchpickle,

    First of all i want to say good job with the blog! Verry informative and nice to read :)
    I have a question, i’m going to Palawan in 1,5 for my internship there. I will be staying in Palawan for 5 months. I land in Manila and i want to do a nice route from there to Peurto Princesa.
    This is my plan: From Manila to Peurto Galera by boat. Then travel overland to San Jose. From there i want to take a boat to Coron and then from Coron to El Nido. Will this trip be possible in around 7 days? The hard part is the planning, because i cant seem to find any schedules for the boats.

    Thanks!
46. dutchpickle on Jan 20, 2012 at 10:45 am said:

    Hello Darell,

    I don’t know of any shipping lines that go from San Jose, Mindoro to Coron, Palawan. I do not think that your route is feasible.

    Why not take a ship direct from Manila to Puerto Princesa?

    cheers
    dp
47. achie on Mar 6, 2012 at 10:21 am said:

    Hi DP, great blog, just need more info. – We’re leaving for Puerto Prinsesa on the 13th of April and will take Coron-Manila flight on the 18th. We are also planning to drop by El Nido. Would this be possible in 5days? Underground river is the first spot in our list and prolly we’ll go straight to El nido , stay there for 2days and then will take a boat to Coron. How long is the trip from Puerto Prinsesa to El nido? El Nido to Coron?

    Thanks! :)
48. dutchpickle on Mar 7, 2012 at 9:32 am said:

    Hello archie,

    It could be done but with only 5 days you will be on the move most of the time. The underground river is in Sabang – about an hour and a half van ride from Puerto Princessa. I suggest making that a day trip because it would be difficult to find a ride to El Nido after spending the day at Sabang.

    Personally I enjoy spending a few days at Sabang when I go there. The swimming off the beach in the evenings is very peaceful.

    It probably takes about 5 hours in a shuttle van to get up to El Nido from Puerto Princesa. It also takes a full day to take the ferry between El Nido and Coron.

    I would suggest trying to spend more time in El Nido and go to Coron on another trip. 5 days really is not enough time to comfortably cover this itinerary and actually stop to smwll the roses.

    cheers
    dp
49. janet on Mar 9, 2012 at 5:18 am said:

    can you tell us other alternative route going back to manila, is there ferries that cater this services.back to manila ..thank you
50. Rick Lumpas on Apr 3, 2012 at 11:50 pm said:

    Hi,

    Do you know of the ways to travel by ship from Coron/Busuanga to Puerto Princesa. I called Superferry but I was told they don’t have trips from Coron to Puerto Princesa.

    Thanks

    Rick
51. dutchpickle on Apr 4, 2012 at 9:58 pm said:

    Hello Rick

    I do not know of any options available traveling by ship between Puerto Princesa and Busuanga. Possibly there are none at this time.

    I have gone by road from Puerto Princessa to El Nido and then from there to Busuanga by boat several times. Might that work for you?

    dp
52. Janice on Sep 5, 2012 at 7:38 am said:

    Hi~
    First of all I have to say that this blog is so good, it’s really informative and helpful to people travelling between Coron & El Nido. I’ve read most of the info. & messages listed above, finding few information about boat schedule on Thursdays. As it happens, we’ve made up a plan from El Nido to Coron on Jan. 10th, Thursday. Can you give us some information about the boat from El Nito to Coron on Thursday? Thank you!
53. dutchpickle on Sep 6, 2012 at 9:49 am said:

    Hello Janice,

    I have not been to El Nido or Coron this year yet. I believe that you can still get a boat to Coron every day but best to buy the ticket the day before. There are several outlets near the pier that can help you with that

    …also check at Og’s pension and the Artcafe for info and to purchase tickets

    dp
54. jiji on Nov 24, 2012 at 12:32 am said:

    Hi, Is there a way to travel from Manila to Palawan without taking an airplane? What about Manila-Batangas-Iloilo-palawan? How? Thanks
55. dutchpickle on Nov 25, 2012 at 4:30 pm said:

    Keep checking the big ferry services out of Manila – they used to make regular trips between Manila and Puerto Princesa Palawan but they stopped for a while.

    I am not sure if there was scheduled maintenance on the vessels or what, but it seems logical that the route will continue in the future.

    Probably another option would be to take a ferry from Manila direct to Iloilo and then take Montenegro or Miligrosa J from Iloilo to Puerto Princesa, stopping on Cuyo Island on the way.

    dp
56. mbcajessabel on Jan 24, 2013 at 8:50 pm said:

    To our value customers,

    Mbca Jessabel Has a Regular trip from…
    El Nido-Coron Every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday
    Coron-El Nido Every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
    For More Info…
    Please call…
    Contact # +639129366710
    +639156970244
    +639474569145
    Email Add. mbcajessabel_palawan@yahoo.com
    Office Coron- Brgy Tagumpay Coron Palawan… Close by coron Port
57. dutchpickle on Jan 25, 2013 at 2:01 pm said:

    thanks 4 the update
    dp