Want to visit multiple tropical paradises when you’re in the Philippines and wondering how to travel from Boracay to Palawan? We can help!
Both Palawan and Boracay are gorgeous, top places to visit in the Philippines and you can’t go wrong visiting either of them. But it’s even better to visit both!
It’s actually only 190 kilometres between Boracay and El Nido in Palawan, but because there is a sea in the way, this journey can get complicated and time consuming.
But it doesn’t have to be. When you take this journey step by step, you’ll see its actually quite straightforward, with many people making this trip.
Below, I describe exactly how to go from Boracay to Palawan so you know exactly what to do. Whether you are looking for a Boracay to Palawan flight or taking a Boracay to Palawan ferry, this guide covers both. This way, you will be in paradise as quick as possible!
I also describe the reverse journey from Palawan to Boracay.Â
Map: From Boracay or Palawan 2023
This map shows you how to get to Palawan or Boracay if you want to travel overland.
If you’re wondering how far is Boracay from Palawan, the Boracay to Palawan distance is only 190 kilometres when looking at the distance from Boracay to El Nido in Palawan.
The approximate travel time from Boracay till Palawan is approximately 3.5 hours if you fly including transfers. It takes a few days to travel this overland.
BEST OPTION: How To Get From Boracay To Palawan
How To Get To Palawan From Boracay
Here’s a summary of your options:
| Mode of transport | Duration | Best For? | Book |
| Flight via Caticlan | 3.5 hours | People who like the quickest and easiest option | Book here |
| Bus/Ferry | 2+ days | People who like to travel overland or need to pay the cheapest price |
No matter which option you pick to travel from Palawan to Boracay, you will first have to get from Boracay island to Caticlan. This is very easy to do and is described in its own section below these two options.
Option 1: Fly From Boracay To Palawan
As mentioned above, the fastest way to travel from Boracay Island to Palawan Island is to fly. However, there is no direct flight from Boracay to Palawan. This is because there is no airport on Boracay. First, you will need to make your way to Caticlan Airport via a quick 10-15 minute boat ride from Boracay.
There is more information about taking this boat trip below in its own section as you will need to do this no matter which way you travel between Palawan and Boracay.
Once you make it to Caticlan Jetty, it is just a 10 minute walk to the airport or you can take a van ride.
Pre-pandemic, there were direct flights between Caticlan and Puerto Princesa on Palawan. Currently, there is not, but there are direct flights between Caticlan and El Nido on Palawan.
AirSWIFT flies this route a few times a week and the Palawan to Boracay flight time is just an hour and five minutes. It is not cheap with prices starting at around ₱5,700.
Click here to see the prices for your dates
If you are happy to take connecting flights, it’s possible to fly to Puerto Princesa via Cebu or Manila. This makes the quickest flying time about 4 hours, but it may take a lot longer. This can be cheaper than flying direct and is offered by Cebu Pacific, AirAsia and Philippine Air.
Click here to find all your flight options.
Option 2: Boracay To Palawan Ferry
Another alternative is to travel by boat from Boracay to Palawan. Again there is no direct Boracay Palawan ferry and you will need to make your way to Caticlan first.
This is described below or click here to see the latest prices.
Travelling by ferry to Palawan is time consuming and involves a fair bit of effort, so flying can be much better if you can afford it. The easiest way is to travel to Iloilo City from Caticlan by bus and then take a ferry from here to Puerto Princesa.
Buses depart for Iloilo City from Caticlan about every half hour. They stop a lot so the journey time is about 6 hours. Tickets cost ₱240 – ₱390.
Once you arrive in Ceres Northbound Terminal in Iloilo, hop in a taxi that will take you to Lapuz Wharf.
From here, you can catch a ferry to Puerto Princesa in Palawan. Montenegro Shipping Lines is the company that operates ferries to Puerto Princesa. They travel via Cuyo Island.
Their schedule changes regularly and you can find the latest one on their Facebook page here. Currently, it runs about once a week in each direction and takes about 2 days and nights to get there. Tickets for a passenger start at ₱2,662.
Travel From Boracay To Caticlan
No matter which option you choose above, you first need to get off the island of Boracay. This can be a small bangka or a bigger boat. This takes about 10-15 minutes.
Boats usually run from 5am to 9pm with frequent departures.
The boat fare from Caticlan to Boracay is made up of the following:
- ₱50 for the boat ticket
- ₱100 for the terminal fee
- ₱150 for locals and ₱300 for everyone else for the environmental fee.Â
These are all per person fees.
You can purchase your ticket at the port or in advance. You can find ferry tickets here.
Boats arrive and depart at Cagban Jetty on Boracay. You can take a tricycle to get to and from this jetty and your accommodation.
You can read my full guide to travelling from Caticlan to Boracay here.
How To Get From Palawan To Boracay
If you want to know how to get to Boracay from Palawan, your options are the same as the above. You just need to reverse them.
The quickest and best way is to take a Palawan to Boracay flight flying from El Nido (in Palawan) to Caticlan (by Boracay). This takes only an hour and five minutes, and you’ll be in Boracay in no time.
AirSWIFT makes this flight and you can find the latest ticket prices and schedules here.
They fly a few times a week so you may need to click on a few different days before you find a flight.
You can also fly from Puerto Princesa (in Palawan) to Caticlan via Cebu or Manila. There is not currently a direct flight.
Click here to find flight options.
Finally, you can also take a Palawan to Boracay ferry, but this involves nearly 48 hours on a ferry from Puerto Princesa (in Palawan) to Iloilo City. This only runs once a week and you can find timetables and prices here.
Once you make it to Iloilo City, you need to take a six hour bus ride to Caticlan. It’s a long time in total.
No matter which option you pick, you still need to take a boat from Caticlan to Boracay. This is quick and easy and described in its own section above.
Final Words
In this guide, we’ve covered the different transportation options that you take take between Boracay and Palawan.Â
The fastest (and most convenient way) to get to your destination is to take one of the flights from Caticlan to El Nido (find them here).Â
If you like to take your time and save some money then you can consider taking the bus + ferry option.
I hope you found this guide on how to go from Boracay to Palawan useful. Click here to find out how to get to Boracay from other destinations, including from Cebu. You can find our complete travel guide to Palawan here or Boracay here.
