Balabac: the last islands before Borneo

A long, rough journey to the southern tip of Palawan, where pink-tinged sandbars, mouse-deer and some of the clearest water in Asia reward those who make the effort.

Area

The deep south

Start from

Puerto Princesa city

Distance

about 300 km by road and sea each way

Time needed

3–5 days

Best season

Roughly March – May for the calmest seas

Difficulty

Hard

Transport

Van to Buliluyan port in Bataraza, then several hours by bangka; best done with an organised expedition

Tickets & rules

Municipal registration and environmental fees; guided tours strongly recommended; check current security advisories

Why go

Balabac is the end of the road in every sense. The municipality is a scatter of more than thirty islands strung out between the southern tip of Palawan and the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo. There are almost no resorts, no ATMs, patchy phone signal and very little electricity outside the main town. What it has instead is water of a clarity I had never seen before, beaches with sand tinted faintly pink by crushed coral, and the sense of being somewhere very far from the rest of the world.

Trips here are expeditions. You sleep in simple island cottages or tents, eat whatever the boat crew catches and cooks, and spend the days moving between sandbars and islands: Onuk, with its turquoise lagoon and stilt cottages; Candaraman, where a long sandbar curves into an impossibly blue sea; Punta Sebaring, a ribbon of white sand with fine pinkish grains; and Patawan, where you can sleep under a sky packed with stars.

I went with a small group organised from Puerto Princesa, and the hardest part was the journey: a long, bumpy van ride south, then hours in a bangka on open water. But by the second evening, lying on the sand on Candaraman watching the last light fade, nobody remembered the discomfort.

The story

Balabac lies at the northern edge of the Balabac Strait, a channel between Palawan and Borneo through which ships have passed for centuries. The Spanish built the Cape Melville Lighthouse on Balabac in 1892, a tall stone tower that still stands at the island’s southern end. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in the Philippines and was built to guide vessels through these treacherous waters.

The islands are home to Molbog and Palawan communities, as well as settlers from other parts of the country, and historically they had close ties to the sultanates of Borneo and the Sulu archipelago. The cultural mix shows in the food, the languages and the mosques you see beside churches in some villages.

Balabac is also an important place for wildlife. It is home to the Philippine mouse-deer, known locally as pilandok, a tiny hoofed animal found only on Balabac and nearby islands. Sea turtles nest on some beaches, and dugongs graze in sea-grass beds. Conservationists consider the area one of the richest and least disturbed marine regions in the country.

Getting there

Most visitors join an organised trip from Puerto Princesa that includes transport, boats, meals and accommodation. The van ride to Buliluyan port in Bataraza takes six to eight hours, followed by a boat journey of two to four hours to the islands. Independent travel is possible but complicated, and you will need local guides for the boat routes.

Check current travel advisories before going: the far south has at times been subject to security warnings, and tour operators follow local guidance.

A suggested plan

1. Day 1Early van from Puerto Princesa to Buliluyan, then the boat crossing to Balabac; overnight on Onuk or a nearby island.
2. Day 2Candaraman sandbar and surrounding reefs; evening on the beach.
3. Day 3Punta Sebaring and Patawan; look for mouse-deer and turtles.
4. Day 4Return boat and the long drive back to Puerto Princesa.
5. OptionalA visit to the Cape Melville Lighthouse if conditions allow.

Where to stay

Accommodation is basic: simple cottages, homestays, or tents arranged by tour operators. Bring a sleeping sheet, headlamp, and power bank.

Good to know

• Bring plenty of cash; there are no ATMs.
• Pack light and waterproof everything.
• Bring seasickness medication for the boat journey.