Underground River or Honda Bay?
Take the river, because it is unrepeatable and Honda Bay is not. The Underground River holds 4.4/5 from 5,813 reviews and is a UNESCO site you cannot substitute anywhere else in Palawan; Honda Bay holds 4.0/5 from 2,040 reviews, the lowest of the city's headline attractions, and is a shallow sandbar day you can better elsewhere in the province. The real rule is about order, not quality: do Honda Bay only if it comes before El Nido, or if you never reach El Nido. The river is ₱2,000–2,500 and 7–10 hours; Honda Bay is ₱1,500–2,000 and 7–8.
One day, one of these
The Underground River
A UNESCO World Heritage site and New7Wonders of Nature: 45 minutes paddling about 1.5 km into an 8.2 km cave under a mountain, turning at a chamber whose ceiling is 60–65 m overhead. ₱2,000–2,500, 7–10 hours door to door, and the most balanced veteran take on the forums is the one that decides it: this is really not like anything else you can do in El Nido. Full verdict →
Book the river ↗Honda Bay
Three islands now — Starfish, Luli, Cowrie — ₱1,500–2,000 for 7–8 hours, shallow warm water, a buffet and a banana boat. 4.0/5 from 2,040 reviews, with poor visibility and thin coral as the recurring complaint. If your Palawan trip begins and ends in this city, it is a genuinely pleasant day. If it does not, you are spending a day on the worst snorkelling of your trip. Full verdict →
Compare Honda Bay ↗Both, on a three-day trip
The forum regular who framed this best did not actually choose: if time is limited El Nido island hopping wins hands down, otherwise do both. On three days here that is exactly right — river on day two, Honda Bay on day three, roughly ₱3,500–4,500 in tours between them. The 3-day itinerary sequences it. Full verdict →
Who should take which, declared
Every row has a winner rather than a hedge. The verdict badge is the verdict on Honda Bay for that traveller, because the river is the default and Honda Bay is the decision.
| You are | The winner | Why | Honda Bay verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| A first-timer in Palawan, El Nido to follow | The river | You are about to get four days of far better island hopping. Spend this day on the thing that cannot be substituted. | SKIP |
| Travelling with children under 8 | Honda Bay | Shallow sandbars, a buffet, banana boats and no 2-hour van each way. The river is zero physical demand but the drive is the part that breaks small children. | WORTH IT |
| Never leaving this city | The river, then Honda Bay | With no El Nido or Coron on the itinerary, Honda Bay is not competing with anything and becomes a good second day. | WORTH IT |
| A certified diver or serious snorkeller | The river | Honda Bay's recurring review complaint is poor visibility and thin coral — "really no coral" in a December 2024 review. Save the water day for Coron. | SKIP |
| An experienced caver | Honda Bay | A processed, audio-guided conveyor will underwhelm you — a former cave explorer on the forums said so while conceding his baseline was unusual. Take the sea day instead. | WORTH IT |
| A cruise passenger, 8 hours in port | Honda Bay | The river does not fit an 08:00–16:00 call: 2 to 2.5 hours each way against all-aboard. The wharf is 40–50 minutes from the port. | WORTH IT |
| Here in wet season, June to September | The river | Rain does not close the cave; swell closes the Sabang crossing. Honda Bay is comparatively sheltered but the visibility is worse still after rain. | DEPENDS |
| On one day, and it is your only Palawan day | The river | It is the one thing here that will be a memory in ten years. 4.4/5 from 5,813 reviews against 4.0/5 from 2,040 is the crude version of the same point. | SKIP |
Honda Bay is a three-island product now: Starfish, Luli and Cowrie, with Pambato Reef swapped in as the snorkelling stop on some routes. Snake Island and Pandan are out of the standard rotation. Guides still promising four, five or seven islands are quoting a decade-old itinerary — and Starfish Island without starfish is now a recurring review title, because heavy traffic has pushed the sea stars away from the landing area.
Sequence matters more than quality
Almost every argument about Honda Bay is really an argument about what you are doing next week, and once you see that, the disagreement resolves.
Do Honda Bay only if it comes before El Nido, or if you never reach El Nido. That is the honest framing and it reconciles the two loudest camps. The veterans are consistent: if forced to choose, El Nido island hopping wins hands down, and if your time is not limited, do both. A local resident put the same thing more bluntly — Honda Bay "is not bad — but after El Nido island hopping it will be a bore". When even the local concedes it, the ranking is settled.
The counter-case is real and deserves quoting, because it is the better argument about what these days are. One traveller regretted skipping Honda Bay, arguing it is "poles apart" from El Nido — relaxation against intensity — so the two are not direct substitutes at all. That is fair. El Nido island hopping is a long, hard, crowded, spectacular day; Honda Bay is a slow one with a buffet and warm shallow water. If what you want is the second thing, El Nido will not give it to you.
Be honest with yourself about the snorkelling: Honda Bay rates 4.0 on TripAdvisor against the Underground River's 4.4, and the recurring complaint is poor visibility and thin coral. If El Nido, Coron or Port Barton are on your itinerary, Honda Bay will be the worst snorkelling of your trip. If they are not, it is a pleasant, shallow, kid-proof day out.
The two days, priced
Per person at August 2026 prices. Both are full days and neither shares an afternoon with the other.
| Underground River | Honda Bay | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local joiner price | ₱2,000–2,500 ~$35–43 | ₱1,500–2,000 local agencies ₱1,300–1,800 | DEPENDS |
| Platform price | Klook about $37.60, GetYourGuide from $46 | Klook about $32, GetYourGuide from $37 | DEPENDS |
| Rating | 4.4/5 from 5,813 TripAdvisor reviews | 4.0/5 from 2,040 — the lowest-rated headline attraction here | WORTH IT |
| Hours door to door | 7–10, pickup 06:30–08:30 | 7–8, wharf 40–50 min out | DEPENDS |
| Fees on the day, in cash | ₱150 environmental, ₱5–10 terminal on tours | ₱150 environmental, ₱5–50 wharf, plus ₱50–150 per island on cheap local boats | DEPENDS |
| Hire charges to expect | None — helmets and vests are provided | Mask ₱150, aqua shoes ₱150, cottages ₱50–500 | DEPENDS |
| Booking pressure | Permit-rationed. 1–2 weeks ahead December to May. | None. Your hotel books it the day before. | WORTH IT |
| Do it yourself? | Saves almost nothing — ₱1,900–2,100 for a worse day | Whole boat ₱1,500–2,100 from Sta. Lourdes; only beats the joiner with 4–6 people | DEPENDS |
| The one-line case | Unrepeatable anywhere else in Palawan | Pleasant, shallow, kid-proof, and better done before El Nido than after | DEPENDS |
Every quoted price here is missing a fee, and the fee is cash. The ₱150 city environmental fee is collected separately even on tours that say all-inclusive — it is valid about a year and covers both the Underground River and Honda Bay, so keep the receipt and do not pay twice. Cheap local island tours quietly add ₱50–150 per island, ₱150 mask hire and ₱150 aqua shoes. The big platform listings mostly bake these in, which is why a ₱1,300 tour and a ₱1,880 tour often cost the same by lunchtime.
Three islands, and the starfish have gone
Half the disappointment in the Honda Bay review corpus comes from guides describing a product that stopped existing years ago.
The current roster is Starfish, Luli and Cowrie, with Pambato Reef swapped in as the snorkelling stop on some routes. Snake Island has been closed to tours for years and Pandan is out of the standard rotation, yet legacy blogs still promise four, five or seven islands. Luli is short for lulubog-lilitaw and submerges at high tide. Cowrie is the one with real facilities: cottages ₱50–500, pavilions to ₱1,500, massages ₱350–500 an hour.
"Starfish Island without starfish" is now a recurring review title — heavy traffic pushed the sea stars away from the landing area. The other repeated complaints are stops as short as 20 minutes and, from a December 2024 reviewer, "really no coral". Against that, recent raves are just as real: warm water, beautiful fish, a peaceful atmosphere, and one July 2025 reviewer who called it exactly that.
The rule at Starfish Island is now briefed on most boats and enforced unevenly: keep the sea stars in the water, never lift one out for a photograph, and do not touch the underside. Lifting them out is what emptied the landing area.
The full breakdown is on the Honda Bay page, with the island-by-island detail on the islands page and the whole-boat maths on the do-it-yourself page.
Both, priced against the local walk-up
Local operators quote ₱2,000–2,500 for the river and ₱1,500–2,000 for Honda Bay. On Honda Bay specifically, the argument for a platform booking is the fee stack: cheap local boats add ₱50–150 an island plus ₱150 mask hire on the day.
River or bay, answered
If I only have one day, Underground River or Honda Bay?
The river. It rates 4.4/5 from 5,813 reviews against Honda Bay's 4.0/5 from 2,040, it is a UNESCO site, and it is the one thing in this province you cannot get a better version of somewhere else. The exception is young children, for whom the 2-hour van each way is the problem.
Is Honda Bay worth doing if I am already island hopping in El Nido?
No, and a local resident says so directly: after El Nido island hopping it will be a bore. Honda Bay is three flat sandbar islands with thin coral at 4.0/5; El Nido is four tour routes through limestone lagoons. Spend the day on the cave instead.
Is the scenery the same kind of thing?
No. One traveller who regretted skipping Honda Bay called the two poles apart — relaxation against intensity — and that is the fairest description available. Honda Bay is warm shallow water and a buffet for ₱1,500–2,000; El Nido is a long, hard, spectacular day on the water.
Can I do the Underground River and Honda Bay in one day?
No. Each is a 7 to 8 hour day with its own pre-08:00 start, its own wharf and its own boat, and they run in opposite directions from the city. On a three-day trip, do the river on day two and Honda Bay on day three.
Which is better for kids?
Honda Bay, on the day itself: shallow sandbars, banana boats, a buffet and no long drive. The river is zero physical demand with life vests and helmets provided and children love the bats — but it is 2 hours each way in a van, which is the part that decides it.
Which is cheaper?
Honda Bay, at ₱1,500–2,000 against ₱2,000–2,500, or about $32 against $37.60 on Klook. The gap narrows on cheap local boats, which add ₱50–150 per island plus ₱150 for a mask and ₱150 for aqua shoes at the landing.
Do I need to book either in advance?
The river yes, Honda Bay no. The park is permit-rationed and 1–2 weeks ahead is the rule from December to May; Honda Bay has never been reported as selling out and your hotel can arrange it the evening before for ₱1,500–2,000.
Can you hold the starfish at Starfish Island?
No — keep them in the water, never lift one out for a photograph and do not touch the underside. Lifting them out is what emptied the landing area, and "Starfish Island without starfish" has been a recurring review title since about 2024.
with a hotel pickup
before 08:00.
The river collects you between 06:30 and 08:30; Honda Bay wants you at Sta. Lourdes wharf, 40 to 50 minutes north, by about 09:00. City-centre hotels are first on every pickup route, which is worth an hour of sleep on either day. Midrange boutiques run ₱2,500–5,000, budget chains ₱1,300–2,600, pensions ₱800–1,700.
Compare city-centre hotels