Estrella Falls and the south Palawan day
Puerto Princesa is not a waterfall destination, and Estrella Falls is not going to change your mind about that. It is a pretty multi-tier swimming falls in a picnic park at Narra, about 90 km and 1 hour 35 south — call it 3 hours 10 round trip for somewhere you will spend an hour. Entry is a small cash fee at the gate plus a cottage if you want one; we found no current official rate. Private tours on Viator and Expedia run $60–90. It earns the day only bundled with Narra's beaches and Rasa Island, the Philippine cockatoo recovery flagship — and Rasa is open July to December only.
This is not a waterfall destination
Say it before anything else, because the alternative is a wasted day and a disappointed afternoon.
Palawan's headline landscapes are marine. The limestone, the lagoons, the reefs and the underground river are what the island does at world class. Its waterfalls are pleasant provincial swimming holes with cottages and a fee box, and if you have been to Kawasan, Tinuy-an or anywhere in Cebu or Bohol you will find them modest.
Estrella Falls is the best of them and it is a genuinely nice hour: multiple tiers, cold clear water, a picnic park, families on weekends. Expect a small cash entrance fee and possibly a separate cottage charge at the gate. We found no current official rate, so carry small notes.
The mathematics is the problem. 1 hour 35 each way for an hour in the water is a 3-hour round trip you spend in a vehicle, and Puerto Princesa has better uses for that: Nagtabon is 45–60 minutes for a real beach, Ugong Rock is 1h20 for caving and a zipline. Estrella only pays for itself when it is one stop of three.
What else is down that road
The case for driving south is cumulative. Individually every one of these is a shrug; together they are a decent second-visit day.
| Stop | Distance | Cost | What it is | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estrella Falls Narra | ~90 km · 1 h 35 | Small cash fee plus a cottage | Multi-tier swimming falls in a picnic park. An hour, and a good one. | DEPENDS |
| Rasa Island off Narra | ~2 h 30 | Certified boat and guide arranged via Katala Foundation | The Philippine cockatoo recovery flagship: 23–25 birds in 1998 to close to 400 by early 2019. Landings July to December only. | WORTH IT |
| Narra's beaches | ~1 h 30–2 h | Free to nominal | Quiet provincial coast. The reason the loop works as a day rather than an errand. | DEPENDS |
| Olanguan Falls Napsan road, west | ~2 h | Small cash fee | A wide photogenic cascade with natural pools. Rough access and minimal facilities — motorbike explorers only. | DEPENDS |
| Private south-Palawan tour | full day | $60–90 | Someone else drives, which on a 90 km each-way loop is most of the value. | DEPENDS |
| Estrella Falls alone, by van | 3 h 10 round trip | Small fee plus transport | Three hours of road for one hour of waterfall. Do something closer. | SKIP |
Neither waterfall publishes a current official fee, so none is printed here: carry small cash. Rasa Island season, access rules and population figures are the Katala Foundation's, checked 5 October 2026.
Rather book it?Estrella Falls reviews on TripAdvisor ↗
The best conservation story in Palawan, and it has a closed season
If anything justifies the drive south, it is this — and it is only available for half the year.
The Philippine cockatoo was down to 23–25 birds on Rasa Island in 1998. By early 2019 the population was close to 400. The recovery ran through the Katala Foundation's Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program, which developed its wildlife warden scheme on Rasa: local people paid to guard the nests.
Visiting is possible July to December only. The island is closed January to June for breeding, which is not a soft guideline. Certified boats and guides must be used at all times, and visits are arranged through the Katala Foundation ([email protected]) rather than by turning up at a jetty. Outside the landing season you can still watch the cockatoos from a boat or the adjacent mainland.
This is a birdwatchers' and conservation-minded travellers' stop rather than a general one, and the logistics are heavy for a casual visitor. But it pairs naturally with Estrella Falls, it is the reason to do the south loop in the second half of the year, and it is a better answer to what Palawan is protecting than any enclosure you can pay to walk past.
This site flags the judgement calls instead of making them for you: the crocodile farm is a genuine government breeding and rescue facility with small enclosures and a baby-crocodile photo op you can decline; the Butterfly Garden's Palaw'an demonstrations are paid, consensual and income-generating but read as zoo-adjacent to some visitors; and at Iwahig, inmates perform for tips. Buy the handicrafts, ask before photographing anyone, and skip anything that sits wrong with you.
The practical bit
Who should drive south
How to actually reach it
There is no scheduled service that makes a same-day return work, so this is a driver-or-motorbike day. Hire a car with a driver through your hotel, and agree the itinerary before the price.
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Estrella Falls questions, answered
Is Estrella Falls worth visiting?
As one stop in a south-Palawan day, yes. On its own, no — it is 90 km and about 1 hour 35 each way for somewhere most people spend an hour. Nagtabon Beach is 45 minutes away and Ugong Rock is 1h20.
How much is the entrance fee at Estrella Falls?
A small cash fee at the gate, plus a cottage if you want one. We found no current official rate and online figures conflict, so bring small notes rather than relying on a number from a blog.
How far is Estrella Falls from Puerto Princesa?
About 90 km south to Narra, roughly 1 hour 35 by road, so 3 hours 10 return. There is no convenient scheduled service for a day trip — this is a hired car, a private tour at $60–90, or a motorbike at ₱500–700 a day.
Can you visit Rasa Island?
Between July and December, yes, with certified boats and guides, arranged through the Katala Foundation. It is closed to landings January to June for breeding, though you can watch from a boat or the mainland. Go for the cockatoos, which went from 23–25 birds in 1998 to close to 400 by early 2019.
Are there other waterfalls near Puerto Princesa?
Olanguan Falls, about 2 hours west on the Napsan road — a wide cascade with natural pools, a small cash fee, rough access and minimal facilities. It suits motorbike explorers pairing it with a Napsan sunset, and nobody else.
Is Puerto Princesa good for waterfalls?
No, and it is better to say so. The island's spectacle is marine and subterranean — lagoons, reefs and an 8.2 km underground river. The waterfalls are pleasant provincial swimming holes and they will not compete with Cebu or Bohol.
What is the best day trip south of Puerto Princesa?
The Narra loop, and only in the second half of the year: Estrella Falls for an hour, a Narra beach, and Rasa Island in its July to December window. Outside that season the south is a long drive for a swimming hole.
Can I get to Estrella Falls by public transport?
Buses and vans run south along the highway toward Narra and Brooke's Point, but the timings do not make a comfortable same-day return across 90 km each way, and the falls are off the highway at the far end. Hire a vehicle, or join a private tour at $60–90.
Everything down here is cash and half of it is unpublished
Several entrance fees on the city-tour circuit (the crocodile farm, Plaza Cuartel, the Heritage Center and the Butterfly Garden) are not published anywhere current. Where that is the case this site tells you to ask at the desk rather than printing a number that may be wrong.
Draw cash in the city. Tours, tricycles, markets and most small restaurants take cash. Foreign cards usually pay a fee per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts less often, and decline the machine's offer to charge you in your own currency. Sabang has few or no machines, so arrive with what you need for your stay.
The south road is where this bites hardest. Neither waterfall publishes a current fee, the Rasa trip is paid locally, and none of the three is somewhere to count on a card. Draw in the city and carry small notes.