Is Honda Bay worth it? The honest 2026 verdict
Honda Bay is a cheap, shallow, easy day out and the lowest-rated headline attraction in this city. It holds 4.0/5 across 2,040 TripAdvisor reviews against the Underground River's 4.4, and the recurring complaint is always the same two things: thin coral and starfish that are no longer at Starfish Island. It costs ₱1,500–2,000 (~$26–34) for a 7–8 hour joiner from Sta. Lourdes wharf, and Klook's version at $32.09–32.49 has 20,000+ bookings at 4.6★ with fees and the buffet included. Go if you have children, a cruise-ship day, or no other island hopping booked. Otherwise spend the day on the river.
Is it for you?
Three sandbars, a buffet and a boat
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.
The day runs 7 to 8 hours: hotel pickup between 07:00 and 08:00, 30–45 minutes north-east to Sta. Lourdes wharf about 12 km out, registration at the tourist association desk, then a double-outrigger bangka to three islands with lunch on Cowrie, and back at your hotel around 16:00.
The boats are run by HOBBAI, the Honda Bay Boatowners Association — a cooperative with standardised, non-negotiable rates and fixed boat assignments. That is worth knowing for two reasons. You cannot haggle and you cannot pick your boat, so anyone offering you a special price at the wharf is selling you something else. And it means the boat is identical whether you paid ₱1,300 through a hostel or $32 through Klook — what differs is what is bundled into it. Which islands you get is on the island-by-island page.
Life vests are provided, the seating is benches under a roof, and the water at every stop is shallow enough for non-swimmers to stand in. There is no physical demand anywhere in the day. That is the entire product, and for a family with small children it is close to ideal.
Every way to do Honda Bay, priced
The joiner wins on price and the private boat wins on everything else. Doing it yourself only makes sense in a group — the do-it-yourself ledger is here.
| How you do it | Price | What is included | Time | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klook joiner the volume bestseller: 20,000+ booked, 4.6★ from 1,733 reviews | $32.09–32.49 ~₱1,880 | Transfers, boat, island fees and buffet lunch all included | 7–8 h | WORTH IT |
| GetYourGuide joiner 4.4★ from 541 reviews, optional massage on Cowrie | from $37 | Transfers, boat, lunch; environmental fee usually excluded | 7–10 h | WORTH IT |
| Local agency or hostel joiner booked at your front desk the night before | ₱1,300–1,800 | Boat and lunch. Island fees and mask hire are usually extra | 7–8 h | DEPENDS |
| Viator private 3-island your own boat and your own clock | ~$112 pp | Private boat, private transfers, lunch | 7–8 h | DEPENDS |
| Do it yourself from the wharf HOBBAI whole-boat rate, split between you | ₱1,500–2,100 the boat | The boat only. Every fee is on top and in cash | 8–9 h | DEPENDS |
| Cruise-ship shore excursion same wharf, same cooperative boats | ship price, typically 3–5x | Everything, plus a guaranteed return to the pier | 6–7 h | SKIP |
| Dos Palmas day pass private island resort in the same bay | 2026 price unpublished | Historically ₱1,800–2,500 with lunch and transfers | 7–8 h | DEPENDS |
Prices checked August 2026. Whole-boat rates take about six people. See the Dos Palmas page before you assume the day pass is still sold at the old rate.
The snorkelling, and the starfish
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 review corpus is consistent and unkind. Really no coral (December 2024). Starfish gone from Starfish Island (January 2024). Tourist trap stops (July 2025). Rushed 20-minute island stops on cruise-excursion days (February 2025). As far back as 2014 a reviewer described the islands as big sand bars with no shade, and that is still a fair physical description.
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.
Density is best February and March, which is the mating season, and worst at midday in high season when a hundred pairs of feet have been through the landing area. If seeing sea stars is the reason you are booking, take the earliest boat you can get and accept that Starfish Island without starfish is a recurring review title for a reason.
When to be on the water
Everything about this day gets worse after 10:00 and better again after 14:00. The first boats out get Starfish Island before the sand is churned and before the sea stars have moved off.
First boats out. Starfish Island at its best and the sandbars unmarked.
The practical bit
The fee stack, and why the cheap tour is not
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.
Worked example. A hostel sells you the day at ₱1,300. At the wharf you pay the ₱150 environmental fee, a ₱5–50 terminal fee, then ₱50–100 at Starfish, ₱70–120 at Luli and ₱100–150 at Cowrie, then ₱150 for a mask and ₱150 for aqua shoes because the broken coral on Luli is genuinely sharp. You are at ₱1,975–2,070, which is more than the Klook listing that bundled all of it.
The 2026 per-island figures are the 2025-verified band and islands adjust them yearly, so treat them as a range rather than a quote. Keep the environmental fee receipt: it is valid about a year and also covers the Underground River, so do not pay it twice.
Draw cash in the city, and draw more than feels reasonable. Tours, tricycles, markets and most restaurants are cash. Foreign cards are charged about ₱250 per withdrawal at nearly every bank and per-transaction limits run ₱10,000–20,000. Airport machines empty at weekends and around the 15th and 30th. Sabang is effectively an ATM desert — arrive with the whole stay in your pocket. Always decline the machine's offer to charge you in your own currency.
The three ways worth booking
Local walk-up is ₱1,500–2,000 for the same cooperative boat, so judge every platform price against that number. What the platforms actually sell you is the fee bundle and a cancellation policy.
When it gets cancelled
Honda Bay is comparatively sheltered and runs in the wet season more often than travellers expect. What stops it is wind rather than rain.
November to May is the dependable half of the year, and January to April is the most reliable stretch inside it. June to October brings chop, occasional cancellations and less sandbar time, because Luli is a tidal sandbar and rough water shortens the window it is above water at all. The wet-season page has the month-by-month numbers.
Wet season here does not cancel the cave — it cancels the boat. Rain falls as short afternoon downpours from June to October and mornings are often clear; the Underground River runs on most rainy days. What stops it is the sea. Boats have to nose onto an open beach through South China Sea surf, and the Coast Guard suspends the crossing when the swell is up — clustered June to September. If the river is on your list in those months, keep a spare day.
If your Honda Bay day gets blown out, the swap is the city tour in the afternoon and the fireflies that evening — both run in weather that stops boats.
Honda Bay questions, answered
Is Honda Bay worth it?
It depends entirely on the rest of your trip. Honda Bay holds 4.0/5 across 2,040 TripAdvisor reviews, the lowest of any headline attraction here, but Klook's joiner has 20,000+ bookings at 4.6★ because families genuinely love it. Go if you have kids, a cruise day, or no other island hopping planned. Skip it if El Nido or Coron is booked.
How much is a Honda Bay tour in 2026?
₱1,500–2,000 (~$26–34) for a joiner with transfers, boat and buffet. Klook lists it at $32.09–32.49 with island fees included, GetYourGuide from $37, and a Viator private boat at about $112 per person. Local agencies quote ₱1,300–1,800 but add ₱50–150 per island on top.
Can you hold the starfish at Starfish Island?
No. The rule briefed on most boats is to keep them in the water, never lift one out for a photograph and never touch the underside, where the tube feet are. Lifting them out for photos is what emptied the landing area, and density is now best in the 2 months of February and March, the mating season.
How many islands are on a Honda Bay tour?
Three: Starfish, Luli and Cowrie, with Pambato Reef swapped in as the snorkelling stop on some routes. Any guide promising 4, 5 or 7 islands is quoting a decade-old itinerary — Snake Island and Isla Pandan are out of the standard rotation.
Is the snorkelling in Honda Bay any good?
Not really. Pambato Reef is a roofed pontoon over a protected coral patch with a 20–30 minute guided loop, and it is the best coral in the bay, which is faint praise. The 2,040-review corpus repeatedly flags poor visibility and limited marine life. Port Barton's Twin Reef is materially better.
How far is Honda Bay from Puerto Princesa?
Sta. Lourdes wharf is about 12 km north-east of the city, 30 to 45 minutes by road. A multicab from San Jose costs ₱25–50 and takes 40–50 minutes; a chartered tricycle is ₱300–500 one way, or ₱500 from the airport.
Is Honda Bay good for non-swimmers and small children?
Yes, and this is its strongest argument. Every stop is a shallow sandbar you can stand in, life vests are provided on all boats, and there is zero physical demand in the whole 7–8 hour day. Cowrie has a restaurant, toilets and massage huts at ₱350–500 an hour.
Do you need to book Honda Bay in advance?
Rarely more than a day. Unlike the Underground River there is no permit and no cap, so a hotel front desk can put you on a boat for the next morning. Book a few days ahead only over Holy Week, Christmas and on cruise-call dates, when the cooperative's 6-person boats are all spoken for.