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Puerto Princesa, Palawan

As a biogeographically distinct island separate from the rest of the Philippines, Palawan has an overwhelming 27 island endemics, meaning that a trip to Puerto Princesa can net you more than 10% of all Philippine endemics (including endemic that can be found elsewhere in the Philippines). As the premier birding location in the Philippines, Puerto Princesa has quite developed birding infrastructure, with numerous experienced local guides and bird hides in various locations. This makes it incredibly easy to see not just the Palawan endemics but also the other great birds that Puerto Princesa is home to.
The #1 go-to spot in Puerto Princesa is the Birdwing hide, which is just under an hour from the city and has the OBJECTIVELY best peacock-pheasant in the world, the Palawan Peacock-Pheasant. This species used to be extremely difficult to find after the individuals in the “easy” spots for it were wiped out by typhoons. Now, however, sightings are very reliable, which is very fortunate as this is one of the very best birds in the world! Other than the PPP, the hide and the surrounding areas also host many of the target birds, including the Palawan Hornbill, Lovely Sunbird, Yellow-throated Leafbird, Blue-headed Racquet-tail, Palawan Babbler, and Falcated Wren-Babbler. Although the hide is quite expensive (especially for foreigners), you could spend an entire day here just enjoying the very best of Palawan birding.

Closer to the city, Irawan Eco Park holds hides that focus on birds that can’t be found at the Birdwing hide. Despite not having any endemics, the kingfisher hide is quite popular among guests, as it lets them get close-up shots of the Rufous-backed Kingfisher, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, and Stork-billed Kingfisher. The other hides also have a mix of Palawan and Philippine endemics, including the Philippine Pitta, Palawan Flycatcher, White-vented Shama, and Pale Spiderhunter. The surrounding areas are also quite good for the Red-headed Flameback, one of the top targets in Puerto Princesa. A single Malayan Night-Heron also frequents Irawan, making it the only place to reliably see this species in the Philippines.

Within the city itself, a spot fondly known as Randy’s Garden, named after the guide who set up the place, offers guests fantastic views of Blue Paradise-Flycatchers, Palawan Sunbirds, Copper-throated Sunbirds, and Palawan Blue-Flycatchers. When I first started birding, Puerto Princesa was the first place outside of Luzon that I visited, and this “hide” was simply Randy’s backyard at the time. It’s nice to see how it’s developed into a full-fledged hide that hundreds of guests have now visited and connected with some of Palawan’s special birds.
Aside from the hides, there are numerous other species scattered throughout Puerto Princesa, including all of the owls (Palawan Scops-Owl, Palawan Frogmouth, Mantanani Scops-Owl, and Spotted Wood-Owl) and non-endemics that are difficult to find elsewhere.
If you only have a few days in the country, Palawan is definitely the place to go. Even if you have to take an extra flight, the ease of birding and infrastructure for birding will make the trip well worth it!