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Puerto Princesa to El Nido by bus or van
Puerto Princesa to El Nido
Go by road, because no flight links the two. Cherry Bus leaves Puerto Princesa at 07:00, 09:00, 11:00 and 21:30, with pickup at the airport, city hotels or the Irawan terminal an hour before. Shared vans run from early morning into the afternoon. Either way it takes about five to six hours.
Puerto Princesa to El Nido travel time and terminals
| Usual way | Bus or shared van |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 5–6 hours |
| Where it departs | Airport, hotel pickup or Irawan terminal |
| Where it arrives | Corong-Corong, El Nido |
- Puerto Princesa
- Bus 5–6 h
- Corong-Corong terminal
- Tricycle About 10 min
- El Nido town
Puerto Princesa airport pickup and Irawan terminal
Puerto Princesa's bus and van terminal is no longer in San Jose. The city moved its land transport terminal to Barangay Irawan in January 2023, and many guides still send people to the old one.
You may not need to go to Irawan at all. Cherry Bus sells three boarding points in its own booking system: PPS Airport, PPC Hotel (pickup from a hotel in the city) and Irawan. Pickup is an hour before the bus leaves, so the 07:00 bus collects you at 06:00 and the 21:30 bus at 20:30.
The vans sold online work the same way. Their listings start either at Puerto Princesa International Airport or with a hotel pickup in the city.
El Nido Corong-Corong terminal
Buses and vans finish at the terminal in Corong-Corong, which is outside El Nido town proper. From there it is about ten minutes by tricycle to the town.
The 21:30 Cherry Bus arrives around three in the morning. Unless your hotel has someone on the desk at that hour, the 11:00 bus is the easier arrival.
Budget for one more charge once you are there: El Nido's Eco-Tourism Development Fee. 2026 guides put it at ₱400 for visitors from outside Palawan, collected with your first island-hopping tour and valid for ten days, so keep the receipt for the next boat.
Cherry Bus classes: Economy, Regular and Lazy Boy
Cherry Bus runs three kinds of coach on this road. Economy has no air-conditioning. The 09:00 coach is air-conditioned: its booking system sells it as Regular, while its own schedule page lists it as Deluxe AC with a toilet, so ask when you book if the toilet matters. Lazy Boy has reclining seats and a toilet on board.
Compare two prices before you pay. For 7 October 2026, Cherry's own booking page asked ₱1,045 for Economy, ₱1,310 for Regular and ₱1,510 for Lazy Boy, while 12Go was selling the same three buses north for ₱905, ₱1,170 and ₱1,370.
Cherry Bus answers the phone on (048) 423 4137, 0921 643 2542 and 0963 152 2810, every day from 08:00 to 17:00.
El Nido to Puerto Princesa
Cherry Bus leaves El Nido at 07:00, 09:00, 11:00 and 21:00, and will drop you at Puerto Princesa airport, a city hotel or the Irawan terminal. Shared vans leave from 05:00 into the early evening. Allow five to six hours.
El Nido to Puerto Princesa travel time and drop-offs
| Usual way | Bus or shared van |
|---|---|
| Typical time | About 5–6 hours |
| Where it departs | El Nido |
| Where it arrives | Airport, city hotel or Irawan terminal |
El Nido bus and van pickup
Cherry Bus lists its El Nido boarding at the departure time itself, not an hour before as it does in Puerto Princesa. For a van, check on the ticket whether it collects you from your hotel or expects you at its office.
For 7 October 2026, Eulen Joy Express was selling vans back at 05:00, 07:30, 09:00, 10:30, 13:00, 15:30 and 17:30 from its booking office, with drop-off at the airport or a city hotel. Most other companies let you pick the time when you book.
El Nido to Puerto Princesa airport drop-off
Choose your drop-off when you book. Cherry Bus offers PPS Airport, PPC Hotel and Irawan on the day buses. The 21:00 night bus drops only at the airport and Irawan.
Irawan is well outside the city centre. If you are staying in Puerto Princesa, a drop at the airport or your hotel saves a second ride.
El Nido to Puerto Princesa before a flight
A flight out of Puerto Princesa on the day you leave El Nido is possible, with less margin than it looks. The timetable says five to six hours, the road has a food stop in the middle, and a van's hotel pickups come before any of it.
Take the earliest departure you can face. A 05:00 van or the 07:00 bus leaves an afternoon flight with real margin. Anything after 11:00 is for an evening flight or a night in Puerto Princesa.
Cherry Bus or shared van to El Nido
El Nido has an airport at Lio, but no flight connects it with Puerto Princesa. The journey is by road, up the length of the Palawan mainland. Cherry Bus gives the distance as about 260 km.
Two kinds of vehicle make the run. Cherry Bus is the only bus company that was on sale for the route for 7 October 2026. It runs four departures each way, and you book a numbered seat online. Shared vans are the rest: a dozen or so departures a day each way from several small companies, most of them sold with an airport or hotel pickup.
The van is a little quicker on the timetable, about five hours against Cherry's five to six. The bus has the toilet, on its Lazy Boy coaches, and a seat that is yours for the whole trip. Buses and vans both stop partway for food.
Cherry Bus Puerto Princesa to El Nido schedule 2026
Puerto Princesa to El Nido (Cherry Bus)
- 07:00 Economy, pickup 06:00
- 09:00 Regular (air-conditioned), pickup 08:00
- 11:00 Lazy Boy with toilet, pickup 10:00
- 21:30 Lazy Boy with toilet, pickup 20:30
El Nido to Puerto Princesa (Cherry Bus)
- 07:00 Economy
- 09:00 Regular (air-conditioned)
- 11:00 Lazy Boy with toilet
- 21:00 Lazy Boy with toilet
Cherry Bus publishes these as its daily trips, and its booking system was selling all eight for 30 September and 7 October 2026.
Shared vans from Puerto Princesa were on sale for 7 October from a dozen small companies. Eulen Joy Express sold fixed departures at 05:30, 07:30, 09:30, 10:30, 13:00, 15:30 and 17:30; most of the others sell a seat and let you choose the time.
Puerto Princesa to El Nido bus and van fare
Cherry Bus's own booking page, for 7 October 2026:
On 12Go for the same date the three buses north were ₱905, ₱1,170 and ₱1,370, and south from El Nido ₱820, ₱1,070 and ₱1,370. The week before, Cherry's own page had Economy and Regular at ₱960, so its online fares are moving. Fare listings published in 2026 give lower prices bought at the terminal, about ₱650 for Economy and about ₱1,000 for Lazy Boy.
Shared vans sold online for 7 October ran from ₱820 a seat on Palajuanders and MLRJ to ₱1,015 on Lexxus Shuttle with a hotel pickup. Fare listings put a seat bought locally at about ₱600 to ₱700. Private vans for a group are sold too.
El Nido to Coron and El Nido airport flights
Coron. Boats for Coron leave from El Nido, so the road north often turns into a one-way trip through Palawan: fly into Puerto Princesa, ride up to El Nido, sail to Coron and fly out from Busuanga.
Flying out of El Nido. The El Nido flights that used to leave from Manila have used Clark since 29 March 2026, and have been sold under Cebu Pacific since AirSWIFT merged into Cebgo on 1 July 2026. If you are leaving the Philippines through Manila, check the airport before booking.
Puerto Princesa bus terminal: Irawan, not San Jose
Puerto Princesa's land transport terminal moved from Barangay San Jose to Barangay Irawan on 6 January 2023. Guides updated as recently as 2026 still name San Jose. Cherry Bus lists Irawan, not San Jose, as its terminal boarding point.
Puerto Princesa to El Nido: travellers' questions
How many hours is Puerto Princesa to El Nido?
About five to six hours. Shared vans are timetabled at around five hours and Cherry Bus at five to six, with a food stop on the way.
Are there flights from Puerto Princesa to El Nido?
No. No airline flies between the two, and the booking sites only offer connecting flights, which take far longer than the road. The bus or the van is the way to go.
How far is Puerto Princesa from El Nido?
About 260 km by road, which is the distance Cherry Bus gives for its route.
What time does Cherry Bus leave Puerto Princesa for El Nido?
07:00, 09:00, 11:00 and 21:30. The 11:00 and 21:30 buses are Lazy Boy coaches with a toilet. Pickup is an hour before, at the airport, a city hotel or the Irawan terminal.
How much is the van from Puerto Princesa to El Nido?
Online, ₱820 to about ₱1,000 a seat for 7 October 2026, depending on the company and the pickup; fare listings put a seat bought locally at about ₱600 to ₱700. Cherry Bus was ₱905 to ₱1,370 on 12Go and ₱1,045 to ₱1,510 on its own booking page for the same date.
How do I get to El Nido from Puerto Princesa airport?
Book a bus or van that picks up at the airport. Cherry Bus lists PPS Airport as a boarding point on all four departures, and most vans sold online start there too, so you do not need to go into the city or out to the terminal first.
Where is the pickup at Puerto Princesa airport?
Check your ticket, then call the company if it is not clear. The airport is listed as the pickup, but the vehicle may not wait at the terminal building itself.
In 2026 a Cherry Bus passenger described being collected at Mercado de San Miguel, near the airport, and a van passenger in July said the pickup was at a petrol station outside the airport area rather than where the ticket said. Cherry Bus on (048) 423 4137, or the number on your van ticket.
Where do the buses and vans to El Nido leave from in Puerto Princesa?
From the city's land transport terminal in Barangay Irawan, which replaced the old San Jose terminal in January 2023. Cherry Bus and most vans also pick up at the airport or at hotels, which saves the trip out to Irawan.
Is the Irawan terminal far from Puerto Princesa city?
It is outside the centre. If you are coming back from El Nido, ask to be dropped at the airport or your hotel instead.
A Cherry Bus passenger dropped at the terminal in June 2026 said the tricycle on from there cost ₱200 to ₱300, and an August 2026 guide put the tricycle from ₱250. Your hotel, which can tell you the fare to expect.
Do shared vans to El Nido leave on time?
Not reliably. If you have something booked on arrival, or a flight on the way back, take an earlier departure than you think you need.
Reviews of shared vans on this route from June to September 2026 describe departures one to two and a half hours late, passengers taken to an office to wait for others off delayed flights, and stops along the road to collect more passengers and parcels. The van company on the morning you travel, for the real departure time.