Palawan in January and February: weather, Chinese New Year and crowds

Palawan in January and February: what to expect

January and February sit between the Christmas rush and Holy Week. The wet southwest monsoon is long gone, the northeast monsoon (amihan) blows cooler, drier air over the islands, and the rain drops month by month toward the driest weeks of the year in February and March. For island hopping, diving and snorkeling this is one of the most reliable times to come.

It is not a quiet season, though. Searches for El Nido and Coron peak in January, and an Asian Development Bank study counts January to May as Coron's peak season, so the shared tours run full and the best-located rooms book up. The New Year week and the days around Chinese New Year are the busiest, so if you want the best weather with fewer people, plan your trip around them and book early either way.

January weather in El Nido, Coron and Puerto Princesa

In El Nido, January is the coolest month of the year, with average highs of about 82 °F (28 °C) and nights of about 77 °F (25 °C). Many visitors find it the most comfortable time to be on a boat all day. The sea is about 82 °F (28 °C), warm enough for long snorkeling stops without a wetsuit. Rain averages about 3.5 in (90 mm) for the month, half of December's total, and usually falls as short showers rather than wet days. New Year's Day, January 1, is a regular holiday, and the first days of the month still belong to the holiday peak, with full boats and busy lagoons.

Coron is drier still. ERA5 reanalysis averages for 2015–2024 near Coron town give about 1.6 in (40 mm) of rain in January, with highs of about 84 °F (29 °C). Puerto Princesa is the exception: the city, on the east coast, averages about 6.5 in (165 mm) in January by the same data, while the west coast around Sabang and the Underground River is closer to El Nido, at about 3.5 in (90 mm). A wet morning in the city does not necessarily mean a wet day at the river.

February weather: the driest month

February is the driest month in El Nido, with only about 1.2 in (30 mm) of rain on average, and March is almost as dry. Highs edge up to about 84 °F (29 °C), and nights stay around 77 °F (25 °C). Coron averages only about 0.6 in (15 mm) of rain in February, and even Puerto Princesa city falls to about 3.5 in (90 mm).

The one surprise is the sea. At about 79 °F (26 °C), February has the coolest water of the year in El Nido, a few degrees below the 86 °F (30 °C) of the summer months. Most people still snorkel happily without a wetsuit, but a thin rash guard or shorty helps on a long day of stops, especially for children and for divers doing several dives. Visibility is generally good in the calm dry months, which makes February a strong choice for Coron island hopping and the lagoons of El Nido alike.

Amihan surges, gale warnings and canceled boats

The amihan is what still decides some boat days in January and February. It set in on October 27 in 2025, according to PAGASA, the national weather service, and PAGASA declared it over on March 23, 2026. When a surge strengthens it, PAGASA issues gale warnings for exposed seaboards, the Philippine Coast Guard stops small boats in the affected waters, and the tourism offices in El Nido and Coron suspend or reroute island tours. A surge can last for a day or for several, so watch the forecast.

In El Nido, the open-water Tour C is the route canceled most often, and operators may swap it for another route on the day; our El Nido island hopping guide explains the routes. The open crossing on the El Nido to Coron ferry can get rough in a surge, so book it with a spare day on either side, and never on the day of an international flight. Typhoons are very rare in these months, but buy travel insurance that covers weather disruption all the same.

Chinese New Year 2027: crowds and prices

Chinese New Year falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027. Proclamation No. 1427, which sets the Philippine holidays for 2027, lists it as an additional special non-working day: government offices close, but tours, hotels and restaurants keep working. It is also a holiday across much of East Asia, which makes it one of the busier weeks of the dry season in El Nido and Coron.

Expect fuller flights, higher room rates and busier lagoons around that weekend. No public Chinese New Year events had been announced for El Nido, Coron or Puerto Princesa at the time of writing, in October 2026, so check closer to the date. The rest of February is calmer, and February 25, the EDSA anniversary, is a special working day in 2027, not a holiday.

What to book ahead for January and February

Book flights and accommodation as soon as your dates are fixed, especially for the New Year week and the days around Chinese New Year. Remember that the turboprop flights to El Nido and Busuanga no longer use Manila's NAIA: since March 29, 2026 they leave mainly from Clark and Cebu, so check which airport your connection uses. Over the holiday weeks, reserve the shared van from Puerto Princesa to El Nido in advance too.

On the water, reserve Tour A at least a day ahead, as the Big Lagoon works on fixed slots with visitor caps, and consider a private boat that leaves early. Book the El Nido to Coron ferry and any multi-day boat trip between the two well ahead. If you are a diver planning to stay on into the spring, January and February are also when to book a liveaboard for the Tubbataha Reefs, whose short season usually runs from mid-March to mid-June. Holy Week 2027 runs from March 21 to 28, so a trip that slips into late March meets the year's biggest crowds.

In Puerto Princesa, the Underground River needs a permit booked in advance, and the park works with a daily visitor cap, so book it together with your flights if you travel around the New Year or Chinese New Year. The dry months are also when tours from Sabang are least likely to be suspended for high waves, which makes January and February a good time to combine the river with a day in Honda Bay.

El Nido or Coron in January and February?

Both work well, and most first trips combine them. El Nido has more beaches, the famous lagoons and the surf season at Duli Beach north of town, which runs from about November to April. Coron is drier in these months on average and is the better base for wreck diving, where the calm dry season brings the best visibility. Our El Nido vs Coron comparison covers the trade-offs in detail.

Whichever you choose, put your boat days early in each stay so that a day lost to an amihan surge can be moved. If you arrive straight from a December trip, our Palawan in December guide explains the Christmas and New Year weeks, and the Palawan itineraries show how to split a week or two between the bases.