Palawan weather and the best time to visit

Palawan weather at a glance

Palawan is a long, narrow island between the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea, and it has a tropical climate with almost no winter. In El Nido, average highs range from 82 °F (28 °C) in January to 88 °F (31 °C) in April and May, and nights rarely drop much below 77 °F (25 °C).

The month table on this page shows averages for El Nido from the ERA5 climate reanalysis for 2015–2024. They describe a typical month, not a forecast. Coron and Puerto Princesa follow the same broad pattern of a dry first half of the year and a wet second half, but local detail varies: Puerto Princesa's city government describes a clear November–April dry season on its west coast, around the Underground River, and a shorter dry season on the east coast where the city itself lies.

Palawan weather month by month

December brings highs of about 84 °F (29 °C), a sea of about 84 °F (29 °C) and about 7 in (180 mm) of rain in El Nido, mostly in showers, and boats run on most days, with the odd choppy one when the amihan strengthens; the Christmas and New Year weeks are the busiest of the year. January is the coolest month, with highs of about 82 °F (28 °C) and about 3.5 in (90 mm) of rain. February is the driest, at about 1.2 in (30 mm), with the coolest sea of the year at about 79 °F (26 °C). In both months nearly every boat tour goes ahead, though an amihan surge can still stop the open crossing to Coron for a day; see our guide to Palawan in January and February.

March is almost as dry as February, at about 1.4 in (35 mm), and April, at about 2 in (50 mm), is the last fully dry month. Highs climb to 86–88 °F (30–31 °C) and the sea warms to 81–82 °F (27–28 °C), which makes these the calmest months for island hopping and for multi-day boat trips, with Holy Week as the crowded exception. May is as hot as April, at about 88 °F (31 °C), with a sea of 86 °F (30 °C) and about 6.7 in (170 mm) of rain as afternoon storms return, but most tours still run.

June to October is the habagat season: highs of 84–86 °F (29–30 °C), a sea of about 86 °F (30 °C) and about 11–15 in (290–370 mm) of rain a month, with July and September the wettest and October still at about 13.6 in (345 mm). Boat days are lost more often, especially on El Nido's exposed routes and the ferry, so plan spare days. November is the switch back, with highs of about 84 °F (29 °C), a sea of about 84 °F (29 °C) and about 6.9 in (175 mm) of rain; the amihan usually sets in between late October and late November, and a late-season typhoon is still possible.

These figures are for El Nido. Coron is a little drier from December to April, while Puerto Princesa city, on the east coast, stays wetter into January; the Coron guide and the Puerto Princesa guide give their own figures.

Dry season and the amihan months

From roughly December to February the amihan, the northeast monsoon, blows steady, drier air over the Philippines, and by January the rain is falling away. February and March are the driest months, with only about 1.2–1.4 in (30–35 mm) of rain on average in El Nido, and April is still dry at about 2 in (50 mm). This is when the lagoons are at their clearest and almost every boat day goes ahead.

January is a little wetter, at around 3.5 in (90 mm), and is also the coolest month, which many visitors find the most comfortable. A strong amihan surge can still bring choppy water and the odd suspended crossing, so do not schedule the El Nido to Coron ferry for the day before an international flight. April and May are the hottest months; May is a transition, with about 6.7 in (170 mm) of rain as afternoon storms start to build.

Wet season: the habagat from June to October

From June the habagat, the southwest monsoon, brings moist air from the South China Sea, and the rain jumps to about 11–15 in (290–370 mm) a month in El Nido, with July and September usually the wettest. It rarely rains all day every day: a typical pattern is heavy showers or a gray, squally spell lasting a few days, then a run of brighter weather. The sea is at its warmest, around 86 °F (30 °C).

The bigger problem is the wind. The habagat blows from the southwest across the South China Sea, which El Nido and the open crossing to Coron face directly, so some island-hopping days are shortened, rerouted or canceled. November and December are in between, with about 7 in (175–180 mm) a month, as the monsoon switches round. Lower prices and thinner crowds suit flexible travelers.

Typhoons: what the risk really is

Palawan lies west of the main typhoon track, which usually crosses Luzon and the Visayas, and the Puerto Princesa city government describes the city as outside the typhoon belt. That makes storms less frequent here, not impossible. Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) made its last Philippine landfall near Busuanga in November 2013, badly damaging Coron; Typhoon Rai (Odette) made its final landfall at Roxas, between Puerto Princesa and El Nido, in December 2021; and Typhoon Kalmaegi (Tino) made landfall in El Nido in November 2025, when the coast guard suspended all sea travel across Palawan.

Those recent hits came late in the year, but storms passing farther north from about July to October also strengthen the habagat and stir up the sea for days. If you travel between June and December, buy insurance that covers weather disruption, keep a buffer day before your flight home, and follow PAGASA, the national weather service, whose tropical cyclone wind signals decide whether boats may sail. Our Palawan typhoon season guide explains the signals and what to do if a storm is forecast, and our safety and entry guide covers the rest of your preparation.

Sea conditions and boat tour cancellations

Almost everything in Palawan depends on boats, so the sea matters more than the rain. When PAGASA issues a gale warning or a wind signal for an area, the Philippine Coast Guard suspends small boats, and in El Nido and Coron the local tourism offices also stop island tours. In practice operators may switch you to a more sheltered route, change the order of the stops, or cancel and refund on the morning itself.

Plan for it: book El Nido island hopping tours and Coron tours early in your stay so a canceled day can be moved, and ask how the operator handles weather refunds before you pay. Visibility for snorkeling and wreck diving in Coron is usually best in the calm dry months and drops after heavy rain.

Peak season, Christmas and Holy Week

The dry months are also the busy ones. From about December to May, and especially over Christmas and New Year, rooms in El Nido and Coron sell out, popular tours run full, and the Big Lagoon and Kayangan Lake have queues in the middle of the day. El Nido alone recorded more than half a million visitors in 2023, according to the Philippine Information Agency. Book flights, ferries and accommodation well ahead for these weeks; our guide to Palawan at Christmas and New Year covers December's weather, prices and the 2026 holiday dates.

The busiest single week is Holy Week, the week before Easter (March 21–28 in 2027), when Filipino families travel and the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday holidays close offices nationwide. Prices peak, vans and ferries fill, and beaches such as Nacpan are at their liveliest. If you can, come in January, February or late April instead.

Best time to visit Palawan

For the most reliable sunshine and calm seas, the best time to visit Palawan is January to April, with February and March the driest months; avoid Holy Week if you want lower prices. November, December and May are good shoulder months with more showers. June to October is the low season: warm, green and cheaper, but with more rain, rougher water and a real chance of losing boat days.

The same calendar works for El Nido, Coron and Puerto Princesa, and for the multi-day boat expeditions between El Nido and Coron, which need a calm sea most of all. Whatever the month, leave one or two flexible days in your plan; our Palawan itineraries show how to build them in.