Nine days in Palawan: El Nido, Coron and two days in Manila

This route deliberately refuses the fourth island. Nine days is enough for two Palawan bases and the capital at both ends, and the day it saves on packing and checking in becomes an afternoon in a lagoon instead. The budget shown is a mid-range figure for the nine days on the ground, excluding international flights, and it flexes down easily on dorms and carinderia meals.

The two bookings that matter are the domestic flights, three or four weeks ahead, and the El Nido to Coron crossing. Leave the boat tours themselves until the evening before: wind, swell or a coast-guard suspension decides more about your day than any advance payment does, and the buffer on day eight exists precisely so one cancellation does not cost you the trip.