The Balabac Islands

Balabac is the last group of islands before the Philippines runs out, at the southern tip of Palawan, and it holds beaches and sandbars that people describe in the same terms they use for the Maldives - white sand, water so shallow and clear the boats appear to float above nothing. Onuk is the best known, a small private-managed island with a stilt house over the shallows and strictly limited visitor numbers. Punta Sebaring on Bugsuk is a long spit of sand, and Candaraman, Patonggong and Mansalangan sandbar fill out the standard multi-day boat circuit. Almost nothing is developed. The reason it stays that way is the effort involved in getting there.

What you actually see

• Onuk Island - the small managed island with a stilt house over shallow water, with capped numbers.
• Punta Sebaring - a long sand spit on Bugsuk with shallow clear water either side.
• The sandbars - bars that appear and vanish with the tide across the group.
• The crossing itself - hours of open water between low green islands and reef.

When to go

March to May is the calmest window and the only one most operators run reliably. The crossing from Rio Tuba is exposed and is cancelled whenever the sea is up, which can strand you either side for days. Onuk requires arrangement in advance because daily numbers are limited. Build spare days into any itinerary that includes Balabac.

Honest expectations

This is genuinely difficult travel. The drive to Rio Tuba is long and rough, the crossing is hours in an open boat, and both are frequently cancelled. Accommodation is homestay level, power is generator hours only, phone signal is patchy to absent and there is no proper medical facility. Charters are expensive and usually only make sense split across a group.

Nearby

Brooke's Point and the southern Palawan coast are passed on the way down.