BalabacThe main island of Balabac, Palawan

The heart of the archipelago

Coastlines © OpenStreetMap contributors. For finding your way around, not for navigation.

Photos of Balabac

Taken on the island itself. Each one is credited to the person who took it.

Filmed by visitors and by people who live here. Tap one to watch it on this page. It plays from YouTube, so it uses data only when you tap.

Phone clips from YouTube Shorts, most under a minute.

A 2014 report on plans to restore Cape Melville and other historic lighthouses.

New photos and videos go up every week. These open in a new tab, searched for “Balabac Island Palawan”.

The town's floating villages, the market with its Malaysian goods, and the port
Cape Melville Lighthouse, a 27-metre granite tower first lit in 1892 and now a National Historical Landmark
Off-road trails and forest paths on the way south to the lighthouse

The lighthouse is about 2 to 2.5 hours from town by motorbike (habal-habal), on trails passable only in dry weather. Whether visitors can go in is unclear: one guide said it closed to the public in 2019, but visitors reached it in 2023. Check with the Coast Guard and the municipal tourism office first.
The runway at Catagupan, an EDCA site, and the naval station in town are military installations. Ask before taking photos near them.
Caution: Most of Balabac's crocodile sightings and attacks have been in the main island's marshes and rivers. Don't swim in murky or brackish water. Read the crocodile safety guide
Plan the trip itself with the getting-here guide and the safety guide.