A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Puerto Princesa vs. Royal Chitwan National Park for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Puerto Princesa or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Puerto Princesa and Royal Chitwan National Park can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Puerto Princesa or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Puerto Princesa

The island of Palawan is known the Philippines' last frontier and its capital, Puerto Princesa, is considered the greenest city in the Philippines. With plenty of land that has yet to be explored and inundated with tourists, Puerto Princesa, also known as "The City of the Living God," is a nature buff's dream. Whether you want to swim with starfish, walk among the mangrove treetops, or visit the world's largest saltwater crocodile at the Palawan Nature Conservation Center, Puerto Princesa and its surrounding area offers plenty of opportunities to get into the great wide open.

Royal Chitwan National Park

The majestic elephant, the silly monkey and dozens of soaring birds call the Royal Chitwan National Park home. At the foot of the Himalayas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 932 square kilometers of animal and plant life preservation in Nepal.

Once the favorite hunting ground for Nepal's ruling class, the area began seeing the endangerment of all the area animals. So in 1957, Nepal passed its first conservation law to protect the rhinos and their habitat. At the end of the 1960s, however, DDT had cleared 70% of Royal Chitwan National Park jungles, thousands of people had created moved in on the land and only 95 rhinos were left. By 1977 the park was under complete protection, enlarged to the present-day size and is one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.

This park, also known as "the heart of the jungle," provides over 70,000 annual visitors with opportunities to get close and personal with animals they've only seen in movies. Fair warning, however, the weather is quite hot and humid for most of the year.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Philippines, The Best 2-Week Tours in Philippines, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Pokhara, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Nepal.


Which place is cheaper, Royal Chitwan National Park or Puerto Princesa?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

  • Puerto Princesa Prices
    Philippines Prices
    Royal Chitwan National Park Prices
    Nepal Prices
  • Average Daily Cost Per person, per day
    Puerto Princesa $86
    Royal Chitwan National Park $40

The average daily cost (per person) in Puerto Princesa is $86, while the average daily cost in Royal Chitwan National Park is $40. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Puerto Princesa and Royal Chitwan National Park in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Puerto Princesa $24
    Royal Chitwan National Park $11
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Puerto Princesa $48
    Royal Chitwan National Park $22
Compare Hotels in Puerto Princesa and Royal Chitwan National Park

Looking for a hotel in Puerto Princesa or Royal Chitwan National Park? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Puerto Princesa


Hotels in Royal Chitwan National Park


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Puerto Princesa Hotel Prices and Royal Chitwan National Park Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Puerto Princesa $51
    Royal Chitwan National Park $21

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Princesa

Also for Puerto Princesa, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Transfer to/from Puerto Princesa and El Nido: $17
  • Transfer between Puerto Princesa and El Nido: $18
  • Shared Transfer Puerto Princesa/Port Barton: $17
  • Puerto Princesa:El Nido – Shared Van Transfer: $14
  • Van Transfers to/from Sabang or Astoria: $116
  • Transfers to/from Port Barton: $14
  • Shared Airport Transfers to/from hotel: $7.11
  • Relaxing Massage with optional transfers: $23
  • Private Airport Transfers to/from hotel: $21
  • One-Way Transfer To/From El Nido: $16
  • Astoria Water Park Day Pass & Transfers: $232
  • Puerto Princesa City Van Transfers: $23

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Royal Chitwan National Park

Also for Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Chitwan to Kathmandu One Way Transfer by Private AC Car : $75

Is it cheaper to fly into Puerto Princesa or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Prices for flights to both Royal Chitwan National Park and Puerto Princesa change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Puerto Princesa $34
    Royal Chitwan National Park $15

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Puerto Princesa

For Puerto Princesa, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Firefly Watching Paddle Boat Tour & Dinner: $27
  • Jungle Firefly Watching Boat Tour & Dinner: $32
  • Firefly Watching Bay Cruise with Dinner: $34
  • Firefly Watching with Dinner: $39
  • Firefly Watching Tour with Dinner: $53
  • Seafood Lunch or Dinner with transfers: $59
  • Underground River with Dinner at Kalui: $80
  • Underground River and Firefly Watching with Dinner: $87
  • Balayong People's Park with Dinner and Show: $116

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Puerto Princesa $6.77
    Royal Chitwan National Park $9.09

Tours and Activities in Puerto Princesa

For Puerto Princesa, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • 2in1 City tour and museum with pick up at hotel or cruise port: $25
  • 3D2N El Nido Experience: $250
  • 5D4N Puerto Princesa & El Nido Experience: $299
  • City Tour of Puerto Princesa sightseeing excursion: $35
  • City tour of Puerto Princesa Palawan Philippines : $20
  • El Nido Day Tour: $80
  • From Honda Bay Island Hopping Full-Day Tour: $40
  • Full Day Excursion: UNESCO Underground River Tour: $48
  • Half Day City Joiners Tour | Puerto Princesa: $34
  • Half-Day City Tour from Puerto Princesa: $27
  • Half-Day City Tour | Puerto Princesa: $53
  • Half-day Puerto Princesa City Tour: $15

Tours and Activities in Royal Chitwan National Park

For Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • 1 Night 2 Days Chitwan Safari Tour: $118
  • 2 Nights 3 Days Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour : $154
  • 3 Nights 4 Days Comfortable Chitwan Safari Tour: $195
  • 3-Day Chitwan Jungle Safari from Kathmandu – All-Inclusive Tour: $250
  • Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour: $140
  • Experience the ride in Lowlands of Nepal: $62

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Puerto Princesa $14
    Royal Chitwan National Park $6.13


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Puerto Princesa and Royal Chitwan National Park, we can see that Puerto Princesa is more expensive. And not only is Royal Chitwan National Park much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Royal Chitwan National Park would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Royal Chitwan National Park and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Puerto Princesa would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Puerto Princesa than you might in Royal Chitwan National Park.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Puerto Princesa Expensive? and Is Royal Chitwan National Park Expensive?.