Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
Philippines · Palawan · 2 m
Description
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the middle of the Sulu Sea, reachable only by liveaboard dive boat on a roughly ten-hour crossing from Puerto Princesa. The uninhabited North and South Atolls hold sheer coral walls dropping over a hundred meters, home to more than 600 fish species and roughly half of all known coral species worldwide. Divers come for hammerhead sharks at Jessie Beazley Reef, manta rays, whale sharks, hawksbill and green turtles, and the seabird colonies of Bird Islet. A small ranger station on the North Atoll is the park's only structure. Strict weather and permit limits keep the park open for about three months a year, from mid-March to mid-June, closed the rest of the year to typhoon swells and reef recovery.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 5 to 9 days (optimal 6 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – May
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- North Atoll Wall Dives
- Amos Rock (Southwest Rock)
- Hammerhead Sharks at Jessie Beazley Reef
- South Atoll & The Lighthouse
- Tubbataha Ranger Station
- Bird Islet Seabird Colonies
- Manta Ray Encounters
- Whale Shark & Tiger Shark Sightings
- Hawksbill & Green Sea Turtles
- Sheer 100-Metre Wall Drop-Offs
- Coral Biodiversity (360+ species)
- Liveaboard Diving Season (March - June)