Iwahig Prison & Penal Farm

Puerto Princesa

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About 15km from Puerto, this penal colony invites visitors to drop in and mingle with the prisoners. In the gymnasium of the central compound, inmates sell souvenirs and perform flamboyant dance routines for tour groups; these are definitely worth seeing if you can time it right. From the central compound, make your way 3km through agricultural fields to pleasant Balasahan Natural Pools, a swimming hole fed by a small waterfall.

Prisoners wear differently coloured T-shirts depending on whether they are minimum-, medium- or maximum-security inmates. The prison entrance is just off the National Hwy; register here and proceed about 3km to the central compound. You'll need private transport to get here (tricycle about P700 round trip from Puerto).

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • World War II Museum

    World War II Museum

    7.37 MILES

    Just east of the centre, this is an interesting, privately owned museum set up by Eugenio Mendoza, whose father was a member of the Fighting 1000, a group…

  • Estrella Falls

    Estrella Falls

    29.12 MILES

    These actually consist of some 64 falls along the Estrella River, which is fed by Mt Victoria. The lowest falls are easy to reach – they are in Estrella…

  • Plaza Cuartel

    Plaza Cuartel

    4.89 MILES

    Behind the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral (c 1872), this restored WWII garrison is the site of an open-air war museum and shrine to American prisoners of…

  • Environmental Enforcement Museum

    Environmental Enforcement Museum

    6.73 MILES

    In the Pasyar Travel & Tours complex, this is a worthy and important museum that displays confiscated chainsaws, boats, dynamite and (sometimes) animals…

  • Nagtabon Beach

    Nagtabon Beach

    13.12 MILES

    This beach, on the northern side of the isthmus, has several hundred metres of white sand and shallow water good for swimming. Jeepneys from San Jose…

  • Palawan Museum

    Palawan Museum

    5.36 MILES

    Housed in the old City Hall building adjacent to Mendoza Park, this newly modernised museum has two floors of exhibits about the ethnological and…

View more attractions

Nearby Puerto Princesa attractions

2. Plaza Cuartel

4.89 MILES

Behind the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral (c 1872), this restored WWII garrison is the site of an open-air war museum and shrine to American prisoners of…

3. Palawan Museum

5.36 MILES

Housed in the old City Hall building adjacent to Mendoza Park, this newly modernised museum has two floors of exhibits about the ethnological and…

4. Palawan Heritage Center

5.83 MILES

This museum has touch-screen videos and a hologram that outline Palawan’s history and explain contemporary economic and environmental challenges. There's…

6. Environmental Enforcement Museum

6.73 MILES

In the Pasyar Travel & Tours complex, this is a worthy and important museum that displays confiscated chainsaws, boats, dynamite and (sometimes) animals…

7. World War II Museum

7.37 MILES

Just east of the centre, this is an interesting, privately owned museum set up by Eugenio Mendoza, whose father was a member of the Fighting 1000, a group…

8. Nagtabon Beach

13.12 MILES

This beach, on the northern side of the isthmus, has several hundred metres of white sand and shallow water good for swimming. Jeepneys from San Jose…

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