Palawan · Month comparison
December vs November
December ranks #1 overall vs November at #2. Peak season builds through December — excellent dry conditions, Christmas atmosphere, and prices rising sharply.
December
#1 of 12 months
Best match
Peak season builds through December — excellent dry conditions, Christmas atmosphere, and prices rising sharply.
- ↑December is reliably dry at 42mm and sunny — boat tours operate every day and the water is returning to its peak-season clarity; excellent conditions
- ↑Christmas and New Year create a genuinely festive atmosphere in El Nido town — Filipino hospitality at its most celebratory; the island is worth experiencing in the festive season
November
#2 of 12 months
Best match
The dry season returns — boat tours resume fully, conditions improve rapidly, and prices rise with them.
- ↑El Nido island-hopping tours are fully back in operation — November is when the defining Palawan experience becomes reliably available again after five months of disruption
- ↑Rainfall drops to just 50mm and sunshine returns to 7.2 hours daily — conditions approach the quality of the peak dry season without the peak-season prices or crowds
| Factor | December | November |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 9 | 8 |
| Value score | 3 | 5 |
| Crowd score | 3 | 5 |
| Events score | 6 | 4 |
| Atmosphere | 8 | 7 |
| Avg high temp | 29°C | 30°C |
| Monthly rain | 42mm | 50mm |
| Daily sunshine | 7.8hrs | 7.2hrs |
December trade-offs
- ↓Prices jump sharply from the second week of December — Christmas and New Year week are the most expensive period of the year in some properties, comparable to January
- ↓The week between Christmas and New Year brings maximum crowd pressure: boats are full, Nacpan Beach is packed, and El Nido town is at its busiest
- ↓Pre-Christmas week (December 22–25) and New Year's Eve can feel chaotic rather than festive if you are unprepared for Filipino Christmas scale
November trade-offs
- ↓Prices are rising quickly as the dry season establishes itself — November is no longer a budget month, particularly in the second half
- ↓Early November can still see some residual typhoon weather; the season officially ends in November but tail events do occur
- ↓The rush of bookings from travellers who waited out the monsoon means popular resorts fill faster than in October
Scores compare months within Palawan. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →