Palawan · Month comparison

November vs December

December ranks #1 overall vs November at #2. Peak season builds through December — excellent dry conditions, Christmas atmosphere, and prices rising sharply.

Palawan November — drone view of the Twin Peaks at El Nido as the dry season returns and boat tours resume

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
Palawan December — kayaking through turquoise water surrounded by limestone karst mountains at El Nido in peak season

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
FactorNovemberDecember
Weather score
8
9
Value score
5
3
Crowd score
5
3
Events score
4
6
Atmosphere
7
8
Avg high temp30°C29°C
Monthly rain50mm42mm
Daily sunshine7.2hrs7.8hrs

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

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
See all 12 months for Palawan →November in detail →December in detail →
Scores compare months within Palawan. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →