--- title: This Is the Best Island in the World description: The province is lined with sugar-white sand beaches and hidden coves and filled with species unique to the region. authors: - name: Emily Weyrauch url: https://money.com/author/emily-weyrauch/ at_money_since: 2017 articles: 4 covers: - Lifestyle former_staff: true published: '2017-07-11T15:03:44.000Z' modified: '2024-04-17T06:15:07.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - Island - onetime - onetimetravel - Travel - vacation word_count: 207 canonical: https://money.com/palawan-philippines-best-island-world/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![An outrigger canoe hidden in a lagoon among the islands of El Nido, enabling tourists on board to take a bath in the turquoise waters of Palawan archipelago.](https://img.money.com/2017/07/gettyimages-166772650.jpg) *An outrigger canoe hidden in a lagoon among the islands of El Nido, enabling tourists on board to take a bath in the turquoise waters of Palawan archipelago.* For the second year in a row and the third time since 2013, Palawan, Philippines, has won the *Travel + Leisure* award for [best island in the world](http://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best/islands). The long narrow [Palawan island](https://time.com/4727960/13-places-bluest-water-in-world/item/palawan-the-philippines/), which is located on a province of 1,780 islands, is lined with sugar-white sand beaches and hidden coves, according to its [tourism website](http://www.gophilippinestravel.ph/palawan/). Palawan is filled with species unique to the region, with over 200 bird species and 600 butterfly species, according to the government's [website](http://web.archive.org/web/20090510045743/http://www.palawan.gov.ph/environment.php). It contains the world’s largest navigable underground river, flowing five miles under a limestone cave out to sea, which visitors can tour by canoe, [*Travel +* Leisure reports](http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-strangest-natural-wonders#luray-caverns). The sparsely populate island is also home to underwater shipwrecks and coral reefs filled with tropical fish that attract scuba diving or snorkeling visitors, according [*Travel + Leisure*](http://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best/islands#palawan). The abundant wildlife on land and sea, as well as crystal-clear waters give Palawan breathtaking sights, especially viewed from the tops of its lush mountains, [*Travel + Leisure* reports](http://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best/islands#hilton-head). For the magazine's annual survey, readers rated experiences across 86 categories on a secure website, and scores were averaged in order to determine the *Travel + Leisure* awards for 2017. 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