The archipelago of the Cuyo Islands is located north of the Sulu Sea, far out in the open sea of Palawan and yet still part of it. The archipelago is composed of about 40 islands and islets, most of which are uninhabited. It is know because of the internationally renowned Amanpulo Resort on the Island of Pamalican, one of the many in the Aman chain of hotels. The archipelago is divided into two island groups.

Up north is the Quiniluban group to which Pamalican Island belongs. The 89-hectare island houses the ultra-exclusive Amanpulo Resort. The marine environment around the island was declared a protected zone. Fishing and docking are prohibited. Pamalican has a superb beach, five-and-a-half kilometers long on the side where the resort is located. It is wilder and windier on the other side.


To the south are the Cuyo Islands, where the village of Cuyo is located, together with its Spanish fort constructed in 1677 to protect its population from Moro Pirates. It shelters a church, a convent and a chapel in its high stone walls.


In the Cuyo Islands, what is most surprising are the extraordinary colors of the coral reefs and the beaches, which are either in gold or dazzling white power sand. Here, the sea has all the possible hues of blue and green-azure, turquoise, beryl, aquamarine and emerald all mixed together in a fabulous palette of colors. Places endowed with such intensity of colors are rare. The coral reefs encircling the island are favorable for snorkeling.