You haven’t been to Puerto Princesa if you haven’t seen one of Palawan’s bests. The Puerto Princesa Underground River has been regarded as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2012. The National Park is a protected area filled with rich biodiversity and beautiful rock formations.
I feel lucky to have seen its beauty. I appreciate nature trips and I consider this adventure as a milestone.
Tour Tip: The Underground River tour requires special permit from authorities. It’s best to avail tour packages from your hotel so they will coordinate with the government to arrange your tour. It saves time, energy and money.
It took us roughly one and a half hour to reach Sabang port. From the port, we rode a boat to transfer us to Sabang beach.
We sighted scenic mountain ranges and rock formations on our way to Sabang beach. We also spotted small pawikans (sea turtles) but I wasn’t able to snap a photo because of the waves. They told us waves get stronger in the afternoon so it’s best to have the tour in the morning.
Tour tip #2:Bring a waterproof bag to protect your stuff from water splash.
It took us five minutes to reach Sabang beach. The panoramic view of the rocks and the beach is splendid!
Sabang beach is a marine protected area so visitors are not allowed to swim here. Besides, the waves are strong and not safe for swimming. Aw.
Even though we can’t swim, we can at least appreciate the beautiful scenery.
The welcome sign to Underground River site. The River tour is done in groups. We were grouped into 10 people and waited in a queue until it was our turn. We had some spare time to take photos of the site while we waited.
Tour Tip #3: Be wary of your stuff including gadgets, caps, shades or anything that monkeys could snatch easily. Don’t bring plastics of any kind and never try to feed the monkeys. Monkeys are friendly creatures – they won’t hurt unless we bug them. Remember that the forest is their territory and we’re the visitors.
We spotted plenty of little fish in the river. I couldn’t tell what kind of fish they are. Visitors are not allowed to catch them nor feed them.
Visitors must wear hard hats during the tour to protect their heads from hitting the rocks or debris that could fall off.
One person from our group was chosen as the light holder. If you want to be seated in front of the boat then I suggest you volunteer as the light holder. Neither my friends nor I volunteered so we were seated at the second row.
It’s very dark inside and we barely see the surroundings. The light holder’s lamp was the only reliable light source we had excluding our camera flash. Flash photography is allowed as long as it doesn’t bug anyone in the group. Taking photos is a bit struggle with the limited light. I just went on taking shots hoping it wasn’t blurry or dark.
I don’t want to spoil your forthcoming Underground River visit so I won’t tell details of the tour. I will let you discover and see the wonders yourself when you get there. 🙂 But for a bit of enticement, here’s a sneak peek. No worries, this isn’t the best you’ll see inside.
The tour guides are friendly, informative and entertaining. They even whistle the song “My heart will go on” as if we’re on the Titanic movie.
I enjoyed every bit of the tour even if it was dark. I guess the best way to enjoy it is to listen to the tour guides and appreciate everything around. Plus, you have to have an attentive light holder. 😉
Read my other Palawan tour blog posts.
[…] as one of the seven wonders of the world, the Underground River is truly gifted with natural wonders. It’s amusing to see stalagmites and stalactites that […]