Palawan is an unspoiled paradise located on the Philippines’ western border. Also known as the Philippines’ final frontier, Palawan is the country’s ecotourism capital and as such, is visited by millions of tourists, both foreign and domestic, year after year. Bestowed by nature with white sand beaches, virgin forests, coves, and improved on by the local government’s contribution of wonderful festivities and developed wildlife parks, there is a little bit of everything for every Palawan visitor. What takes the cake however is the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

Located in the quiet village of Sabang in Puerto Princesa, capital of Palawan, the Underground River is a must-see destination for every Palawan visitor. Considered to be the world’s longest, this subterranean river winds through 8.2 kilometers of astounding cavernous limestone formations before flowing directly into the South China Sea.

With its unique natural features and its importance to Palawan’s biodiversity and to ensure that it is preserved for future generations to enjoy, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park has been inscribed to UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) list of Natural World Heritage Sites.

Getting To Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

First Stop Puerto Princesa:

Local airline carriers from Manila and Cebu City arrive at the Puerto Princesa Airport daily. There are no direct international flights to Palawan. So if you’re a foreigner who wish to visit the Underground River, you have to go through either Manila or Cebu City. Local airline carriers Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines have regular flights going to Puerto Princesa.

Booking flights are now made easy as you can reserve a seat online. It is important to reconfirm booking a day prior to departure just to be sure. Fare ranges from P3,300 and up depending on the rates offered. The transportation from the Puerto Princesa airport to other destinations is through tricycle, jeepney or rarely taxis.

It is also possible to reach Puerto Princesa by boat as WG&A Superferry and Negros Navigation shipping lines have regular trips with stopovers in Coron. Boat trips from Puerto Princesa to Cuyo and Iloilo aboard M/V Milagrosa are also available. The ferry trip is about 22 hours long. Fare ranges from 1,100pesos up to 5,100 depending on the type of accommodation you choose.

You can check their respected websites for cheaper fares and online bookings.

Next Stop Sabang

Once you’re in Puerto Princesa, you need to go to San Jose Terminal, near the new market. Travelers get to the terminal by tricycle and usually they pay P30 per person but there is no set price. From there you can ride a jeepney that leaves at 7am and bus at 9am going to Sabang. The trip takes about three hours and it costs P125 for Filipinos and P200 for Foreigners.

But if you are traveling with your buddies or a group bigger than 10, I suggest you hire a van. Full day cost of a private van is P3,500. Van drivers can wait till the next day if you pay them an extra of P1,500 or you can negotiate with them. The hotel or guest house where you’ll stay can book for you also if you ask them in advance or if they offer transportation services.

The cheaper option is to hire a multicab, which costs about P16 to P20 per person from end to end.

Final Stop The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

Now that you’re in Sabang, you need to ride a Bangka (small motorized canoe) to get to the underground river. The smaller motorized canoe can accommodate 6 persons while the larger ones can accommodate 12.

There are Underground River Tours available, price ranges from 1,500 and up which includes prearranged bangka rides, lunch and other tour fees. But if you want to go on a tour without a package, you can hire a small bangka for P750 and P1350 for the larger canoes. This cost is shared by the passengers.

However, when the weather’s tough, small boats aren’t allowed to sail. Larger ones are permitted but they can only carry a few passengers.

If you enjoy walking, then you can save yourself the cost of Boat fare by taking the Monkey Trail. It is a 5.2 km trek one way which takes up about 2 hours and 30 minutes or less. It is a wonderful adventure because you’ll definitely see monkeys along the way. And not just that, squirrels, different birds and other rain forest flora can be seen too. It’s a little muddy during the wet season so you may want to think twice before taking this trail.

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

Actually going into the Underground River will entail another round of entrance fees;

Underground River Fees:

Foreigners P200
Filipino P150
Seniors P75
Age 18 to 20 P75
Age 13 to 17 P50
Age 6 to 12 P30

The underground river tour takes about 40-60 minutes depending on various factors, the disposition of the guide you get, the number of visitors there, and sometimes even the weather weighs in on this adventure. Just a quick heads up to those who have claustrophobia though, YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO IN THERE. Trust me, I know. I’ve always thought that I don’t have any phobia or whatever but just one hour inside the Underground River turned me into a raging claustrophobiac! At first I thought everything was pretty cool, but fifteen minutes into the cave, I had real difficulty breathing, and I felt like the walls were closing in on me. Classic claustrophobia right? Unfortunately I was with someone that day and I didn’t want to spoil the fun for both of us. How I managed to survive for another 30 minutes or so was beyond. One thing I do know for certain, I ain’t going back in there.

Minus my screaming claustrophobia, the underbelly of the underground river was really nice. There were limestone formations that you could interpret into whichever way you want depending on your imagination, the water was cold and light emerald green, and then there’s guano- bat turd. One can’t go into the Puerto Princessa Subterranean River and not say that the experience wasn’t an assault on one’s senses. Whether that experience is enjoyable is something for you to decide.

Places to Stay:

There are lots of affordable places to stay in Sabang if you’re on tight budget. But if you are the type who splurges on luxurious getaways, well, there are those types of places too. Some recommendations include:

Dab Dab Cottages and Restaurant – from P400 – 1500

Green Verdi Inn – from P600 – 1000

View of Taraw Vista Lodge and Restaurant – from P500 – 1500

Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort – from P4000 – 9000

Other Places to Visit:

There are lots of places to visit and things to do while you’re in Puerto Princesa.

- You can visit the Mangrove River Tour that costs only P150 for a 45-minute boat ride. Don’t forget to bring umbrella and some insect repellants. It is best to go sailing at early morning as it tends to get hot later in the day.
- For animal lovers, Dolphin watching for only P600 is something to think about.
- Honda Bay Island Hopping and Snorkeling for people who only have few days to spend in Puerto Princesa. The tour package costs P1100.
- For breakfast, go to Itoy’s Specialty Coffee House for a cup of Cappuccino for only P50 and Pork Adobo for P64.
- If you love International Cuisine, then dine at Chef Tan’s Kitchen for some Chinese food at reasonable prices.
- If you are a vegetarian then Ima’s Vegetarian serves fresh vegan dishes such as Tofu Burger for P60 and Ginger Tea for P20.
- And if you want some cool groove music at night while you eat, head up to Tom Tom club, owned by a Swiss guy, for some T-bone steak.

The best time to visit Palawan is during summer, from April to July, as storms and rains usually come around the second half of the year. So plan your vacation ahead of time as summer is fast approaching!

This is a reprint of an entry I made in my other blog, a site that I’m slowly cannibalizing. lol.

I learned a very important lesson about light in my recent Palawan trip. And it had something to do with some of my pictures showing up horrendously dark. I still don’t have a DSLR camera, something that bugs me until now, although I have something that’s pretty decent. But still it’s no excuse for taking pretty lousy pictures.
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El Nido is a pain in the butt. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you get there after 7 hours of pot-holed roads. Ok, to be fair, there are stretches of nicely paved roads, but you kinda take those things for granted considering the hefty chunk of money the government bites off of your payday. What should get every local tourist’s goat is that of all those pork barrel funds given every year, why not pave the roads properly, all of it? You kinda wonder whether this is a punishment to local tourists who take the more scenic route instead of patronize Asean Spirit (at around P12K roundtrip, who would?).

But there is a silver lining to all of this. And somehow I am torn between wanting a nicely paved road and keeping it as such, so that the place remains not-so-accessible thereby slowing the march of commercialization.

To those who have never been to El Nido, you need to go there– it’s PERFECT. And it’s not only for the rich. You just have to weather the 7-hour ride to get there (like I did). There are a lot of dirt-cheap pension houses if you’re in a tight budget. If you can gather enough number of travelmates, it becomes very affordable.

Pictures after the jump.

Oh well.. Pictures.

If these pictures won’t tempt you to save up and visit the place, nothing else will.

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Puerto Princesa City Tour
What can I say about the City Tour?  Well it’s pretty normal.  If you have time to kill, then might as well explore Puerto Princesa.  There’s the butterfly garden, the crocodile farm, the Mitra house, Bakers Hill.  Nothing really out of the extraordinary.

When I first visited Puerto Princesa, I took the city tour for one delicious purpose– Vietnamese food.  For those who don’t know this, Puerto Princesa was once the refugee camp for the boat people– as the Vietnamese, who took to the sea following troubles in their homeland, were known then.

I am a sucker for Vietnamese cuisine so I was under the impression that the city should still have a lot of Vietnamese influences in the gastronomical area.  Unfortunately all the little restos I went to in search of traces of Vietnamese food were a disappointment.  The French bread that I was served near the Vietnamese village was alright, but nothing worth jumping up and down about.  Pho Hoa can kick anyone’s ass there.

Honda Bay Tour
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The Honda Bay tour was/is fun.  Island hopping and snorkeling.  The beaches were normal but the depth is ideal for snorkeling.  One of the guides led us to where a school of Talakitok fish were just circling around.  I think each one of those fishes weighed at least 2 kilos and there were lots and lots of them.  They were like a twister full of fish.

I’m pretty confident of my snorkeling skills but seeing the purplish blue see of Honda Bay had me donning a life-jacket just to be sure.  It was crazy deep in some of the islands.  Just a couple of steps from the beach and you’re like jumping off a cliff.  Pretty incredible.

Underground River
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Now this river is a sight to behold.  When everything is fine, meaning the weather is holding up, no rains or typhoons in the horizon, the river is jade blue.  Really, really inviting.  A lot of folks have their pictures taken at the mouth of the underground cave because of this beautiful site.

The underground river is dark, too dark for my taste.  And very enclosed too, enclosed enough that my closet claustrophobia came roaring out of the surface.  I think the underground tour lasted at least 30 minutes with the guides showing the various sculptures and rock formations done by nature.

Honestly, I never really liked that underground river.  Sure it was awesome, but I was about to scream my claustrophobic head off.  So if you’re suffering from the same disorder, better skip this one and content yourself to just taking pictures from the outside.  Besides, there are a lot of monitor lizards outside (near the beach) to catch your attention.

City Food

Now this is worth talking about.  Alright, so the Vietnamese hunt was a tad disappointing.  However the rest of the restaurants offered sumptuous seafood cuisines at ridiculously low prices, relative to Manila of course.  Heading the restaurant group is Ka Lui’s.  I’m not sure what it is with eating barefooted that has people really enjoing their food.  Oh well.  Then there’s Lotus Garden– what can I say?

But my really good experience came from a more masa restaurant the name of which I unbelievably forgot.  But it’s near Paradise Pension/Hotel and it has two branches in the city.  The seafood is really fresh and very, very cheap that everytime we have a meal there, we order a feast!

Like I said, Puerto Princesa is good for starters, but when you want some really awesome eye candy, be prepared to have your butt whacked, for the budget traveller there’s no other way when you want to go to –  El Nido.
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Going to Amanpulo is not that difficult, because there’s only one way to go there, that is via a chartered plane. The plane ferries Amanpulo customers from Manila to the resort.

The Amanpulo Experience

I wish I’ve been to Amanpulo, but I haven’t. Not yet anyway. But from what reviews I’ve read of visitor’s Amanpulo experience, not 100% was thrilled. As the saying goes, you can’t please everybody. And even Amanpulo has it’s own set of detractors, mostly folks who felt that they should be treated a little better or have gotten something for the price they were paying. For that amount of money, I expect to be able to eat the sand of this resort.

The beach and the view however got 100%. Everyone was really impressed with the tropical paradise that it really is (at least from what picture I saw). I think the beach and the view should weight a lot more than whatever service or food that the resort offers. Any deficiency that the resort may have should be 110% compensated by that heavenly beach.

I do not pity those who had terrible experience with the service or the food, rather I envy these folks, at least they’ve stared at paradise straight in the face, walked on it, bathed in it. That should be worth crowing about.
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June 2009 Nursing Board Exam Results