18 February 2011

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park: Underground River

The Underground River in Palawan has a captivating beauty that we Filipinos rarely see. It is located in the main island of Palawan. Going there is not as easy as it looks. First, you have to secure a permit from the local tourism authority in Puerto Princesa City. The permit costs around P50 per person. After getting your permit, you can now go to your destination… the Underground River.


It will take you more or less 2 hours to travel from Puerto Princesa City to Sabang Beach. On your way there, you’ll pass by the Vietnamese Village. If you’re a keen observer, you’ll notice the red clay soil, the rocky mountains, the sharp road curves and some unpaved road (politics?).

Stopping by to take pitures. This mountain is an extension of the underground river. The river streches more than 8km, but you can only go up to more than 1km.
After a long drive, it’s nice to finally see the sand and beach. But you can’t go swimming just yet because you have to present your permit and hire a boat to get to your destination. BE PATIENT, IT MAY TAKE A WHILE. Boats are numbered and tourists have to line up and wait to board.  It would take about 15 to 30 minutes by boat to get to the other side of the mountain (the one that you passed by on your way to Sabang).

Boarding at Sabang Beach
The other side of the mountain...
to the underground river!
Such a relief to see the white sand beach again! Welcome to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park! To get to the entrance of the cave, you have to walk a few meters; it would take about 10 minutes to get there if you walk slowly J As you walk, you’ll notice the monkeys playing around and if you’re lucky you’ll get to see the huge monitor lizard lurking around the area.














Going to the entrance of the river


Before entering the Underground River, you should register first in the information booth. The boats here are also numbered, which means you have to wait for your boat to be called. Note that the boat is an 8-seater boat, excluding the tour guide, so you have to fill all 8 seats before you can go in (Side story: There were six of us, so we need to more people to fill the boat, a couple gladly hopped in and joined us. The girl looks like a Filipina and the guy she’s with is Caucasian. The tour guide mostly spoke in tagalog, believing that were all Filipinos, except for the Caucasian man of course... When we got off the boat, she complained that she didn’t understand a thing the guide said because she’s Indonesian. She’s so disappointed!) Again, BE PATIENT, IT MAY TAKE A WHILE if there are many tourist… which is probably almost everyday. Only a few boats are allowed inside due to safety reasons.

Entrance of the underground river

It’s your turn to tour the Underground River! You have to wear your life vest and hard hat as you go in.  If you want to be the one holding the light, you should seat in front and remember to listen carefully to the tour guide. Remember: There are loads of stuff inside the cave (I’m not talking about the stone formations), so be prepared!

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