Palawan Day 2: Puerto Princesa Underground River Tour

My 2nd day in Palawan was a lot better. Waking up with excitement and full of energy after recovering from sickness. A good night sleep at Color Mansion helped and of course w/ my best nurse :).

Note: Room good for two at Color Mansion is 1500Php per night. It's quite big. It has a sala and a CR. It's airconditioned with cable TV.  

At 07:30 in the morning we left Color Mansion. The van had to fetch the "joiners" in the group, who were two Malaysians. We dropped by at a fastfood chain to buy food for our breakfast. We just had our breakfast inside the Van in order not to delay our trip. We were excited, you know!=)

We had a stop over in  the middle of the trip to stretch our muscles and to pee. And if you want to buy souvenir items you could find a store selling those.

Another stop over somewhere ( I forgot the place) where there is a viewing deck showing the Honda Bay. We spent just a few minutes there for a photo ops. There is a donation box to fund its maintenance. 

When we passed by at this picturesque view, we requested our tourist guide to make a short stop so that we could have a clearer view and do the picture-taking. This is another cave in Palawan that has not been open for tourists since exploration is still on going. Soon, it will be another tourist spot in Palawan.

Around 10:30am, we've reached Sabang Port. However, we were advised to be back by 11:00am. Our tourist guide Sonny decided to take us at Sabang Beach for an early lunch while waiting for our schedule going to the Underground River entry point. 

Sabang Beach has a tempting white sand beach and a clear blue water. As far as we want to go swimming, we couldn't. Swimming there is no longer allowed after one diver died when hit by the big waves, became unconscious and then drowned. It's dangerous to go swimming due to big waves since it's an open sea, facing the China Sea. Immediately after we're done with the photo ops, the buffet was ready for attack. Menu for lunch: grilled pork belly, grilled tuna, lechon manok, and ginisang kangkong w/ some dessert and fruits. Almost everything had a sweet taste. I did not enjoy the meal because I was suffering from tonsillitis that time. Obviously, people in Palawan loves sweet-tasting foods. Are they also sweet? Definitely maybe!:) 

Enough for the eating. We went back to Sabang Port for our 11:00am schedule off to Puerto Princesa Underground River. The sea was not cooperating. The tourist guide from LGU decided to have 5 persons per motorized boats because of the unpleasant movement of the sea but since we were 9 in the group we had to utilize 2 motorized boat. Me and my girlfriend "Gold" were separated from the group.

We were very silent in the whole 15-minute ride because it was bumpy and we were with the Malaysians (baka mag-nose bleed kami eh!hehe). I was busy covering my camera from the waves. phew! 

But, it was worth it! Seeing at the end of the ride a stunning view of the beach and rock  formations. What a relief! =)

We had to register in a booth before heading off to the starting point. There were numerous tourists that day. They would only accommodate 600 tourists a day that is why you have to have a permit before you can go there. This is to control the number of tourists going. We had no problem securing permits because we just paid Php 1,500/pax to a travel agency. Php 1,500.00 inclusive of transportation (V-Hire) from Puerto Princesa to Sabang Port and vice versa. The lunch and boat transfer were also included.

We were #53 in the queue and still serving #47 so we just used the time taking pictures. We were even more excited to sit down on the boat and paddle inside the cave =)

It's almost our turn, we have to gear up now! Life vests (check), hard hats (check), picture taking (check)..lol!. Our Cave Guide Marvin started paddling and do the talking. 

Flight 5J 227 bound for Cebu..:))

Important Rules to observe in the tour:

- Wear safety equipment

- Keep voice at a minimum while on tour

- Do not touch walls or other rock formations

- Do not scare cave dwellers

- Do not smoke, eat or throw waste inside the cave

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park or commonly called as Puerto Princesa Underground River is measured to be 8.2 km-long and easily navigable up to 4.3km. The tour is only up to 1.5km or approximately 45mins but you can go beyond if you have a special permit. It would require two Cave guides because it's a bit a dangerous and a dead end.

Astounding view of the limestone karst landscape. The cave guide was really informative and entertaining. It  was very dark and cold inside. The only light is just coming from the battery-operated spot light and this helped me capture the rock formations inside the cave. If you are bringing camera with just a low-light flash, it would be almost impossible for you to take photos inside. That witty stories of the Cave Guide broke the silence inside the cave. He started showing us the different rock formations from the Vegetable and Fruit Section: the Corn, Cocao, Banana Bud/Blossom, Ampalaya, Mushroom, Garlic. Next was The Cathedral, presenting The Holy Family, The Virgin Mary, Melted Candle and the half-faced Jesus and other rock formations like the Tiger, Lion, Smokey Mountain and the two men hanging on the chicken wing. Lastly and the main attraction, the holy shit formation..haha!rofl..

The 45-minute Cave Tour was out of the ordinary. It was a surreal experience! I'm running out of adjectives now, you can just look at the pictures below. :)

The Virgin Mary

 The Ampalaya

 Banana Bud/Blossom

 Two men hanging on a Chicken Wing

 Corn

Footlong 

 Garlic

 Half-faced Jesus

 Holy Family

 Melted Candle

 Lion

Smokey Mountain 

 Face of a Tiger

The Corn

The Mushroom

and the Holy Shit...lol

This was the justification for its inscription in the prestigious list of the new 7 Wonders of Nature.

We went back to Sabang Port and off to Puerto Princesa City. We bought pasalubong at the Tiangge  before heading back to the Color Mansion.

Posted in: Palawan, Puerto Princesa City, Puerto Princesa Underground River