The Underground River, Palawan!

Hi! Kamusta? I’ve been to one of the world’s 7 wonders, the Palawan Underground river, last March 25, 2012 on a 3-day vacation in Puerto Princesa. I’ve seen this river so many times on TV and I thought that it's just an ordinary river in a cave overly rated by the media. But I was wrong. The day I got there just changed that thought. It is of course a very peculiar site! It’s overwhelmingly beautiful and totally amazing.

A foggy rice field taken around 7AM on the way to the Sabang Port.

Before you plan your visit in the the Underground river you’ll need to buy/reserve ticket. The ticket will serve as your pass to the river. This attraction hosts more than 500 tourists a day, if you dont reserve/buy a ticket ahead of time (a month maybe) you’ll never get into the river. There are lots of travel agencies in Puerto Princesa that can reserve tickets for you, all you need to do is call them. Some pension houses and hotels also offer ticket reservation. We stayed in Lola Itang’s Pension house and they also do ticket reservation for as long as you make your reservations a month early.

So how did I actually got there? We rented a private van of course that drove us from Puerto Princesa mainland to Sabang Port and back. I think it was a 2 hour trip but the ride was worth it. We didnt worry much of getting there since the driver knows where to take us. He was like a tour guide too with so many things to say about Palawan (history, people, and tourist spots).I would say that getting a package at a travel agency for your underground river tour would be the best choice. Most packages offered includes underground ticket/pass, a tour guide, lunch buffet, and transporation. 

Bankas that will take you from the Sabang Port to the Underground
River entrance.

The Sabang Port can be jokingly named as Sabang International Port because it is packed with lots of people both locals and foreigners everyday. The day I got their, I could tell there were many pretty Brazillians, Americas, Europeans, kinky Japanese, loud Koreans, and some other small Asians like me. lol. The first thing to do when you get to Sabang Port is to register at their port office and show your ticket to get a priority number. The priority number will take you to the next available banka bound to the place where the underground river is. The Underground river is just on the same island but you’ll need to travel by sea to reach there because travelling by foot is a suicide. I heard they have trekking guides going to the river but I didn’t mind to ask – we were just short of time.

We arrived at the Sabang Port at 8AM but we preferred to take the last ride to the Underground  river which was at 3PM or so. We planned it that way so we got the whole morning swimming and enjoying the Sabang Beach just right next to the port. We didnt worry much about the time since we got a private van that can wait for us till the evening. :P

The Sabang Beach has a very fine sand and  picturesque views.

I've never been to Boracay and El Nido so I've never seen first hand their rumored white sand beaches. But the Sabang beach is probably the finest beach I have ever been. Its sand is so fine that I dont even have to wear my slippers. It's water is just so clear. The weather was also a plus, perfect for picture taking! The beach is free to the public.

We set out for the underground river at around 3PM. And that beach below was the beauty that welcomes us to the river. 

A very beautiful shore that welcomes us to the underground river after a 10 minutes banka ride from the
Sabang Port. A very perfect and peaceful place!  

Entrance to the underground River:

Awesome.

Pretty awesome.

So what will you need to bring when visiting the the famous Palawan Underground River in the Philippines? Here's a short list of things that should be in your backpack:

• Water. Buying bottled water on the Sabang shops is expensive. Bottled water on the Puerto Princesa proper is cheaper and practical.
• Sunglasses. You'll need them even when it's not summer. Trust me.
• Sun block. Who goes to the beach/sea without a sun block?
• Extra clothes. You'll surely get wet. 
• Camera. You'll need this to get good photos that you can brag to your friends. 

You can view more pictures of the Palawan Underground River on our Facebook page. Don't forget to LIKE us! Got a question? Comment it below!