Shared group tour including hotel pick up, buffet lunch, environmental fees and underground river tour €43.64 per person on the 17th December 2022.
There were many to choose from online, we found the ‘Underground River Day Trip from Puerto Princesa City’ and booked through Viator.com. You can book the same tour by clicking on this link. For tours booked via the link, The Greedy Herbivore will earn 8% commission.
I’m so glad we picked this one. Rich, the tour guide, was a delight and extremely knowledgeable. It was a small tour group – 7 of us in total and friendly group. Off we packed into the minivan and across the island, north west of Puerto Princesa, to the Buenavista View Point overlooking the Ulugan Bay, and then onwards to Sabang, the port of departure for getting to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River. After boarding a small motorised bangka, we reached the pristine beach, handed hard hats and set off from the well facilitated little hub which has toilets and refreshments.
During the drive, Rich informed us that Palawan is 70% forested and that they are trying to improve that, a stark contrast to Ireland and the UK, which is 11.4% and 13% respectively. The biodiversity and indigenous populations are battling against agribusiness championing palm oil plantations and the like, and there has been a significant decrease in forested areas in the last ten years.
We were witness to the incredible nature and biodiversity that Puerto Princesa has to offer, during the short walk through the nature reserve to the boat, we saw macaques (which we had been told were the only thieves there, so watch any bags and especially any bags with food!), mangrove trees, wild mango trees, fungi, palm trees and much more.
For the boat tour into the subterranean river, there are mandatory audio guides, this is to minimise noise inside the cave so as to not disturb the bats and their echolocation and other wildlife that make this unique cave their home. Light is also minimal so as to not disturb the natural ecosystem. The guide shone lights on stalagmites, stalactites and rock formations whilst the audio guide informed us about them and their nicknames, such as the vegetable quarter with vegetables a formation looking like a gourd and another looking like a cacao bean complete with striations. The limestone karst and colours are incredible. Scientists have discovered a total of 11 minerals present in the rocks so far, in comparison to a usual 3-4 in others. An aesthetic, geological and biodiverse wonder, reflected in the site being added to the United Nations World Heritage List confirming it as a place with ‘exceptional universal value of a cultural or natural site which deserves protection for the benefit of all humanity’.
Stalagmites and rock formations in the limestone
After this, we head back on the little boat back to Sabang, where the tour included a buffet lunch in in Sarang, included with the tour. There was a good range of vegan options including vegetable lumpia – Filipino spring rolls; okra, rice, vegetable curry, water spinach and fried banana.
On the way return we stopped at another incredible viewpoint, to see the Karst Mountain and Elephant Cave, which overlooks rice paddies, and I think spotted Little Egrets paddling in the damp too.
We also had the option to add ziplining or a river cruise to the tour, run by local folk, it was nice to have the option, if we’d had more time in the area we definitely would have done the river cruise, but we thought we would maybe explore the main town of Puerto Princesa.
It was a fantastic tour, organised extremely well, our guide was full of information and approachable. The underground river itself was nothing like I’ve ever seen, and the way the tours are organised, bearing in mind the natural environment and inhabitants made this really special. The food was great and the extra viewpoint stops were stunning. If visiting Puerto Princesa, this is not to be missed.
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