Underground River, Palawan

We were lucky that a friend drove us to Sabang beach so we didn't have to get the underground river tour through an agency which would normally cost 1500 pesos each. We just took care of the diesel. I think it only cost us 900 pesos. They also got us our permits for the underground tour for FREE (lucky us!). The travel time to Sabang beach (drop-off point going to underground river) from Puerto Princesa is 1.5 hrs.

Back in 1999 when we first visited the underground river, Sabang Beach was just an ordinary port. There were no clean restrooms, no restaurants and the road leading to Sabang beach was really dusty & rough. If I remember it right, it took us 4 hours from Puerto Princesa.

Upon reaching Sabang, we went to the tourist center to show them our permits & IDs for verification & paid 40 pesos each for the environmental fee & registered our names. We paid 700 pesos for the boat that would bring the 4 of us to the Underground river. After paying, they told us that we can have lunch first & let them know once we are ready.

View from the buffet restaurant

We tried their buffet lunch for 200 pesos each with fresh coconut juice on a shell. The food was quite good. I also saw some selling tamilok (wood worm) here. I didn't even dare to try it. After lunch, we rode the boat that would take us to the underground river. The boatman served as our tourist guide. 

                                                        pathway leading to the cave

                                                        entrance to the underground river

                                                                        with hubby

                                                                  Kuya with She

                                  with my brother, sis-in-law & hubby

The whole tour took us 3 hours to & from Sabang Port/Wharf. 

     

 TIPS: 

• If you're on a DIY trip to Sabang, make sure you get your permits 2-4 weeks before you target date. The names printed on the permit should be the same on your IDs. 
• Don't bring any plastic with you unless you want the monkeys to chase you. They are just roaming around the pathway going to the cave together with the monitor lizards.

Budget: 4 pax

Transportation:                                  P900 (diesel)

Permit:                                             FREE (175 each)

Environmental Fee:                             P40x4= P160

Boat:                                                P700

Food:                                                P200x4=P800 (buffet)

                                             TOTAL: P2560 (4pax)

                                            

* P640/each for the whole underground river tour- not at all expensive to see one of the 7 Wonders of Nature.

*It would normally cost you P1500 each if you get it from a travel agency.    

                                                    

                                                       

Iwahig Firefly Watching, Palawan

On our first night in Palawan, we tried the firefly watching in Iwahig River with my mom & hubby.

The boat costs 600 and could accomodate 3 pax + 1 boatman/tourist guide. It was a nice experience and kinda scary too. hahaha I kept on imaging that I'll be seeing those glaring crocodile eyes once it is hit by the light from the boatman. The thought that we were in a brackish river (mixture of both fresh & sea water) in Palawan where a lot of crocodiles live was always on my mind throughout the tour. Once you see all the fireflies on the trees, you will just be in awe of their beauty. 

* Don't forget to apply Insect repellant lotion!

Puerto Princesa, Palawan

It is my second time in palawan & Underground river but I really wanted to go back to show my hubby how beautiful the stalactites (C-from the ceiling) & stalagmites (G-from the ground) are. It's only since we got married that my hubby gets to go around the Philippines. Luckily or unluckily, he got married to me who loves to travel. We were brought up that way. Our motto: The family that travels together, stays together. No amount of money could replace the joy & experiences you get when you travel. Travelling need not be that expensive. Avail of ticket promos. We booked our tickets for only P1400 roundtrip for each person. There are a lot of budget accomodations available & a lot of carinderias (local eatery) around the Philippines. Not to mention free accomodations if you have friends who live there. But we do make it a point to try out local delicacies. We usually travel as a family so we get to divide the expenses for the tours/boat rentals. Travelling is so much fun especially if you're with FAMILY.

We spent a total of 6 days in palawan. 2 days/2 nights in Puerto Princesa & 4 days /3 nights in El Nido.
Days before the trip my nephew got sick with high fever. Then, the day before we leave for palawan, my sis-in-law & Kuya got sick too.

With my brother's history of not making it to his flight, we dropped by their place 4 hrs before our flight. He lives 5 mins away from the airport without traffic. When we got to his place, he still wasn't ready and was not yet done packing. We left his place 1.5 hrs before our flight. As we approached the highway, we saw how long the traffic was. We then decided to try another route via Skyway. With all the prayers we uttered, we got to the airport 10 mins before the counter closed. We were literally running to the counter. Good thing the lady in the counter was so considerate that she allowed us to check in even tough my brother was still in the parking area. We were told that the plane has an early boarding. We were then assisted through all the security to make it to our flight. Soon as we reached our plane, the door closed and the plane started to taxi. Lesson learned: I should never tell my brother the exact time of our flight, maybe 1-2 hours allowance would do lol.

After 1 hr & 20 mins....