Destination: Puerto Princesa

Destination: Puerto Princesa
I never imagined it until Puerto Princesa happend. Boy! How could I miss the thought that the Philippines IS
THIS BEATIFUL! If it were up to me, no doubt this place is the rightful owner of the miss beauty queen crown
(travel edition!). Visiting Palawan is like seeing the best of the Philippines – definitely THE ultimate eco-
destination. It is an enchanting balance of paradise beaches, karst mountains, virgin forests, and beautiful
waterfalls, to name a few. Surely, it isn’t the last ecological frontier in the country for so-so reasons only.

Puerto Princesa is the capital of the largest province in the Philippines (Palawan). The place observes keen
consideration for the natural environment. In fact, a few minutes before our plane landed on the Puerto
Princesa Airport, we have been cautioned not to throw our litter just anywhere lest we get fined.

Coming out of the arrival gates of the airport, we were picked up by our private transfer personnel for a 25-
minute ride to our pension house. Because of the online tourism boom, travel agencies have become budget-
friendly in creating all-in tour packages in Palawan. Our Puerto Princesa affair covered airport transfers, 3-
days/2-nights’ accommodation, daily meals, island hopping tours, and a visit to the world-renowned-Seven
Wonders of the World-ticket: The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

A Festive City Tour

For our first day we had the pleasure of an unstructured wandering as day one says: Your Own Free Time! We
decided to have lunch at the city proper. It was the month of June and that means Puerto Princesa City is in full
swing for their annual Baragatan Festival. The event commemorates the founding of the city government of
Palawan. The city was extra-vibrant! We had a carefree share of their fresh seafood dishes, taste tests of local
delicacies like the caramel coated cashew bars, and touristy-hopping from one souvenir tiangge stall to another.
The backdrop was a cool reggae band music all in-sync with the festive atmosphere. We had a filling lunch in
one of the open food shops offering grilled squid dishes with brown rice, cucumber and tomato slice, and lato
(edible seaweed).

After lunch, we headed straight to the local market to buy some pasalubong – the staple ones like dried pusit
(squid), dilis, danggit, cashew nuts, and a souvenir Palawan shirt. Rest followed at the pension house.

Island Hopping Marathon

Out of the 7100 plus islands of the Philippine archipelago, 1000 of which are in Palawan. The region is one
haven of untouched island formations with very abundant marine life. After breakfast, our tour guide picked us
up around 7:30am for a scenic drive going to Sta. Lourdes Wharf, the jump-off point of our Honda Bay island
hopping tour. At the wharf, we bought some bread (for fish-feeding). Some of our companions also rented
snorkel equipment for 150 pesos.

First stop: The Marina. This is where we had the pleasure of fish-feeding! After putting on our life vests and
float boards to carry, our reliable swimmer-guide lead us to our first snorkelling adventure in Puerto Princesa.
There were four of us under his guidance. We were told to hold on to our floating board as we dipped our
heads under water. It was an enchanting sight of colourful corals and fishes. The fishes were swimming in
groups of yellow, blue, and orange. Yes, Nemo was there! Once we opened our bread packs for feeding, we
immediately got swarmed by these neon-coloured sea creatures. It was absolutely a delight!

Second Stop: Snake Island. A sumptuous lunch of fresh seafood Filipino dishes was served to us buffet-style
under one of the beach cottages on Snake Island. What I like about packaged tours like this is that it shows our
innate hospitable nature as Pinoys. The tour guides (who also cooked our meals, by the way), made sure that

everyone is able to eat, hence serving alternative dishes for those allergic to seafood. They were always after
our enjoyment and comfort. It was a great vacation treat! A few minutes after lunch, we were out on the beach
again. Fine beach sand, blue-green waters, and a clear sky. Just bliss.

Last Stop: Pandan Island. I must say that among the last two islands we visited, Pandan Island is the home of
the best corals we have ever seen. The fishes were simply more vibrant in colour and variety! They also come in
larger schools of fishes and I felt like they were getting into my swimsuit the moment I released my remaining
loaves of bread!

Apart from fish feeding, Pandan Island also offers other water activities like kayaking and scuba diving. We
stayed for about 1.5 hours in the island. Some even got their massage-by-the-shore to relax after a day of
swimming galore.

By 2:30pm, our boat took us back to the wharf where our van was waiting for us. Within an hour, we were back
at the pension house to get settled. As if the the whole day of island-hopping was not enough to exhaust our
energies, we managed to prepare for an anticipated Saturday mass at the Puerto Princesa cathedral. This
church has that feel of an old-Spanish cathedral that makes you reflect on how much the people of Palawan has
kept the faith strong for decades.

Dinner at Kinabuch

Kinabuch is a popular restaurant in the city offering exotic dishes. It is not exactly fine dining, but we enjoyed
the relaxed and excusive atmosphere of the place. We did not dare order their exotic gourmet creations lest we

run the risk of not reporting for our Underground River tour the following day.

Mangrove and Subterranean River Boat Tour

Beyond all excitement, we were up early for the final leg of our Puerto Princesa Tour. We first headed to our
Mangrove Paddle Boat adventure via the group van. It was a two-hour ride of pleasant country-side driving.
Arriving at the tour area, we paid P20 upon entrance and then lined up for the paddle boat ride. The Puerto
Princesa Mangrove is known to be a safe habitat for primates and snakes! Yes snakes, but they are peaceful
nocturnal creatures. We saw two of these during the boat ride, sleeping mindlessly amidst our constant camera
flashes. There were also a couple of woodpeckers perched on tree branches that entertained the whole group.
Mangrove trees have grown for decades here and are being kept to conserve them. As mentioned, Palawan is
highly ecological and is strongly committed to preserve their rich environment. By the end of the boat ride, our
boat man (very old as he may be), sang us a local jingle describing the beauty of the Palawan Mangrove River.

Now, this is the most awaited apart – going to the UNESCO inscribed World Heritage Site, and one of the Seven
Wonders of the World entries: The Puerto Princesa Underground River in Sabang. In less than hour of boat ride
along the West Philippine Sea, we got our grounds on the national park site. There were a lot of people lined up
for the 15-minute tour of the world’s longest navigable underground river (8.2 kms). You have to be early here
to be first.

Palawan’s Underground River is located under a karst mountain. Its waters funnel through a cave first before
channelling into the South China Sea. Tourists are only allowed to navigate only a part of the 8.2km stretch.

Inside the cave, we had the chance to witness hanging night creatures like the bats, and the balinsasayaw (a
certain kind of bird species unique in caves). The cave features limestone formations depicting vegetable
shapes, people, and a cathedral-like space. It was definitely a wonder to us all!

After the underground river tour, we hopped back to our boat to get us to the pier. We ate our buffet lunch
treat (again!), before our tour guide transported us to the airport for the flight back to Manila.

Going back to the city made me reflect on two things: How much of the beauty of my country I have yet to see;
and how much I have DISCOVERED already post-Puerto Princesa. Will I be coming back? Definitely.

Travel Tips

How to Get There:

    •   1.5 airplane ride from Manila to Puerto Princesa Airport.

    •   No direct international flights to/from Palawan. Connecting flights are set in Manila.

How to Go Around:

    •   2-hour ride from city proper to Sabang for the mangrove tour

    •   Less than an hour of boat ride going to the Undergound River

    •   Multicabs and tricycles are the common means of transportation in Puerto Princesa City.

Other Tips:

    •   Bring mosquito repellent for the mangrove and underground river tours

    •   Some parts of Sabang have low electricity supply, but most accommodation providers in Puerto
        Princesa have enough electrical power for all.

    •   No credit cards are accepted during the island hopping and river tours. Cash in from the city capital to
        be ready.

    •   Inform your tour guide before hand for any seafood allergies you may have

    •   To promote eco-tourism, be mindful of where you throw away your litter in Palawan.