The Wonder that is the Puerto Princesa Underground River

Day 2 of our Palawan vacation was the highlight of our stay. We were picked up by our travel agent at 8:30 am. We were off to an early start because travel time from Puerto Princesa is approximately 2 hours. The Underground River is located at Sabang, about 77 kilometers west of Palawan facing the South China Sea.  We coursed a long and winding road to our destination. But the scenery of mountain silhouettes, lush green forests with peeks of the blue ocean took our minds off the motion sickness. 

Our first bathroom stop was at a souvenir area an hour away from Sabang. They had the most intricately carved souvenir items on shelf.

Minutes later we were brought to Buenavista Viewdeck to appreciate the view of the Ulugan Bay. The name was coined from the practice of the first Moros and natives of the area during wars where the victor decapitates the captive.
The zig zag road finally led us to the breathtaking shores of Sabang beach. The white sand shore set on a mountain backdrop was stunning. We had the best lunch by the shore.

On board a pump boat, we took a 20-30 minute ride to the bay of the Underground River. The sight of these beautiful rock formations added more to our excitement.

Because of the number of tourists, we had to wait for almost an hour for our turn. We entertained ourselves by camwhoring on the shore.

Upon booking, tour agencies set your schedule for the river tour with the park management. They also take care of permits for the tourists to enter the cave. Hence, the fee of P1,500 per pax already covers transportation (air conditioned van and pump boat), lunch, permits, and the river tour. Not bad eh? Tours start as early 8:00 am. They end at 4:30 for the reason that it is around that time that bats fly out of the cave. 

The Puerto Princesa Underground River is known to be the longest navigable underground river in the world. It is 32.7 km in length but only 7 km is navigable. However, tourists are only allowed to tour 1 km of it. The tour is 45 minutes long only. I wanted it to last longer because I couldn't get enough of the crazy beautiful rock formations. 

  The view of the cave's entrance by the boat dock

Rock formations at the cave's mouth.

The only source of light inside the cave is the spotlight handled by the front passenger of each boat. The guide would ask the front passenger to direct the light at interesting rock formations. My camera had to rely on that alone. Add  the fact that we were seated at the last row explains why these were the only decent shots I took. So, a tip when you're visiting the underground river: sit in front and don't mind handling the spotlight.

Up close, this looked like the the skull of a dinosaur.

The underground river is said to be home to 7 species of bats. Our boat guide warned us to close our mouths when we look up the cave ceiling. He said, when the droppings taste cold, its holy water. But if the droppings are warm, it's holy sh*t! One of his many punch lines. I was the only one LOL-ing in our boat.

We then entered the "vegetable section." They called it so because of the shapes the stalactites made. They had papayas, puso of the banana, and mushrooms.

The part that left me most awed was the "Cathedral". The ceiling was dome shaped and the rocks were arranged in an altar-like manner. It was called the Cathedral because the rock formations were very similar to religious figures.

Joseph and Mary in the Nativity.

They called this the big candle.

Three men hanging upside down with arms outstretched.

Other fascinating sights.

The cave's exit.The first line you see marks the water during the high tide.

Estuary. 

Pictures would not suffice the show the immense beauty of the Puerto Princesa Underground River. One has to witness it for himself to genuinely say that it deserves to be called one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. 

The Underground River is the Philippines' lone entry in the search of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. It is pitted against the Amazon River (South America), Grand Canyon (USA), Jeju Island (South Korea), Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Maldives Islands (Maldives) and other world renowned tourist spots. Needless to say, it is a tough competition. Imagine the pride, honor and bragging rights if we bag one of the seven slots. Not to mention the increase in the country's tourism. On the last search for the 7 Wonders of the World, studies proved that the winners received a 75% increase in their tourism, while the qualifiers received a 20-40% increase. 

The PPUR was even validated by a group of Italian geographic explorers, the La Venta Group. In fact, it was the group who found fossilized remains of a sirenia or dugong at the underground river, said to be 20 million years of age. This video highlights the group's other discoveries:

These are reasons enough to vote for PPUR. 

So, I urge everyone to show that Filipino pride and vote for the Puerto Princesa Underground River by logging on to the New Seven Wonders of Nature website or by texting PPUR to 2861. Hurry, we have until November 10, 2011 to cast our vote. They will be announcing the winners on 11.11.11. Vote now!

I should seriously consider a career at the Dept. of Tourism, don't you think? LOL