Palawan : The Underground River + Microtel Puerto Princesa

A trip to Puerto Princesa wouldn't be complete if you failed to visit  the " Underground River". The declaration of it as one of the New 7 Wonders of the world has resulted to the sharp influx of tourist in Palawan.


And to conserve it in its natural state, a carrying capacity of Nine Hundred (900) Visitors a day is currently in effect and a NO PERMIT, NO ENTRY POLICY is strictly enforced. 


Management highly advises that a Visitor Entry Permit (VEP) be secured in advance before proceeding to the Park. Lucky for us, we were visit  such place hassle free.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. 

It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Some monkeys find their niche on the beach near the cave.

After the underground river tour, we went back to Sabang to have lunch. Most restaurants offer an "Eat All You Can" lunch buffet for visitors. For only 200 pesos a wide selection of menus awaits your hungry tummy. 


Sabang also houses a number of high class resorts, mostly beachfront. Some tourist, especially those who wanted the beach life travel all the way here for it's white sand beach and crystal waters. 

Here are some of the them:

But nothing compares to our official residence while we are in Puerto Princesa. It is the only beach front accommodation in the city. It lies along the white sands of the emerald beach in La Playa, just 15 minutes away from the city. I've always been a fan of this hotel chain since the first time I stayed in their Baguio branch and that is  - Microtel Inn and Suites.

Being 15 minutes away from the city. The hotel offers free scheduled car service to and from the city. This way you can enjoy the sights and have the option to dine out. Puerto Princesa has different restaurants that you will surely like.

Here are some of the restos and spots we visited during our entire trip:

Kalui Restaurant - be sure to make  prior reservations. It was fully booked when we came. They are open daily except Sundays.

Bilao at Palayok - where we ended up after knowing that Kalui's fully booked. It was such an appetizing night here. Dinner courtesy of Venus as her late birthday celebration. Boodle lets go!!!

Tiki Restobar / Sari's Baryo / The Lotus Garden -  Try to visit Tiki Bar if you want to experiece the nightlife in Palawan. Great crowd and great music awaits everyone. If you want to have fine dining, go to the Lotus Restaurant or if you maybe wanted Filipino Cuisine, Sari's Baryo is just a few steps away.

Itoy's Coffee Haus - for your sweet tooth. They have great tasting cakes.

 Puerto Princesa Baywalk - This is Puerto Princesa's counterpart of the Baywalk in Manila. The perfect time to visit is at nightime so you can see the colorful streetlights and other iconic spots like the colorful fishes and the city's symbol that is the peacock.

They also offer bicycle rentals so you can stroll the place while riding the bike.