Palawan: The Underground River

August 16, 2010

"Having black f0rest frap n palawan n0w. Ü," my facebook status reads at around the same day today last year.

My first trip to Palawan officially turns 1.

There are a lot of reasons to celebrate: 1) It was my first non-work-related trip after seven years 2) Although not an expense-free trip like I always had, I only spent P999 for my round trip Cebu Pacific tickets to Palawan and 3) It was a birthday spree for one of my closest friends and editor Niza. 


We went there to see Palawan's Underground River, which is finalist to the New 7 Natural Wonders of the World. Three years of online campaign now ranks the Underground River among the top 14 finalists for the New 7 Wonders of Nature search. Other strong contenders include the Amazon River, the Dead Sea, the Grand Canyon, and the Galapagos Island. Global voting is still on going until the Top 7 will be finally announced on November 11, 2011. [Vote Here]

The Shore Before St. Paul's Mountain Range.

Palawan's Underground River runs beneath the St. Paul Mountain Range, which is three hours and 45 minutes van and boat rides away from Puerto Princesa City. It is also called the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, where tourists can enjoy a river cruise on the underground cave of the mountain.

The Holy Family.

Inside the cave are spellbinding stalactite and stalagmite rock formations, which creatively took Mother Nature millions of years to sculpt. The creepy sounds of inhabiting smelly bats would first welcome you upon entering the cave but the cruise on the underground river, which is also famed for being the longest in the world, is really fun and exciting in the end.

Snake Island.

Of course, Palawan is not limited for the Underground River. Billed as one of the top tourist destinations in the world, the island is also blessed with superb seascapes and landscapes, which we definitely did not dare to miss. Details soon.

A thumb's up for the trip.

All I can say for now is that a trip to this enchanting tropical paradise is a sure blast!

Happy Thought:

God Blessed the Philippines.