We were informed that the Underground river tour was canceled two hours before departure. The tour was canceled due to large waves and strong winds. Our money was refunded and we began to think about an alternative. We decided to go to Sabang. First, we took a (250 pesos) to a new bus station-Tier One. It took us an hour to get to the station. The shuttle bus departed from Puerto Princessa at 10 am and reached the destination at 2 pm It took about two hours to go around Puerto Princessa and collect passengers. The ticket cost 250 pesos.
We stayed in an awesome located hotel right on the sea in Sabang. We paid 1500 pesos for a double room with bathroom and fan. A similar room with air conditioning cost 2500 pesos. Sabang is a tiny village. There are two parts of the village. The tourist one with several restaurants and hotels. Filipinos live in the other part of Sabang.
The locals work in tourist service, fishing and they make wooden boats by hand. The village is located next to sea, everyday there were very high waves. No swimming red flag was placed at the beach everyday. I obeyed the rule and didn’t swim on the first and second day. I jump into the water on the third day. It was a great fun to play with huge waves. The main advantages of Sabang were huge waves, warm sea water, the beautiful beach and a few tourists.
Sabang is a gate way to the one of the Philippines’ most popular attractions – Underground River. Unfortunately, the attraction is often closed due to weather conditions. We spent 4 days in Sabang and it was available for tourists only one day.
The package tour or individual trip are the options to visit Underground river. In my opinion, individual trip is better option. You can buy tickets to visit the underground river in Sabang at 7:30 – 8:00 am You need a passport and a lot of patience to deal with the paperwork. Unfortunately, you can’t get everything done at one desk. Separately, you buy tickets for the underground river, separately for the boats that take you to the attractions by sea, and harbor fee is extra charge. The total cost of all the tickets was 850 pesos. The procedure took more than half an hour and we were ready to see the Underground river. We took the speedboat to the entrance of the underground river. We took off and walked about 100 meters to the beginning of Underground river. We boarded the rowboat and entered the cave. The cave is not illuminated only the guide, who is also a paddler, illuminates the more interesting rock formations with a flashlight. The paddle boat tour took 30-40 minutes and it was quite interesting. In my opinion, if you visit Palawan, don’t miss Underground River. The cost of individual trip to Underground river is approximately 1,400 pesos. The package tour cost 2000-2500 pesos.
I also highly recommend Sabang and Port Barton. They are perfect sites to relax on the beach, swim, and play with waves. In my opinion, Port Barton or Sabang are more attractive to relax than the over-advertised El Nido or Coron.
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