DAY
1 - UNDERGROUND RIVER TOUR (DIY)
Getting
the permit:
According
to most Palawan Tour blogs, if you’re planning a DIY on PPUR, it’s important to
acquire the needed visitor’s permit first and foremost. I think there’s a limit
to the permits they issue – for 900 visitors/day(?), and they get sold out
easily especially during peak seasons. Well, we did just that. We went there at
around 6:30am kahit 8:00am pa magbubukas yung office. Hahaha! At dahil doon, kami
ang una sa pila! We just bought to-go coffee and bread from a nearby
mini-grocery which serves as our breakfast habang naghihintay. Take note na
habang papalapit ang 8am dumadami na yung nakapila, so the earlier you go there
the better your chances of getting permits even if you’re planning to go there
that same day.
When
inside, nag-fill out lang kami ng form (remember to bring an id) and we’re
instructed na doon sa Sabang Office na kami magbabayad since wala daw silang
cashier kapag Sunday. We give props to the lady at the counter who’s very
accommodating and helpful, even giving us instructions on how to commute going
to Sabang beach. She also gave us this:
Going
to Sabang Beach:
We
went back to the pension house to prepare our things, then rode the trike to
the intersection of Rizal Ave. and the National Highway. Tawag ata nila doon
“junction”. Doon kayo makakasakay ng multicabs (walang jeep) going to San Jose
Terminal. Travel time from junction to the terminal will take about 20mins
depending on whether the multicab driver stops often to pick up passengers
which will make it longer. We arrived at the terminal at around 10am, early enough
to reserve seats for the 10:30am departure.
Travel
time from San Jose Terminal to Sabang Beach varies between 1½ to 2hours
depending on how fast your driver drives. Take note: If you are the type who easily
gets dizzy when in a vehicle traveling on zigzag roads, I would highly suggest
taking your “biyahilo” meds since you will be traversing several mountains to
reach Sabang. Sa totoo lang, nahilo kaming mag-asawa dahil sa mahabang zigzag
na yon. Talo ang papuntang Baguio.
Sabang
Beach
Upon reaching the beach, we immediately went to a nearby stall which is
where we made the van reservation going back San Jose Terminal. After that, we
went to the Tourist Assistance and Information Center to pay for the Visitor
Entry Permit and Environmental Fees. The lady at the counter told us to be back
after an hour so that we could arrange for our transportation (motorized banca)
going to the Underground River. With all that taken cared of, we then looked for
a place to take our lunch. Gusto sana naming mag-buffet sa Penao kasi mura
(P200/person), kaya lang nung inisa-isa namin yung mga food warmer sa buffet
table, karamihan wala nang laman (we didn’t think it’s worth the price kung 3
viands lang ang naka-serve). It’s already 12 noon that time and we’re truly
hungry so we decided to find the nearest carinderia na lang. Eto, solve na kami
dito:
Pagkatapos mag-“picture-picture”, we headed back to the wharf. We’ve
learned from some bloggers that if there are only two of us, we could look for
another couple or a small group to share a banca which is good for 6-8 persons.
Lucky for us, we were allowed for join a Korean family of four and paid just
P240 (for both of us). Funny thing is that we were instructed to give the payment
to the tourist guide accompanying the Koreans, not to the persons handling the
boat rides. Hmmmm. What’s more interesting is that the tourist guide didn’t go
with us, instead he instructed us to accompany the Koreans throughout the tour.
Actually we didn’t mind doing this because at that time, we were just too
relieved that we didn’t have to pay the full payment for a single boat. Hahaha!
Besides, the Koreans with us are a lovely bunch as they were really enjoying
themselves on every moment of this trip.
The
Underground River Tour
Sa mismong site ng underground river, you have to register first (wala ng
babayaran), then go directly to the entrance of the cave where the paddle boats
are. Go to a make-shift tent where can get your hard hats and life jackets and
line-up for the tour inside the cave. Important to note: there are monkeys
everywhere! They are basically harmless but if you try to feed one, lalapitan ka
din ng iba. They are very smart as well. There’s this monkey na lapit ng lapit
dun sa Korean na kasama namin. A tourist assistance staff asked what’s in the
plastic that’s protruding from a pocket of his beltbag. We found out it has
cookies in it that maybe the monkey can smell. So kung ayaw mong maagawan ng
baon, make sure that food you brought with you is safely hidden inside your
bag.
The
tour inside the cave took us about 45 minutes. I wouldn’t want to put in detail
the sights we’ve seen as it would spoil your own adventure. All I can say is
that the experience is truly amazing! Once you’ve been there, you can truly say
for yourself that our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River really
deserves to be one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature!
Swimming
in Sabang Beach
You
can ask around for shower areas you can use after swimming. We found a shabby
one nearby and paid P20 each.
Back
at San Jose Terminal
It
was 7:30pm when we arrived at the terminal. There are a number of tricycles
already waiting so the only thing you have to worry about is haggling for your
fare going back to your hotel or any place else you want to go for that matter.
No, we didn’t took one. Instead, we walked back to the main road, hailed a
multicab going back to Rizal Ave. and got off at Balinsasayaw where we had our
dinner.
Computation
of Expenses
I
will give the amount both of us have incurred for the tour then just divide it
later on by 2 so you could compare it to the ones offered by travel agents and
also give you some pros and cons between doing DIY and getting a guided tour.
As
of October 2012, Agency Price for PPUR Tour is P1,500/person
inclusive of permits, private van transpo, boat rides and lunch.
Our
DIY experience:
Trike
to PPUR Booking Office - P 20.00
Multicab
to San Jose Terminal - P 28.00
Van
to Sabang Beach - P 280.00
Visitor
Entry Permit Fee - P 350.00
Environmental
Fee - P 80.00
Lunch - P 134.00 +P 266.00 if you’ll get the Penao
buffet (P200/pax)
Boat
Ride - P 240.00
Shower - P 40.00
Van
to San Jose Terminal - P 280.00
Multicab
to Rizal Ave. - P 28.00
Trike
back to pension house - P 20.00
TOTAL - P 1,500.00 / 2 = P 750.00/person
incl. Penao
buffet - P 1,766.00 / 2 = P 883.00/person
|
DIY
|
Travel Agent
|
PROs
|
-You
control your own time – you can spend as much time swimming, taking pictures
or strolling along the beach of Sabang as your free time permits you.
-The
adventure of commuting (I consider this an adventure because you get a slice
of different experiences from the places you go to and from people you talked
to).
-Total
expense is much less!
|
-You
don’t have to worry about securing those permits.
-You
don’t have to worry about your ride.
-A
morning tour following a strict itinerary would ensure that you’re back at
the town proper in the early afternoon, giving you time to do something else
like shopping perhaps?
|
CONs
|
-You
need to get up early and go to the booking office to secure the visitor’s
permit.
-Total
of six rides going to and coming from PPUR, that’s why your trip may cost you
your whole day.
-Waiting
for departure time could be a drag especially if you’re not patient for it.
|
-If
you are unlucky enough to be accompanied by obnoxiously loud
co-tourists/passengers.
-Unless
your group occupies the whole van, or you persuade your
co-tourists/passengers to stay longer in Sabang so you could take a dip, then
you have no choice but to follow what’s in the group’s itinerary.
|
Tips
and Suggestions
For
those who thrive for adventure, doing DIY is for you. Those cons in doing PPUR-DIY
are actually just minor hassles. For those who are on the budget, doing DIY is
cheaper. The P600.00 or so you will save, you could otherwise spend on your subsequent
meals or use it to buy pasalubong.
Now,
for those who are accompanied by children or elderlies, it would be convenient
for you to call your travel agents for the tour. I don’t think your company
would appreciate those numerous vehicle transfers. Finally, if you have money
to spend, I see no reason why you would do a DIY (unless it’s for adventurism
purposes), good for you if you can afford the luxury. =)
