Underground River Tour

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. =)