Lakbayan Update: Puerto Princesa

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Updating my Lakbayan map.


My Lakbayan grade is C.

Finally got to Puerto Princesa. The city is very clean. Tourist-friendly, too. Well-deserving of its reputation.

I really should make my way through Northern Luzon next. It is embarrassingly unshaded.

(To get your own Lakbayan grade and map, please visit this website, created by one Eugene Villar.)

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Puerto Princesa: The Baywalk

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The hotel we stayed in while in Puerto Princesa, Puerto Pension, had this restaurant on its highest floor. And since the hotel sits on top of a hill overlooking the Puerto Princesa Baywalk, the restaurant had a 360-degree view of the place. This view was what greeted us in the morning for breakfast. It was perfect.



This gave me the idea that maybe, I could shoot one of Palawan's famous sunsets from the Baywalk. However, on our boat ride back from exploring Honda Bay, we could see ominous rain clouds in the distance. I guess I would have to wait another time, another trip, before I get another chance to capture a Palaweño sunset. I was not hopeful, to say the least.


Still, though tired from all the beaches we visited the entire day, I dragged myself onto Puerto Princesa's Baywalk, just a few meters from our hotel. It was really cloudy that afternoon. Plus, I was not even sure if the the city's baywalk had sunsets, if it faces west. I went there still, tried to capture whatever was worth capturing.



Most of the people I saw on the baywalk were locals. The baywalk concludes their long day, I guess. I was about to conclude mine as well when I suddenly saw the colors of the "magic hour" come my way. Puerto Princesa's Baywalk do get sunsets, I was very happy to discover.


In my travels, I notice that a place rewards most those who are open enough and patient enough to stay with her. The point of traveling, I think, is for the traveler to open himself or herself up to new experiences, new sights, new people. You do miss a lot when you stay inside your comfort zones during your travels. Like this Puerto Princesa sunset, I am glad I witnessed it.

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Puerto Princesa: Honda Bay

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It was rainy the previous two days. So we were really banking on what locals were telling us that because Honda Bay was on the side of Palawan facing Sulu Sea, a much smaller body of water than the South China Sea on the other side, Honda Bay gets little to no rain. Thankfully, local knowledge didn't fail us.


Again, tour operators in Puerto Princesa are sort of centralized. Your hotel reception will know the people to contact to get you into a tour group and the people in charge in the tour group will know the procedures, permits to get, etc. Puerto Princesa is well set up for tourism like that.


The tour group we were on picked us up by van from our hotel and took us to the Honda Bay Port. On the port, our guide registers at the tourism desk and orders us a boat. A few minutes later, we were off.


Honda Bay is a relatively big body of water and the destinations, the islands we were hopping to, were sprawled around a wide area of sea. There were basically three destinations with one or two pit stops. The first, a pit stop, was Luli Island, named so because depending on the tides, it surfaces or it sinks. In Tagalog, lumulubog, lumilitaw. It was high tide when we got to Luli. Basically, we just passed through it.


Now, at this point, I may have already concluded that Puerto Princesa is a very touristy destination, which, I know, does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. It makes for a very easy-to-organize, safe family vacation. You would clearly feel that touristy air in this Honda Bay Island Hopping tour. More so, I think, in our next destination, Starfish Island.


Being Starfish Island, I would have guessed that there would be a lot of starfish on the beach here. I did not find any. The boatmen had some with them and apparently, the popular activity here was the distorted perspective photo-op thing. The photographer holds the starfish close to the camera while you, standing at a distance, pose like you're holding a giant starfish above your head. Something the kids would enjoy, I think.



Starsfish Island makes for a good swim, though. The water is crystal-clear and calm. It does entice you to get in and enjoy. The sand is white and fine, too. And the island had a long, partly submerged sandbar, which I always like.


We left Starfish Island at around 11:30 a.m., just in time for lunch at the next island destination, Snake Island. No, the island was not home to a huge population of snakes. Rather, the shape of it, the beach and the sandbar, snakes through the water.


Our guide told us to do whatever we want (beach bum, swim, snorkel, whatever), while she prepares the lunch. Yes, lunch is included in the tour cost. And what was lunch? Fresh, freshly grilled fish, shrimps and liempo with adobo eggplant on the side. The kind of foods that tastes best when eaten on a beach.


We stayed the longest on Snake Island, I think. Because after lunch, being full and all, nobody wanted to do anything, naturally. So, we walked further from the beach, settled on a sand bar away from the crowd, and had our this-is-the-life moment. It was sweet.


The last island we were to visit on this trip was Pandan Island. Our guide tells us that this is where a lot of colorful fish and coral reefs are located, the best site yet for snorkeling. Local knowledge succeeded again. At this point, I decided to put down my camera and enjoy the beach one last time. It would be a while before I go to another one. I am glad I made the right decision.

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Puerto Princesa: Sabang and the Underground River

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Sabang Town, on the outskirts of Puerto Princesa around two hours drive from the city, looks like the usual small fishing village I have seen a number of times throughout the country. It has one teeny tiny difference, though. It has a UNESCO World Heritage Site under its belt.


The entrance to Palawan's Underground River National Park is located in a cove about 30 minutes by boat from Sabang Beach. The beach is on the side of Palawan facing the South China Sea, definitely a much bigger body of water than the Sulu Sea. Naturally, this is the part of the province that gets the gloomy weather.


We arrived at Sabang Beach around lunch time. Restaurants line the beach, so this is where most, if not all, visitors to the river would have their midday meal. It was around this time, though, when our luck in the weather department run out. It had been cloudy earlier but we were still counting on sunny weather, obviously a little foolish, looking back. It did not stop people from swimming on the wide beautiful beach, though.


Most locals tell us that their rains usually last for just about one to two hours a day. Some part of me did not believe them. But impeccably so, the rains did stop after about an hour, allowing some of us to get out our cameras and try to capture Palawan's rainy day charm.






It started raining again when we arrived at the registration desk of the Underground River National Park, forcing me to keep my non-waterproof camera inside its waterproof bag and then wrapping that with plastic bags. I knew I was pushing it still hoping I was going to take pictures of the site.

No, I did not take the risk. Which is okay really. I doubt I would have been able to capture the enormity of what I was experiencing under that limestone mountain anyway.

In fact, I don't think I have seen a travel show capture the sights in and around that river. The caverns you would be passing through while on the 45-minute boat ride were just too grand to be photographed or filmed by any ordinary equipment. It is a sight to behold. And it is a must-do activity, touristy as it is, not just in Palawan but in the country.

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Puerto Princesa: Ugong Rock

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Summer was clearly over and we completely knew it. The weather has been gloomy all over the country and rains have been happening almost everyday. We, however, still went on with it. Puerto Princesa on a rainy August. And the answer is yes. Palawan is a rewarding place, rain or shine.


The first activity I went on was the day trip to the very famous Subterranean River National Park. The park is actually a two-hour drive from the city center. Naturaly, there are stops along the way. One of them is the Ugong Rock Cave, named so due to the sound the rock produces when you knock onto it.


Ugong Rock is actually a limestone cliff, caves and burrows inside of it, located smack in the middle of rice fields and plantations. The limestone is similar to those I've seen jutting out the water in the bays of Coron, also in Palawan. Our guides explain that, geologically speaking, that whole area used to be submerged in water.


Our guides, by the way, are part of the local cooperative managing the site. They say its sustainable tourism. It aims to preserve the environment and local culture, while still providing employment and a source of income for the local community. And you'll see lots of that in Puerto Princesa, which is highly inspiring, to say the least.


The fee for the cave exploration is 200 pesos per head. It includes rent for the helmets and gloves you'll be needing once inside. It's inclusive of the guides' fees, too. And you'll need them more than you realize. The cave starts off easy enough, until you get to some treacherous climbs (just ropes, no carabiners and support around your body) as well as to some stone creaks and holes. Challenging? Yes. Quite an experience? Absolutely.


After about 45 minutes to an hour, you will reach the top of the cliff. A viewing deck has been constructed there and it provides respite for the climbers after their most harrowing experience. That is, before they make their way back down, through the same creaks and holes they passed through. Bummer, I know. Our guides say that soon, a zip line will be constructed from the viewing deck to the ground below. And I would very much appreciate that.


Still, despite the cuts on the elbows and the muscles pulled, I would still recommend that people visit the site. It's support for the local community, for one. It is also a very rewarding experience, much like Palawan is, as I would further discover.

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