A trip to Puerto Princesa is not complete without a visit to the Underground River. Just recently, the Underground River was included in the Seven Wonders of Nature which boosted the tourism in the area. The inclusion of the river also enticed my relatives from Switzerland to pay a visit.
According to our tour guide, the Philippine Coast Guards could cancel trips to the river at any time depending on the waves and the weather. Luckily, we were able to go especially since they were only open for the morning since we visited on January 1st. The ride was very very bumpy and we got really wet because the waves were already pretty wild. My dad was also smart enough to bring a huge ziploc with him so my DSLR didn't get wet. (My camera would be dead now if we didn't have a ziploc because everything was wet!)
*The boat station is at least 2 hours away from the city proper so be very sure that the weather is nice when you decide to go so you wouldn't waste your time. It is also best to go there as early as possible.
The view was picturesque and there were a lot of monkeys which none of us expected! We had to be very careful though because the monkeys looked very aggressive and we were also told that they sometimes steal food haha.
One thing I was terribly disappointed at were the restrooms that didn't even have electricity. It was also very dirty. Considering that thousands of locals and foreigners flock to Palawan for the Underground River, they should at least do something about that. I'd go to the restroom before the boat ride if I were you.
One of the best things about the tour on the Underground River itself was our boat man. He was funny and entertaining. Not to mention a very fluent english speaker! When inside, make sure to never look up and say wow because bat poop might shoot into your mouth (this is a very serious advice which they never stop reminding you of because there are thousands of bats and one actually pooped on my hand without me even noticing).
The inside of the cave was amazing. Who knew that under a mountain is a huge cave with different formations of stalactites and stalagmites all formed thanks to water? The inside was very difficult to photograph so I only have one photo I could show you. If you want to see more of the cave, I suggest you go there yourself and experience the wonder of nature!!!
Of course cheesy group photos are a must… hahaha!
The trip back to the mainland was much less bumpy. We had to wake up at 4am so we had very little sleep since we were also up late the previous night because it was New Year's Eve. We were all very eager to go back to the hotel since we were all sticky and dirty.
*We had lunch there next to the boat station but it's best if you don't because the food there sucked. If we knew better, we would've brought snacks and ate actual food when we were back in the city.
Naturally, my mom and her sisters decided to bond and go to the nearby Robinson's mall after a shower. My cousin and her boyfriend went sunbathing by the pool in our hotel while my dad and I also stayed at the hotel and ordered pizza and brownies and ice cream (oops). I was absolutely exhausted I just slept through the afternoon while my dad also went to the mall.
It was a very tiring day but it was definitely worth it. It's just the food (and our travel agency) that was absolutely disappointing and not worth the money.
More on day 3 soon! Thank you for reading and don't forget to share! :)
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