We were a bit tired from the trip the night before but we had to wake up early for our Underground River Tour. I had a very good sleep because of Inn Greenspace's very thick and heavenly mattress and pillows. Although our breakfast was not prepared early by the kitchen staff, they gave us bread and bananas for take away since our pick up for the tour came in early.
The van contained 10 of us tourists: 6 Filipinos, 2 Belgians and 2 Scottish couples to be exact. Our tour guide was Marie who was very enthusiastic. The drive to the Underground River was about 1 hour and 30 minutes and instead of waiting in the port where there are a lot of tourists, Marie gave us an option. We can either do the Mangrove boat tour or the Zipline. Majority of the group voted for the Mangrove Tour and so all of us went on a boat to see and learn about Mangrove Trees. This costs 350 pesos per person.
Fun facts I gained from the Mangrove Tour:
1. Mangrove trees are either male or female. This can be distinguished with their leaves.
2. Mangrove fruit is elongated and are eaten by monkeys.
3. The crocodiles get stuck in the mangrove roots and so they are not seen in the area.
After the tour, we had lunch which was included in our package. It consisted of Filipino dishes such as pancit, adobo and fried chicken. We ordered another dish, the Tamilok or wood worm. It is one of the must try exotic food in Palawan. It was scary to taste at first but when you do so, it tastes like squid.
We then went to the port where we rode a small boat to where the Underground River was. We transferred to a second boat with a rowing boatman to get into the cave. The staff made sure that our audio device was working before heading inside.
The Underground River is pretty big - 8 kilometers long and was explored by the group Laventa. Only 1.2 kilometers is navigable by boat. I liked that there is an audio device wherein you can clearly hear the information about the site. There were a lot of bats and stone formations - stalagmites and stalactites formed by nature. There is a part of the Underground river named as the Cathedral where stones are somehow shaped like that of a big candle, of Mother Mary and of the 12 Apostles. I can't help but tilt my head and stare upwards and open my mouth (but opening the mouth is not advised as there are a lot of bats and their poop may be land in your mouth!)
After the tour, we were brought back to Puerto Princesa City and dropped back to our respective hotels.
I am super happy to have had the chance to visit this UNESCO world heritage site. This one is now checked on my list. Thank you for reading and 'til next blog! :)
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