Puerto Princesa is the capital of the islandprovince of Palawan. It has been called the cleanest and greenest city in the Philippines, a result of its stringent anti-littering and conservation policies. With a population of only 210,000 it is the most sparsely populated city in the the Philippines. There are plenty of cars and traffic, but the most common mode of transportation for the local people is the tricycle, a covered 3-wheel motorbike used to taxi individuals from one point to another at a cost of about 9 cents/mile. Cashews and tourism are the main industries in the area, and although there is a thriving downtown area most people live in more rural outskirts of the city. Seventy percent of the land of Puerto Princes is forest; only 30% has been developed, and the law prohibits foreigners from owning property here. There is an active volcano on the island that fuels hot springs, which provide the water used for bathing, cooking etc., and there is wide-spread use of solar power.
We started our day hoping to find a way to visit an underground river Ken had heard about. After a little investigating he discovered a woman on the cruise had booked a private tour, and when he saw her across a crowded room he approached her to learn more. It turned out her group had some available seats and she quickly invited us to join, subject to her guide’s approval. The park has strict limits on the number of visitors it allows each day and we had to be sure we would be allowed in. The guides got the okay and we are so glad they did!
As with all of our best stories so far, this journey began with a steep and windy road. The park was far from the pier. It was nearly noon when we boarded our vans, and we had to be back by 6:30, so there was no time to waste. Our driver was a young Mario Andretti on steroids, weaving in and out of traffic, cutting through parking lots to avoid traffic lights, whipping around the curves of the roller coaster road, making the 2-1/2 hour drive in just 1 hour and 45 minutes. The ride was so adventurous our fitness devices credited us with traveling more than a mile and taking more 3,000 steps along the way!
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature, an initiative begun in 2007 to create a list of seven natural wonders as chosen by people in a global poll. It encompasses approximately 55,000 acres with a full mountain-to-sea ecosystem with eight intact different types of forests. The highlight of the park is an underground river system that flows directly into the sea, with the lower half of the river subject to tidal influences. At nearly five miles long, it is the longest navigable subterranean river in the world. To access the river we first had to cross the ocean. We did so on motorized outrigger canoes, passing steep limestone cliffs along the way. We arrived at a pristine beach, where we descended the canoes using a stepladder and waded through knee deep water to the shore. We journeyed another 600 yards or so through a riverine forest to the most beautiful lagoon where we were fitted with hard hats and loaded into 6 person canoes powered by young men using long poles to guide them.
We entered the mouth of a cave and were immediately mesmerized by the beauty of the stalactites and rock formations. We were surroundedfa by flying bats, the silence of the cave broken only by the faint echo of bird calls, the only light provided by our guide’s small flashlight. Above us hung thousands more bats. It was magical!
JodockWorldTravel 
My oh my this must have been REALLY fun (except the BATS would have been a little unnerving for me…just sayin’). The colors are so vibrant in some of this pics. Great job~. That’s quite a camera you have there.
Sent from my iPad
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The outrigger in the ocean was lots of fun.
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