litt'l sumthin': Bonita, Puerto Princesa

And so the long wait is over, we’re finally going to Palawan.

Booked our flight to Puerto Princesa 4 months before our trip via Cebu Pacific to avail airline promos. Weeks before our flight, Cebu Pacific has been canceling flights due to bad weather and we fear that our trip will be cancelled. Good thing the weather changed days before we leave.

[Day 1]

Arrived in Puerto Princesa around 9 in the morning. We were greeted by warm weather and one of the resort staff who will bring us to our accommodation.

Wrong spelling again!

We stayed in Dangkalan Resort, availed their tour package which includes airport transfer, van service, Honda Bay and Underground River Tour with breakfast and buffet lunch. Sheryl, the Resort Manager is very nice and made sure we’re comfortable. She even suggested places to go to since we did not avail the city tour. The staffs are equally accommodating.

With Sheryl - Dangkalan's Resort Manager

Had our lunch at their resto and since we cannot decide what to eat, we resorted to ordering the “safe” food. One of the dishes was pork sisig. Given that sisig tastes better with kalamansi (at least for me) we asked if we could have some. One of the servers said they don’t have kalamansi and gave us lemon instead. Talk about being resourceful =)

We planned to do a DIY City Tour but don’t want to go out yet because high noon in PP is so hot. To pass the time, we headed to their beach area. Don’t expect for a fancy beach but for the money you pay, it was good value. The place is lined with Dangkalan Trees (thus the name of the resort) and the sea breeze just makes you want to lie down and sleep. We’re facing the Sulu Sea.

Left the resort around 4PM and headed to Baker’s Hill - started out as a Bakery and converted it into a small park. The place is really nice and well maintained. Different plants and animals can be seen here.

Dinner at Kinabuchs Grill and Bar. The place is open aired and quite cozy, one of the popular hang-out place of locals and tourist. Be sure to come early as the place gets packed at night. They open at 5PM.

After Dinner, we headed back to the resort and took a dip in their pool to cap our 1^st day in PP.

[Day 2] – Underground River

Itinerary for 2^nd day – Underground River.

Woke up early to have our breakfast and prepare for our Underground River tour.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park or Underground River is located about 50km north of the city of Puerto Princesa. The National Park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the northern coast of the island. It is bordered by St. Paul Bay to the north and the Babuyan River to the east. The City Government of Puerto Princesa has managed the National Park since 1992. It is also known as St. Paul's Subterranean River National Park, or St. Paul Underground River. The entrance to the Subterranean River is a short hike from the town of Sabang. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the 28 finalists for the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" competition. (source)

The ride to Sabang Beach, the jump-off point to Underground River was a 2-hour ride from the City. Most of the road was paved but some part of it was not. A stopover at Buenavista View Deck before going to Sabang to enjoy the view of Ulugan Bay.

When we arrived in Sabang, we were greeted by this beautiful beach

Had our buffet lunch at Taraw Restaurant then off to wharf area to get on an outrigger boat. The ride took about 15mins to the entrance of the Underground River. We walked for about 5mins through the rainforest going to the dock area that will lead us to the mouth of the cave.

We were provided with life vest and helmet for safety purposes. They only have 10 boats alternating in taking people in and out of the cave. Tour inside the cave lasted about 45mins. Each boat can accommodate 10 people.

The cave is covered in complete darkness. The search light provided in each banca is the only source of light we have. The search light is usually given to those seating at the front of the boat.

The boat men will then start giving information about the underground river. They speak in English so that foreign tourist could understand them.

It was a different world when we entered. Truly one of the 7 wonders of nature. Pictures of the Underground River says a lot already but seeing it in person will really make you proud that it's in the Philippines.

[Day 3] – Honda Bay

Honda Bay was the last stop of our 3-day tour in Puerto Princesa. Call time was 7-7:30AM as we need to be back by 3PM for our 5:30PM flight to Manila.

A rainy morning greeted us on our way to Honda Bay, a 15-minute drive to wharf area from the resort. We waited for almost an hour for the rain to stop and the Coast Guard to give go signal that it’s safe to board the outrigger boats. Honda Bay has many islets and all of them are perfect for swimming and snorkeling. We were able to go to Pandan Island, Snake Island and Pambato Reef only due to time constraints.

Pandan Island – named after the Pandan trees that line the beach