The Underground River

Is it just me, or do tour guides at every natural phenomenon across the globe claim theirs is a one of the ‘Wonders of the World’? Today was the turn of Palawan’s Underground River, which we took a day trip to with an organised tour. This was mainly because you have to apply for a permit from the government to go there which is a lot easier when we don’t have to deal with it ourselves.

The river is located just outside Sabang, a coastal town (Village? Settlement?) with a beautiful but pretty windy white sand beach. It took around two hours to get there in a mini van which kept half breaking down, along roads that wouldn’t be out of place in a theme park – think winding, sharp corners and a driver who thought he was go-kart racing. We were dropped unceremoniously at the beach and told we would meet again in an hour. About 45 minutes later our 10am coffee was interrupted as we were told to go to the meeting point… In fact we were being corralled to a ‘buffet lunch’ which was being served far too early and which we avoided as we saw many people poking and prodding the food on offer (after ignoring my gut to my peril in Bolivia, we decided it wasn’t worth the risk, especially because it was still the morning and we weren’t even hungry!)

We ended up waiting around for two hours (or more we kind of lost track in the end) but at least the views and sea breeze made for the least unpleasant ‘waiting room’ we’ve been in all trip. We eventually boarded one of the ferry boats that took us across the bay to another, even more beautiful beach from where the river could be accessed. The boat ride across saw us buffeted by some pretty big waves (which we weren’t expecting) but in the end it only added to the sense of adventure.

The Underground River itself is a UNESCO world heritage site and was legitimately named one of the ‘New 7 Wonders of Nature’ in 2012. On arrival we were issued with a device with a pre-loaded guided tour, available in many languages and offering explanations of the rock formations and things to look out for. We walked through some dense jungle (the home of some angry long tailed macaques who apparently will attack and bite you if you don’t hand over any plastic items they see – rabies alert!). We ended up at a sheltered lagoon home to the mouth one of the longest underground rivers in the world (the cave system is about 24km, of which 8.2km has been explored and 4.3km is navigable by boat). The delicate nature of the rocks and the ecosystems they support means the tour boats are only allowed in to about 1.5km, but there is plenty to see! Stalagmites and stalactites jut from the floor and ceiling of huge caves and passages, with some resembling recognisable shapes including a Turin Shroud-esque ‘face of Jesus’. Overhead, many hundreds, possibly even thousands, of bats hang upside down, sleeping during the daytime and making for an utterly creepy experience. With only the headlamp of the guide lighting the way and the drip of water (and/or bat droppings!) the whole thing is eerily quiet, especially when you remember there are some unique species found here, including snakes and some truly horrifying poisonous tarantulas.

In summary one of the Trip Advisor comments put it best “it’s a whole day of waiting for a 45 minute boat trip”. However, if you take the time to enjoy the beach at Sabang, grab a coffee and chill out, it really is more like a day on the beach with an added boat trip. We actually really enjoyed the sea ferry as well which felt very much like part of the experience of the whole day. All in all we are glad we went and got to see another part of this beautiful island.