Puerto Princesa, Palawan: Why Wander into an Underground Wonder in the Philippines
Friday, January 10, 2014 Philippines 0 Comments

Why Wander into an Underground Wonder

Just did a head bump with the van's back window when I tried to see where we were exactly. It's 6:12 AM and the sun was peeping through the coconut trees from the far right side of the horizon. We were in the middle of Puerto Princesa's main road connecting its northern and southern side. It’s true what they say, you better enjoy the journey as much as the destination. And that’s exactly how it went - it was a rough ride, bumpy, adventurous, and dizzy. I woke up to the sight of dawn, neither dizzy nor distant. We were on an adventure to see one of the New Seven Wonders of the World – the Underground River in Puerto Princesa.

Puerto Princesa is one of the best tropical paradises I have been to, and this is a solid thing considering how little of an effort Palawan is doing on its part. The island itself is naturally blessed. Clean city, extra hospitable people, and overflowing sea food. The Philippines, with all its 7,107 islands, you know you're just bound to get surprised by natural landscape beauty more than a few times.

When I reached the wharf, which is the entry point where ships may dock to load and unload passengers going to the Puerto Princesa Underground River, I was surprised by the volume of clouds the island could contain. The mountain-to-sea system was turned into gradients of shadows and backdrops because of the stunning clouds. The air is cooler, even with the sun that's finally up. The playful waves share itself to the rest of the picture perfect setting. The volume of people from all corners of the globe, from Europe, South America, and even Africa, were all eagerly queuing up just to witness nature’s grand masterpiece. This reality makes it even more exciting to see the rest of the journey. From Jungle Treks, Wildlife Watching, Mangrove Forests, and White Sand Beaches, this subterranean river is one of the biggest hard-hitting reasons this year that made me see traveling in a newer light. Manmade structures, cultural heritages are always good and interesting, but I’d say nothing beats geographical grandeurs such as this one.