0It was a wild ride from El Nido to Puerto Princesa -- or more specifically, Sabang and the Puerto Princesa Underground River (mid-way in Palawan island). The is another of the UNESCO World Heritage sites (1999). You must buy a ticket the day before, with visitor entry limits so it is not over visited resulting in pollution or other negative impacts on the delicate ecosystem.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is set within a park filled with monkeys and monitor lizards, along with a jungle of natural flora. Overprotective, we were given life jackets, helmets and an audio guide that would take us through the approximately 2.5 kilometers and 45 minute tour through the underground river (below St. Paul Mountain range). While the river is 5.1 miles, we were only visiting a portion of the world's longest navigable underground river, recognized as one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature (in 2012).
The fun part of this spelunking adventure is that you do nothing: You just sit in the boat while it is silently hand paddled by the boatman, who shines a head-lamp onto the formations and uses a flashlight to point out things, all in time to the audio guide (provided in multiple languages, giving the geology, history and ecology). Without engines and no talking and nobody moving around, the ecological environment is kept as pristine as possible (given more than 1.2 million visitors per year!). The silent gliding through the darkness, punctuated by the boatman's light while hearing all of the bat echolocation squeaks and the flapping of swiftlets (small birds able to navigate in the dark too--their nests are used for bird's nest soup) was very otherworldly.
There are 8 species of bats, including fruit and insect-eating ones. They hang from the ceiling as their wings are insufficiently strong to allow them to launch into flight. Pam did not look up least she repeat the guano-in-the-eye event of several years ago. There are a myriad formations of the stalactites and stalagmites as calcium carbonate is formed, although given the long history of bat habitation, fossilized bat guano is included in the formations, which gives them unique color strata.
The space ranges from nearly bumping your head on the ceiling to cavernous spaces, up to 270 feet above you (Cathedral chamber). It is always fun to see the fruits, figures, and animals superimposed on the formations by your imagination. The water was teaming with fish along with other diverse plant (ferns, mosses) and animal species found nowhere else on earth, including several minerals unique to the cave system. There were additional tours, but special permission must be obtained in advance. Still, Pam so loved the experience, that she begged the tour guide to arrange for a 2nd trip, which we were able to do a couple days later.
The Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center (Crocodile Farm) is a conservation facility, taking in sick animals while also working as a breeding facility to restore natural population (baby crocodiles are called hatchlings). There is a hatchery where crocodile eggs are incubated. There are two species: Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) and saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), both considered endangered species. A research facility focuses on crocodile biology, breeding and ecology. Of course, there are all sorts of kitschy exhibits for the kids, which we enjoyed posing with also. The crocodiles eat about once a week, with 20 pounds at a time.
The Butterfly Ecological Garden and Tribal Village is a family owned operation trying to showcase how the indigenous population lives, set within a butterfly, snake and reptile conservancy. There are a diverse array of butterfly species native to Palawan, flying freely in the pavilion section. Several exhibits in the area have scorpions, stick insects, and snakes, while showing butterflies in various stages of their life cycle. The "tribal village" had several traditional tribal Filipinos playing instruments, dressed in authentic garb, and showing their dancing, survival, hunting and animal husbandry skills. Basket weaving and beadwork were also on display.
We stopped at Mitra's Ranch, named after the Mitra family, a prominent political family in Palawan, where there is a house and grounds with panoramic views of the countryside. We didn't have a picnic, but several visitors were, including horseback riding, a mini zoo and even a zipline! We also visited a restaurant for lunch, with a decorated garden with giant insects made of metal.
The day ended with a lovely massage at the water's edge: the lapping of the waves, the breeze from the ocean, the calling of the birds and the melodic classical piano music along with the massage was a fantastic way to finish the evening, with a refreshing cocktail by the pool.
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