Puerto Princesa - Palawan's Princess

The city of Puerto Princesa, found in western Palawan, is one of the most the more popular tourist destinations in the Philippines.

Puerto Princesa is home to the Puerto Princesa Underground River, which is part of the New7Wonders of Nature.

Getting Around

We arrived at around noon in Puerto Princesa International Airport.  Since we were bound for El Nido our first day, we rode a tricycle to junction, were we transferred to a multicab.

However, if you're planning to stay in Puerto Princesa, you may opt to take a tricycle to your destination.  The tourist rate is P50 per trip from the airport.  Shorter in-city trips costs around P25.


Accommodation

We stayed in two hotels in Puerto Princesa.  The first one was at Natua's Cabin along Abanico Road.  It was a quaint hotel with only a few guests, because it is a bit far from the city proper.  We spent only one night there, but we loved it and we actually wished we stayed longer.  It was just unfortunate that we couldn't cancel the booking with our other hotel because it was booked through credit card.

A fan room for two in Natua's Cabin only costs P250 per head, and this came with free breakfast!  You may contact 09158555080 or 09175602422 through Wild Rock Travel and Tours to book in Natua's Cabin.

The caretaker was also very helpful and friendly.  When we arrived there, we were given a free room upgrade.  We ended up in the aircon room but still paid the regular rate.

Although cheaper, it was a bit far from the city proper, and you'd have to take a tricycle or walk for a few minutes to get to the main road. 

On our second night we stayed at the Circon Businessman's Inn, which is located in the heart of Puerto Princesa City.  It is right beside Mendoza Park and is walking distance from most of Puerto Princesa's famed restaurants.

We were a bit underwhelmed with Circon Businessman's Inn, as it is a bit old and the room was small.  An overnight stay costs P850 for two, but with only one free breakfast.  The price, however, is not bad because of its fantastic location.

Another blogger, Journeying James, put together a list of some of the cheapest accommodations available in Puerto Princesa.  View his blog here.



Food

You can ask any Palaweño where to eat and they'd probably suggest either Ka Lui Restaurant or Kinabuch's Grill and Bar.  Both are famous in Puerto Princesa for their seafood, and tons of tourists and locals flock its gates daily.

According to our local friend, both restaurants are comparable in taste and price.  However,
Ka Lui Restaurant tends to get a little jam packed, and it is advisable to call early to reserve a seat.  We initially wanted to eat here but there were no slots left during our preferred time so we had to transfer instead to Kinabuch's Grill and Bar.

Kinabuch's is a sports grill that featured a bar, a pool table, and several LCD TVs that played sports TV.  The place was jam-packed when we arrived, but the restaurant is big so we were immediately seated.

We ordered Croc Sisig, Buttered Shrimp, and had two shakes.   The Croc Sisig tasted like normal pork sisig, and we enjoyed it immensely.  We weren't able to try the Tamilok (shipworm) but from what I heard, it's worth a try.


Attractions

Blogger Gael of thepinaysolobackpacker.com posted a very helpful list of places to go to in Puerto Princesa.

We stayed there for only two days, so we had very limited time to tour the area.

We first went to one of the New7Wonders of Nature, the Puerto Princesa Underground River.  It's a bit of a drive from the city, and getting there requires the services of accredited tour agencies.

We booked Wild Rock Travel and Tours a few days before arriving.  They took note of our names and ages, so they could secure the permits before we arrived.  The published rate is P1,500/head but they gave us a nice discount for being early birdies.  We paid only P1,300 for the PPUR tour. 
You may contact Rose of Wild Rock Travel and Tours through mobile number 09175602422.

We were picked up at around 7am by our tourguide.  We rode the van, picked up some of our tour companions along the way, and rode for 2 hours to PPUR.


Ugong Rock Adventures


Our tourguide saw that there was a long line for PPUR so she decided to tour us first in Ugong Rock, free of charge.

Ugong Rock Adventures was a project of ABS-CBN Bantay Kalikasan, which was later transferred to their local tourism association.

Ugong Rock is a 75-foot limestone formation near PPUR.  Activities here include spelunking and riding the zip line.  We chose not to because we already had our fill of zip lines in South Cotabato, so we just toured the park premises while our tour companions tried the activities.

Blogger Dek of theseasonedfirsttimer.com posted a full review on the activities and costs in Ugong Rock.


Puerto Princesa Underground River

Visiting the Underground River was the highlight of our day.  We arrived at the port at around noon, and we ate at the buffet which comes free with the tour.

After having our lunch, we took a 15-minute boatride from the port to the Underground River.



The Underground River was one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen.  Imagine a vast underground cavern, with remarkable speleothem that forms effigies, grottos, and cathedrals!  My short video of our trip inside does not bring justice to the beauty of the Underground River.  You must see it for yourself for you to appreciate its beauty.


However, you must never, ever, ever forget rule number 1: CLOSE YOUR MOUTH.

Thousands of bats live inside the cave, and while it is human nature to gap at the beauty of the Underground River, you surely do not want bat poop entering your mouth!

Our boatman also kept on cracking his well-rehearsed jokes, throwing punchlines here and there, making our trip more amusing and enjoyable.



Crocodile Farm

We visited the Crocodile Farm the following day.  We rode a multicab to Iwahig and asked the driver to drop us off at the Crocodile Farm.  The fare is P20 each, and the trip took around 30 minutes from the city proper.  The farm is at the end of the multicab's route.

There is a P40 entrance fee to the Crocodile Farm.  Inside, a guide introduced us to the wonderful world of crocodiles.

Apart from the crocs, there were a lot of other animals too, some of which are endemic to Palawan.



Baker's Hill

After our crocodile adventure, we went straight to Baker's Hill.  We simply rode a multicab back, and the trip was around 5 minutes from the Crocodile Farm.

Baker's Hill is a bit off the main road, and you'd have to ride a tricycle to get there.  There are a few tricycles waiting at the intersection, and they cost P50 per trip.  The trike rate is a bit pricey, so it's best to spend some time at the Baker's Hill and make the most out of your trip.

There are several shops inside Baker's Hill that would fill your appetite.  There are restaurants, kiosks, and fruit shake stands that were already open.  However, we lacked time so we just went around and bought what we went there for--the hopia.

The hopia was not too expensive and tasted good.  But if you're not planning to buy a lot, there's a small store right after you get off the multicab that also sells Baker's Hill hopia.  Buying there will save you the cost of the tricycle.  We also later discovered that the hopia can also be bought at the airport.

We enjoyed our time immensely in Puerto Princesa.  We weren't able to tour all the places there but we definitely will come back to continue our Palawan adventure.