A couple of weeks have already passed since I went on a Tao Expedition in Palawan, but I’m still hung up on the experience.
Palawan is beautiful, no one can argue with that.
In fact, in the latest survey of their readers, the Conde Nast Traveler has again included Palawan in the top 5 most beautiful islands in the world, where it once hogged the first place three years running.
While writing about my experience with Tao Expedition, though, I was distracted by a question from a couple of readers: is it possible to go on a DIY (do it yourself) tour of the Puerto Princesa Underground River, or is one really required to buy a travel package? How do you go about it?
Welcome to the Puerto Princesa Underground River!
The Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) is a UNESCO world heritage site and recently named as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. This 8.2-km subterranean river runs under a protected cave that features spectacular formations of stalactites and stalagmites.
With these and its limestone landscape, it is considered as one of the world’s most complex cave systems.
Just like any popular tourist attraction, it can be expensive to go to the Underground River. A whole day’s tour will set you back P1,800 each, a little steep for an experience that takes less than an hour.
You can take a tour of the mangroves in Palawan.
That’s why I said that a DIY tour of the Underground River is a good idea. It would be cheaper by half, one, and two, going on a DIY tour means you get to do other things in Sabang aside from just going to the Underground River.
Among others, for example, you can take the paddleboat mangrove forest tour, appreciate the Elephant Karst Mountain Cave and Ugong Rock Caves, and maybe even have a photo shoot on Sabang Beach.
The registration area of the paddle boat tour.
You can also hike the Jungle Trail (we took the Monkey Trail), and although it takes hours longer than the usual boat ride from Sabang Port to the Underground River, it’s much more exciting and fulfilling, especially for those who love hiking.
Now, on to the details.
The Puerto Princesa Underground River is located in Sabang, a town approximately 80 kilometers from the city proper. This means that from the Puerto Princesa Airport, you need to go to the San Jose Terminal and ride either a jeepney or van to Sabang, which is 2 to 3 hours away.
However, you can’t go directly to Sabang. You need to secure a permit in the city first. Upon your arrival, immediately go to the Underground River Booking Office located at the City Coliseum, present a valid ID, pay the fee, and get your permit.
You’d have to pay for the audio guide separately.
You will then need to go to Sabang port (more on how to get there, below), and when you get there, head to the Tourism Office, present your permit, and then pay the environmental and boat fees. (At the cave entrance, you’ll also need to pay for the audio device/guide.)
You will then be assigned a boat that will take you to the PPUR entrance in 20 to 30 minutes.
One of the stalactites inside the Underground River.
From the entrance, you fall in line to take a smaller boat that will take you inside the Underground River. (This line can get really long during the summer months, March to May). Using a search light, your tour guide/boatman will show you the cave’s rock formations, stalactites and stalagmites, as well as its inhabitants.
The tour lasts around 45 minutes. A bigger boat will then take you back to Sabang port where you can either head back to the city or spend the night in town.
There are many ways to get to Sabang from the city of Puerto Princesa.
From your hotel in the city, go to the San Jose Terminal. It is located in the San Jose New Market, which is less than five minutes away from Robinson’s Mall. A tricycle ride, which costs P80, is convenient when you’re traveling with a group. Another option is to ride a multicab, which costs P12 per person.
From the Terminal, you’ll find jeepneys and ordinary buses that leave for Sabang Port at 7am, 9am, 12nn, and 2pm. Travel time ranges from two hours and 15 minutes to three hours, which includes several stops along the way.
Also note that, despite their scheduled departure time, jeep and buses don’t leave until all their seats are filled. Advanced booking is not available, but if you’re traveling on a budget, this is the cheapest option. The fare is P100 for Palawan locals, P120 for local tourists, and P200 for foreigners.
Sabang Port, Palawan
If you highly value your personal space, you may not appreciate the crowded conditions of these vehicles. The dispatchers will try to squeeze in as many people as they can inside the car.
Even if the jeep can only accommodate 15 people, they’ll be getting up to 20 people. And more often than not, bins of fresh fish and seafood will be joining you on your trip. There’s a good chance that you’ll end up smelling like fish or shrimp by the time the trip is over.
There are also a lot of shuttle van services from Puerto Princesa to Sabang. If you opt for this, you can get to Sabang within two hours or just an hour and 45 minutes.
Tickets are priced at P150 for Filipinos and P200 for foreigners. These sell out fast, so the best way to secure a ride is to book a roundtrip reservation by contacting any of these numbers: +63 912-100-2651 or +63 917-585-9602.
You can also get in touch with Lexus Shuttle services by visiting their Facebook page. Shuttle vans have three trips to Sabang in the morning, and three trips in the afternoon, starting from 7:30am and up to 5pm.
A caveat: the van drivers love going really fast. If you suffer from motion sickness, it would be a good idea to take Bonamine before the trip and bring a plastic bag, just in case.
A taxi is the most comfortable of all available modes of transport to Sabang. It also allows you to travel at your own pace, which means you can stop at roadside stalls selling seasonal produce or at scenic spots where you can take selfies or photos of the stunning landscape.
The only drawback: taxi rides are quite expensive, with the one-way fare from Puerto Princesa reaching P1,500.
When is the best time to visit the Underground River? When choosing a travel date, one of the most important factors to consider is the weather. Puerto Princesa’s dry season is from January to April while the wet season is from May to December.
Scheduling your trip during the dry season is recommended, as the waves tend to be calmer andthere are less chances that your trip would be canceled due to inclement weather.
Going into the Puerto Princesa Underground River
What are the things to bring during the tour? Be prepared to get wet during the tour since you will be getting in and out of the boat. Opt for light, comfortable clothes and, if possible, wear flip-flops, trekking sandals, or any waterproof footwear.
Also bring waterproof cases (for your gadgets), mosquito repellent, drinking water, and sunblock. Ditch the plastic bags, as monkeys like grabbing these from guests.
Where to stay in Puerto Princesa? While you can stay overnight in Sabang, I would still recommend that you just go there and spend the night (or more) in Puerto Princesa. There are lots of hotels, inns, and pension houses in there that can make your budget planning easier. Click: Where to stay in Puerto Princesa.
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There you go, a guide to doing the Underground River Tour in Palawan all on your own. I hope it will help you in planning part of your Palawan trip! Safe travels!
Note: If you don’t want the hassle of a DIY trip to the underground river, you can book your tour online and have everything taken care of for you: Puerto Princesa Underground River Day Tour.
Have you been to the Underground River? How was your trip?
35 Comments. Leave new
OMG! I have been to Palawan at least 5 times and just falls in love with the place even more each time.
Thanks for the tips, we are looking for a place to stay ion puerto princesa.
My family and I, a group of 7 including children (4) are planning to travel in April 2020, because we are a group with kids, booking a tour thru online sites are pretty costly roughly 40-50USD. if we do this DIY tour, and find our way to Sabang from hotel via jeepneys/shuttle, after paying/obtaining the permit (cost?) and the environmental fee entrance 120-150php. what is the cost or how do we get a tour boat?
what did you do for food/lunch wise? are there little shops/restos or local vendors once we arrive at sabang awaiting boat entrance? because if we do the tour guide via online booking it includes lunch buffet, which i don’t care for but i do have to feed the childrens and the adults with me, i am sure we will be starving after 2 plus hours . and i would love to eat local food.
The tour itself is pretty much straightforward once you re at Sabang, you will take the boat at the port which will bring you to the cave entrance. The Underground River tour takes around 2 hours in total including the boat ride to and fro from the cave entrance.
We are 4 pax and will be in Palawan on April 22-26. I think DIY tour will be more cheaper and comfortable. What are your recommendations.
Thank you so much for your helpful article Aleah … I actually tried to contact a number you indicated and I just got a booking for shuttle services and for a cheaper cost compared to tour packages … Thank you so much.
Hi how much does the shuttle van costs?
Thank you
Ching, you can book via Klook. They have private and shared vans.
https://www.klook.com/en-PH/activity/12352-private-puerto-princesa-international-airport-transfers-palawan/?aid=4074
Thanks Aleah for this post. We have a planned tour in Puerto Princessa and El Nido this April with my wife and my two kids. Our flight from Manila will arrive in Puerto Pincessa airport at around 8:20am based on the flight schedule. We planned to proceed emmediately to underground rive tour after a breakfast and early check-in in a hotel in the City as we will be consuming the next 2-3 days in El Nido. May I ask you, if we can still manage to have the underground river tour despite our very short stay in Puerto Pincessa. I noticed that most underground river tour shedule are early morning travel from the city to Sabang port. I think, we can’t take with the DIY tour considering my two kids will be with us. Do you think can we still able to catch up with the underground river tour without compromising our itinerary as we have already booked a flight and hotel in El Nido?
hi marcelo.. we also have a booking to Palawan this coming April 6 to 9.. we will go to Underground river and have an island hopping to el nido.
I will update next week after our travel.
Thanks to this post. I will definitely try this DIY underground river trip on Dec 5. I will post my experience here after that.
Hi we are planning to go to el nido right ayaw after the tour in Sabang. is there any last minute cut off time for the vans in the terminals traveling to el nido ?
As far as I know, last trip of the van is 7pm and it costs around P800. Bus is cheaper at around P600 (including trike to terminal from airport) but takes waaaay longer.
I highly suggest booking a transfer from Puerto Princesa to El Nido via Klook. It’s only P500, you can book it online (hence reserve your seat), and last trip is at 8:30pm. Here’s the link
hi..when is your trip?.. We are planning to do the same but coming from PPS..
so it means that its possible to do the underground river tour only? is it poasible to do anytime? bcos we will arrived at Puerto Princesa at 11am and we’re planning to do it at 1pm bcos we will leave the next day going to El Nido.
Hi Aleah. Thanks for all your information. I have limited time in PP arriving at 9:30 am from Manila. Do you know the latest available times for the cave entry as was hoping to do it on my own as arriving to late to catch a tour and leaving to early on a return flight to do the tour and make the flight. Appreciate your help. Thanks John
Thanks for posting this info; very helpful! 🙂
this is very useful information. Meron lang akong tanong— Meron mang lugar doon na pwede mapag iwanan ng mga gamit (backpack, etc..) and pag meron.. Magkano???
Hi I want to know if theres a tour that will start in afternoon? Or is there a chance for us to do UGR tour if we will arrive in PPS at 12:30nn
Tanong lang po…i will be travelling alone this september. I had a 1 week vacation so rather than staying at home eh puntahan ko na lang ang palawan. Panu po kapag solo traveller, do I have to rent the whole boat? Or pwede ako makijoin sa ibang group para mas makamura.
when are you travelling? I’ll be there from 16 to 19.
Great info! We plan to visit the underground river. We will be in Palawan for 2 nights only and I wanted to see the river and El Nido. We are arriving at 9:45 am so tours would have left by then. You have given me a great idea to rent a car and do the river by ourselves in the afternoon. We might spend the night in Sabang or drive to El Nido right after the river tour. What do you think? How long is the drive from Sabang to El Nido? We plan to stay in Corong-corong.
1800 all in or just entrance and boats to underground?
Fare going to sabang is not included in 1800? Pls clarify ty
Hi, so technically if you do a DIY tour, you don’t have to spend 8hrs in Sabang if the Underground river tour only takes 45minsutes, right?
Correct, but it also depends on when you’re going there. During the summer months (April-May), it will take longer as there will be more people. Plus if you’re relying on public transport, you may have to wait a while before you can get a ride. Best to DIY if you have your own car.
Interesting! When we went to Palawan (so many years ago, if I may add), the shuttle vans where on a per rent basis. It was so expensive, but the parents found another family that was willing to split the cost between us. The van toured us all over Sabang. It was so comfy (and also practical hehe)! 🙂
Yes, it really is best if you have your own car. Saves you a lot of time (and money)!
How much did the DIY tour cost? 🙂
Really great information and such a beautiful adventure. Hoping we can visit this paradise one day.
Plan for it! Palawan is worth it. 🙂
I love this! So useful, going to bookmark it for my next trip – 2018 pa January sigh. Can’t wait ??
Go go go!