Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park: How to visit

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2011, so it’s no surprise that it features in many trips around the Philippines. Located in Sabang, a sleepy coastal village on the island of Palawan, it is one of the best-known activities in the Philippines and, for that reason, we’ve decided to tell you in detail what it is and how to visit the Puerto Princesa Underground River in the way that suits you best.

Keep reading and discover how to visit the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in as much detail as possible.

Table of Contents

What is Palawan’s Underground River?

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a protected area in the Philippines located in the Saint Paul (San Pablo) Mountain Range. It covers an area of more than 22.000 hectares and its geography is essentially made up of limestone mountains, forming a karst landscape.

It is a key area for the conservation of Philippine biodiversity. More than 800 types of plants, 165 bird species (67% of Palawan’s total), 30 mammal species (including long-tailed macaques and 9 bat species) and 19 reptiles can be found here (the most visible being monitor lizards).

Besides being a refuge for Palawan’s flora and fauna, as its name indicates, it contains the Subterranean River or Underground River, one of the longest rivers of its kind in the world. Flowing into the South China Sea, it is a little over 24 kilometers long, although only the first 8 are navigable. Travelers only cover the first 1.5 kilometers aboard paddle boats.

Inside the cave you can find thousands of formations typical of these ecosystems. You’ll see stalactites, stalagmites, decorated columns and huge chambers such as the Italian Chamber, which can hold a volume of 2,5 million square meters and is considered one of the largest in the world.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River Park has been managed by the Puerto Princesa government since 1992, but it reached worldwide fame when it entered the list of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2011. The other 6 are the Amazon, Ha Long Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo Island and Table Mountain.

Where is the Underground River?

Although its official name is Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, it is located in Sabang, a town northwest of the capital of the island of Palawan. More precisely, it is about 80 kilometers from the city and, therefore, it’s rare to take less than 2 hours to reach it (even longer if there’s traffic).

The entrance to the Underground River is located approximately 15 minutes by boat from the tourism office at the Sabang pier.

Here’s a map to help you better understand where it is:

What does a visit to the Underground River in the Philippines involve? Step by step

To visit the Underground River, a permit is required. You can obtain it either in Puerto Princesa, at the offices run by the people in charge of managing the park (we’ve marked their location on the map above), or in Sabang, at the office right on the pier from which the boats depart for the river. It’s advisable to get it the day before your excursion.

Whether you depart from Puerto Princesa or Sabang, as we’ll explain later, it will take you more or less time to reach the pier, but we all have to follow the same process: wait for our bangka, the traditional Filipino boats, to depart towards the entrance to the Underground River. They can carry up to 8 people.

Once you arrive at a beautiful beach and get off the boat, you just need to head to a small booth where they’ll ask for your various payment receipts. You can also pick up your audio guide in Spanish or the language of your choice here. Then walk just a couple of minutes along a lovely wooden boardwalk surrounded by vegetation and stay alert—it’s not unusual to see macaques and monitor lizards.

You’ll quickly reach the place where all the paddle boats with capacity for 8 people are located. Wait until it’s your turn while admiring the already impressive scenery. The cave entrance sits in a huge wall of limestone from which turquoise water flows.

When you get into the boat, you’ll need to put on one of the construction helmets you’ll see there. You’ll soon see that they’re not only protection in case you bump your head, but also very useful if some little creature decides to relieve itself on you. A staff member will check that the audio guide is working properly; you don’t need to worry about pressing any buttons, as it works on its own.

The route inside the river

It’s time to begin! The guide will row calmly, lighting up the places in the cave considered interesting. The audio is fully synchronized with the route, so you’ll hear facts that will surely surprise you.

Don’t worry, the river is very wide and it’s hard to feel overwhelmed. In fact, you’ll pass through huge chambers such as the Italian Chamber, where we were amazed by the sculptural columns crafted by nature. Around 20 minutes after entering, you reach the end of the navigable section, although, as you know, it could continue for another 8 kilometers.

On the way back, you’ll have time to appreciate the cave’s stalactites and stalagmites more closely. Try taking off the audio guide for a few minutes and enjoy the sound of the river and the gentle movement of the boat. About 45 minutes after entering you’ll start to see the light at the end and, surely with sadness to leave and joy at having enjoyed such a spectacular place, you’ll be back on solid ground.

Back to Sabang

Now you just have to walk back to the beach, get on the bangka and admire the karst landscape of this little slice of Palawan. Tell your bangkero to go slowly and show you the nearby beaches—they’re gorgeous!

If you have time or want a bit more adventure, you can do one of the stretches on foot along the Jungle Trail or Monkey Trail. These are two paths that take you to the Underground River entrance from Sabang. The route takes about 3 hours and, although it isn’t difficult, it must be done with a guide, who will explain the park’s fauna and flora. One note: you have to pay the full boat price no matter what, even if you only do one leg. In addition, you need to add the 200 pesos that the guide’s accompaniment costs.

To organize it, we suggest asking at the Sabang office, as they’ll give you all the necessary information. Sometimes these trails are closed for maintenance.

How to get to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park?

There are two ways to do the excursion to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park: from Puerto Princesa on a tour or from Sabang doing it on your own.

As with everything, each option has its pros and cons.

If you’re going to reach the Underground River from Puerto Princesa on the same day with an organized tour, it’s a bit more tiring, as each leg takes 2 hours. However, you avoid any hassle of looking for accommodation in Sabang, lugging suitcases around, you don’t have to organize anything, and, most importantly, you don’t have to devote a couple of days just to see the river. In other words, you go from Puerto Princesa, come back, and you’re ready to discover other places.

On the other hand, if you visit the Puerto Princesa Underground River from Sabang, you have the chance to spend a few hours relaxing on the town beach (which isn’t bad at all), it’s a bit cheaper, and you can wake up a little later.

We’re going to explain how to get to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park both ways so you can choose the one that suits you best.

The Underground River tour from Puerto Princesa: how it works, how much it costs…

If you’re in Puerto Princesa (here you can read How to get to Puerto Princesa) and want to take a tour to the Underground River, you don’t need to worry much because the agency will handle the permits, pick you up at your accommodation, take you to the departure point for the boats, make sure you enjoy the route and, of course, take you back to your hotel. In most cases, the Underground River tour also includes a buffet lunch.

On the other hand, as we’ll mention later, there are different types of tours that include other activities such as the zipline, Ugong Rock, or the mangroves. It’s up to you!

Schedules and prices for Underground River tours from Puerto Princesa

They usually start around 7:00, when people are picked up from their hotels in Puerto, and you’re normally back around 16:30.

Prices are around 2.000 pesos per person, but you have to pay an extra 150 pesos as an environmental fee.

Here you can book your tour to the Puerto Princesa Underground River and read other travelers’ reviews:

Book with Civitatis

Book with KLOOK

Perhaps you’re wondering whether you could do the Underground River tour on your own and return to Puerto Princesa. Yes, but to us it’s extremely tiring. Considering that the first van to Sabang leaves at 7:30, that it tends to be delayed a bit because they usually wait for other passengers, and that you would then have to wait in the line that’s common at the tourism office, it’s likely you won’t board a boat until 12:00 noon. Being late and without a “number” in the queue, you’ll have to wait even longer to enter the river.

Recommended accommodation in Puerto Princesa

If you want to share a room and meet people: Guni Guni Hostel
Something mid-range but nice: Amor’s Place
A small indulgence without going overboard: Canvas Boutique Hotel (with pool)

?️ You’ll find more recommendations in Where to stay in Puerto Princesa.

The Underground River tour from Sabang: how to get there, how much it costs…

If you’ve decided to stay in Sabang to visit the Underground River, first you have to get to this town. Usually you’ll be coming from Puerto Princesa, although you can also come from El Nido or Port Barton. The fastest transport is by van, and we explain it in detail (prices, schedules, and more) in How to get to Sabang.

Once there, we suggest going the day before to the tourism office located on the pier. There you can reserve your permit for the following morning. You won’t have to pay anything, just give your name. The office is open until 17:00.

After a night’s rest, we suggest going to the pier around 7:00–7:30 in the morning and waiting at the office door until they open. Try to get in before the travel agency staff to speed up the process, although there’s no need to stress. Bring an ID card, and this is when you’ll pay the entrance and the fees.

How much does the Underground River tour cost?

The entrance and fees are distributed as follows for adults:

Entrance: 500 pesos
Audio guide: 85 pesos
Environmental fee: 150 pesos
Terminal fee: 5 pesos

Subtotal: 740 pesos (children aged 3 to 12 pay 305 pesos and those aged 13 to 20 pay 381,50 pesos)

When you have all the necessary papers, just walk a few steps to the boarding area, where there’s a small office to pay the boat cost. This depends on how many of you there are:

Boat for 6 people: 2.100 pesos (350 pesos per person)
Boat for up to 10 people: 3.500 pesos

If you want to leave quickly without waiting for more passengers, you can pay for the 6-person boat in full.

Once you’ve paid everything, you’ll be assigned a boat number, which will take you to the river entrance. Afterwards, as we mentioned above, all you need to do is enjoy the route and, 90 or 120 minutes later, you’ll be safely back in Sabang.

Of course, there are also hotels and agencies in Sabang that provide agency services to visit Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, but we think it doesn’t make much sense. As you’ve seen, it’s totally possible to do it on your own without much waiting if you get up early. It’s straightforward and you’ll save money.

Recommended accommodation in Sabang

Something basic and cheap: Hill Myna Beach Cottages
A splurge: Sheridan Beach Resort & Spa (with the largest pool in Palawan)
Around Sabang: Atremaru Jungle Retreat

Tips for visiting the Puerto Princesa Underground River

Here are a few tips of our own to prepare your Underground River excursion—things we would have loved to know beforehand:

The best time to visit the Underground River runs from December to May, when the sea tends to be calmer. That doesn’t actually affect anything inside the cave, but it’s true that if there’s heavy swell, transfers between the tourism office and the river entrance are suspended. Even so, we recommend doing it at any time of the year.
If you’re staying overnight in Sabang, we recommend being at the tourism office around 7:00 in the morning so you won’t have to queue. “Fight” to get in before the agencies.
Bring a passport or some form of ID. Most of the time they ask for it to issue the permit.
You don’t need much preparation, as they will guide you and provide the necessary gear. However, we strongly recommend bringing a dry bag like this one. It will help protect your valuables on the boat and later on the paddle boat.
Try not to bring too much so you’re comfortable in the little boat—there isn’t much space. Do remember a bottle of water, though. We always carry our stainless steel one, which keeps water cold for 8 hours.
If you don’t want to go barefoot, wear flip-flops or footwear you can get wet, since you’ll have to get off the boat on the beach and then get into the little boat. For the same reason, it’s better to wear shorts so you don’t get too wet. You may also fancy a swim at the beach, so we suggest bringing swimwear.
Don’t open your mouth when you look up—seriously, you have no idea how many bats there are!
Try not to carry plastic bags because the macaques near the cave are obsessed with them and tend to steal them from people.

What else can you see besides the Underground River? Additional activities for your visit

There’s so much to do around Sabang! In our article What to do in Sabang we tell you more, but here’s a summary:

Simply enjoy the Sabang Beach, which is quite nice. With golden sand and very unspoiled, it’s a great opportunity to relax.
Spend a couple of days of total relaxation at top hotels like Sheridan Beach Resort & Spa or Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort, located on the beach with epic pools.
Hike the so‑called Jungle Trail to reach the Underground River entrance. It’ll take about 3 hours and you’ll learn more about the park’s fauna and flora. You can do the return by boat.
Walk to the Sabang Falls, waterfalls located right by the sea.
Launch yourself down the Sabang X Zipline, a zipline where you’ll fly over the sea. If you book through this link it’s almost 90 pesos cheaper.
Take a boat ride through the Sabang Mangrove Forest, the mangroves located next to the town of Sabang.
Explore the caves near Sabang: Ugong Rock and Hundred Caves.

If you’re staying in Puerto Princesa, you can combine some of these activities with your Underground River tour in a single excursion. You can book through these links:

In addition, if you stay in Puerto Princesa for more days, you can also do more activities such as:

Do an island hopping in Honday Bay. You can book on KLOOK or Civitatis.
See the fireflies on the Iwahig River. You can also book with KLOOK or Civitatis.
Explore nearby Nagtabon Beach, which is beautiful.
Swim with the whale shark in a respectful way if you’re traveling to the Philippines between April and October. In Where to swim with whale sharks in the Philippines we tell you more.
Stroll through the center of Puerto and dig a little into its history.

⭐ In our article What to do in Puerto Princesa you’ll find more information about these activities and a few more.

We hope we’ve helped! This article is just one part of our Puerto Princesa Guide and Sabang Guide. Take a look if you plan to stop in these destinations.

Do you have any questions about the Puerto Princesa Underground River tour? We’ll reply as soon as possible in the comments.