Puerto Princesa

The underground Puerto Princesa River has found its place among the cave formations on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. It is the largest underground river on the entire planet and attracts a large number of tourists.

The Puerto Princesa River stretches for up to eight kilometers. The cave walls expand to 80 meters in height, and their width is about 140 meters. The river itself is a national park and is located 50 km from the city of the same name.

The interior of the cave is made up of multi-layered karst formations, which are represented in the form of various shapes that differ from each other in both shape and size.

Usually boats with tourists sail only one and a half kilometers, since access to the subsequent spaces, which are located both on the right and on the left sides of the main stream, is blocked by cave formations. There is also a strong lack of oxygen in the depths of the cave. The tourist route is accompanied by bats that hang from the ceiling of caves, right above the tourists' heads.

Boats with curious tourists constantly dock and leave the mouth of the river, who can also swim in the underground streams during the tour. You can swim strictly with the permission of the guide, in one of the caves, where the depth is about one meter.

For an underground river tour, you need to bring a powerful enough flashlight, since the cave is not equipped with electricity. All the underground beauties, including stalagmites and stalactites, can be seen under the light of your own lantern or the guide's searchlight lamp.

To make a river tour, you need to get a special permit from a travel company located near the village of Sabang. In the same place there is an opportunity to visit restaurants that are intended for travelers. Boats are usually rented, which are designed for five tourists. The rent for them must be paid at the marina itself. In this boat, travelers go to the beach to the mouth of the river, where the tour begins with the underground river of Puerto Princesa.

You can get to the caves on Palawan Island by plane. A ferry also runs here quite rarely. The most convenient mode of transport on the territory of Palawan Island is a jeep, which can be rented with or without a driver.