Puerto Princesa

Puerto Princesa

The Palawan region is part of the western border of the Philippines and it faces the China Sea. The whole Palawan province has more than 1,700 islands (many of these are inhabited) and there are 23 municipalities and one city. This one city is the Puerto Princesa City. This city, which is the capital of Palawan, is located on the main island and is considered the central hub of all trade and commerce activities of the province. Yet, it is one of the cleanest cities in the country.

To reach Puerto Princesa, one may take a charter plane from Manila direct to Puerto Princesa. This is a one-hour and five minutes plane trip. But it will give the tourist a view of the numerous islands that comprise the Palawan region. Or the tourist may choose the more leisurely sea route aboard a ship of WG&A, which departs from the South Harbor of Manila every Friday. The ship ride will be luxurious and there will be plenty of activities aboard the ship that will make the 20-hour trip pass by unnoticed.

Being a prime tourist destination, Puerto Princesa has several hotels to choose from. Thus, it will be quite easy to find accommodations once the tourist reaches the island. Of course, making reservations ahead is still advisable.

To better appreciate the city of Puerto Princesa and understand its people, the tourist must first visit at least one of the museums. Within the city proper, there is the Palawan Museum which houses some artifacts of the Tabon Caves (where evidence of cave-dwelling human ancestors were found) and the antiques dug from Cuyo (a municipality of Palawan). This museum exhibits the history, culture, music, and art of Palawan. It is located in the Old City Hall Building, Rizal Avenue, and it can be accessed by a tricycle or a multicab.

If a tourist has an archaeologist’s blood burning in his veins, he ought to check out the Palawan State College Museum. This museum specializes in preserving and showcasing the archaeological artifacts and prehistoric diggings of the ancient ancestors of Palawan. There are also amazing fossils to examine and several crude tools to study so that one can infer about the lifestyle of the ancient inhabitants of Palawan.

Once a tourist understands the Palawang history and mythology, he should have a taste of it by exploring the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. This park features the world’s longest underground river and it is guarded by intriguing rock formations. There are also limestone-made amphitheaters that will drive one’s imagination wild about what could have happened in their bosoms thousands of years before. This Park, which is 81 kilometers outside the city proper can be reached via a Jeepney ride through Barangay Cabayugan to Sabang. From Sabang, one may take a 15-minute pump boat ride or take the more exciting 1 1⁄2 hour hike through the monkey trail towards the Underground River.