Honda Bay, Subterranean River showcase biodiversity of Puerto Princesa.
In its capital city of Puerto Princesa, butterflies roam freely without being caught in smog. Skunks, Macaque monkeys, and monitor lizards are frequent habitués around the outskirts of the urban area. Townsfolk are even cautious enough to keep the sidewalks clean and vandal-free.
Here, Mother Nature is boss. “Itong paninda kong mga bracelet na gawa sa maliliit na bunga ng puno, tira lang’yan. Hindi kami pwedeng pumitas Para lang pagkakitaan (The bracelets I sell are made from discarded matter from trees. We are not allowed to just pick off from trees for livelihood),” says one tour guide of the mangrove trail. “Kong ano lang ‘yung tira ng kalikasan, ‘yun lang ang kinukuba namin (Whatever nature discards, that’s the only pieces we gather).”
His statement struck us the most. We were unaware that there was still this kind of spot in the Philippines until we had the PaX (Palawan Experience) Tour, offered by The Legend Hotel, Palawan.
Honda Bay
Our day began sunny and bright, and we all thought we could get our highly anticipated Palawan tan. Unfortunately, there was a low pressure area in Palawan on that day. Blissfully unaware of it, we headed out into the sea, excited to finally see the famous Honda Bay for ourselves.
Despite the huge raindrops beating on our faces, the strong cold wind, and the huge waves teetering our boat dangerously sideward, we still enjoyed our island hopping. Kuya Will, our super-energetic Honda Bay specialist, had to scream out his tour guide speech to us over the roaring winds. We heard very little of what he said but we managed to weed out the detail that Honda Bay is derived from a Spanish phrase, honda de agua, meaning “deep water”.
However, the deep waters of Honda Bay still welcomed us for a good snorkeling trip in Pandan Island. Kuya Will took us to the deeper part of the water for us to see the multicolored fishes as they fed on the bread we gave them. It was cool how the fishes came to us as we waved the bread around, like puppies attracted to a treat. The corals were also very much alive, swaying in sync with the current.
Our next stop was Snake Island, which to me was the best among the islands we passed by. If you want solitude, this is the island to be in. It’s just you, the sandbar that stretches 3 kilometers, trees, the sound of the waves, and the crystal blue waters, where you can just sit and meditate.
Boarding our boat, which has braved the waves for us, we slowly made our journey back to the port. But Kuya Will still has information for us. He told us the other names of the islands we passed by—Starfish, Adobo, Cowrie, Bat, and the famous Luli (Lulubog, Lilitaw).
The vast expanse of Honda Bay remains a mystery to us. It would have been nice to actually just pass by the other islands. But due to the bad weather and lack of time, we had to pack up and leave. However, the experience of island hopping in Honda Bay will forever be etched on our minds.
How to Get to Honda Bay
It only takes 15-20 minutes to get to the pier, either in a rented van or tricycle. In Puerto Princesa City, tricycles are all over the place, so it shouldn’t be that hard to get one to the pier. Once there, you could rent a boat which will take you to the different islands. Depending on the island, and the weather, the trip from island to island could take from about 20 minutes to about an hour. A good example was our trip from the pier to Pandan Island that took almost an hour. But Pandan to Snake Island took us only about 15 minutes. You must also remember that some islands require an entrance fee, while others are privately owned. So to avoid any hassles, make sure that you go to the islands that are open for tourists.
Saint Paul Subterranean River National Park
We always dread “last days”, except for this one. Armed with a car battery, a hand-held spotlight, a pint of courage, and a gallon of curiosity, we conquered one of the country’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Saint Paul Subterranean River National Park. As the quick-witted boatman paddled us along the river, we were then ushered to the solitary world of stalactites, stalagmites, fresh mineral water, and rows and rows of fruit bats—pungent-smelling fruit bats.
This dome-like creation that resembles St. Paul’s Cathedral (thus, its name) is also among the numerous areas in the country that are deemed biologically diverse. For one, it is home to majestic limestone karsts and, second, it has a huge assortment of flora and fauna, enough to excite any green-thumbed herpetologist.
Cave dissected
An eerie feeling enveloped us as we paddled deeper into the cave. With a mere 4-inch distance from our elbows to the dark and murky river itself, our minds couldn’t help but scare us with images of the unknown lurking deep under our boat, or perhaps, just beside us.
But luckily, we had one of the zaniest boatmans on the island that kept our minds off the scary things around. Each time he introduced a part of the cave, he did it with the most comical punch line—one that almost made us laugh ’till we tipped the boat over.
“Dito sa kanan ninyo ay makikita nyo ang vegetable section (On your right you will see the vegetable section),” the boat man pertained to the shaped stalactites. “May pipino, may upo, may tomato, may sibuyas at bawang din. Ang mga tubig na tumutulo ay mineral water, malamig di ba? Pero pag mainit na yan, nako, bat shit na ‘yan (There is a cucumber, bottlegourd, tomato, onion and garlic too. The water droplets are mineral water, it’s cold, right? But if it’s warm, that is bat shit).”
As our hilarious boatman paddled through the first half of the 8-km-long river, we were introduced to a series of formations such as that of a Belen, a giant button mushroom, a sexy lady, and a humongous melting candle. Of course, these awe-inspiring marvels did not just develop overnight. These stalactites and stalagmites grew centimeter by centimeter every year. Talk about Mother Nature’s artistic prowess.
How to Get to Subterranean River
This popular ecopark can be reached after a 2-hour drive from Puerto Princesa City and a 30-to 45-minute boat ride from Sabang Wharf. For independent travelers who are not booked with any travel agencies, they must first secure a permit from the Tourist Information Assistance Center, also located at the Sabang Wharf. After that, they may take either the bus or the jeepney. The latter takes the same Puerto Princesa–Roxas route that costs around Php200. Boat transfers cost around Php600 for a maximum of four to five persons. Cave entrance fee costs Php150 for locals and Php200 for foreigners.
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Tags: honda bay, huge waves, kalikasan, legend hotel palawan, subterranean river