Sabang Underground River
31.01.2011
One of the best things about an unplanned schedule is that surprises come when you least expect them. We left El Nido for Puerto Princessa with not a lot of expectations and it was more a means to an end. We were flying out of Puerto to Manila but since we were here we reckoned we would visit the underground river in Sabang. The river has been Unesco World Heritage listed and is very popular with tourists. We only managed to gain a spot after showing our passports and airline tickets stating we were leaving the next day and having the hotel staff book for us. The drive there is pretty typical of any we've had in the Philippines, a mix of dirt roads, a thousand bends and break neck speed.
Sabang is a tiny coastal town that seems to be on the cusp of something big. The river brings people from everywhere but it seems like they don't know what to do with them after. It could offer so much more if money was pumped into the area. Nice spot all the same. The biggest surprise is the river. From the most unobtrusive entrance you are guided into the most amazing spectacle of limestone and sandstone carving created over millions of years. Some of the ceiling heights are over 65m and the natural beauty is breathtaking. We were under the impression that the thing to see was the river but that's just a means of travel through this place. The unexpected thing was the spectacle of colour and form. You end up being guided through for about 1.5 klm although the river continues on for more than 8klm. The guides are great seem to be really proud of their position and point out all the formations. It's eerie how lifelike some of the formations are. I posted a couple of photos but like any photo, just doesn't come close. Definately worth the trek. The Philippino's are lobbying for the river to become a new natural wonder of the world and with good reason.
Posted by mike1967 05:45 Comments (1)