Ambot ah! Travel Blog

El Nido and Puerto Princesa Underground River Itinerary 8 days

Marcos — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:56 +0000

During the last week of November to first week of December, I traveled back to Palawan to revisit Puerto Princesa Underground River and El Nido found at the northern half of the mainland. During the first half of the trip, I traveled with my travel mates. We hired a travel agency (packaged tour) to take us to the PP Underground River and then three full days of beach/island hopping tours in El Nido.

On the second half of my 8-day itinerary in Northern Palawan, I traveled solo (DIY) in El Nido town proper and then back to Puerto Princesa to kick start my exploration of Tabon Caves in Southern Palawan.

Route map of 8-day El Nido and PP Underground River itinerary

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Entalula Island Lunch and fish feeding at Shimizu in El Nido

Marcos — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:00:34 +0000

Shimizu Island in El Nido, Palawan took me by surprise the first time I laid my eyes on its captivating beauty. It’s probably the most gorgeously surreal island in Bacuit Bay off the coast of El Nido.

Imagine a small white sand beach pocket sandwiched between two sentinel-like limestone cliffs that are bridged by a curtain of deep forest. Emerald green waters surround the island. Underwater, the sightings of colorful corals and diverse marine creatures are equally impressive.

Surreal beauty of Shimizu Island in El Nido, Palawan

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Beautiful Lagoons of Miniloc Island in El Nido, Palawan

Marcos — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:00:48 +0000

We finally set off to see the islands of Bacuit Bay in El Nido. The morning was shrouded by thick clouds hovering over the beautiful seascapes. Perfect clear blue skies didn’t greet us that day but we weren’t bothered because El Nido was beautiful under any light. If anything, it added to the exotic allure of the islands.

Packed and ready to go, we started walking towards our pumpboat service at around 9am. We had to wade through (mostly) ankle deep water for around 200 meters or so because the tide was too low for the boat to dock directly in front of Hadefe’s Beach Cottages, the resort where we spent the first two nights in El Nido.

Setting off to a full day of touring the islands of El Nido

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Breakfast at Calaan Beach. Planning an epic 3-day El Nido Island Tour

Marcos — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:35:02 +0000

It was finally time to see the beauty of El Nido, Palawan under daylight. Staying at Calaan Beach, a small cove north of the town proper, afforded us an open uncrowded view of Bacuit Bay.

Come sunrise, we woke up to a beautiful sight of cloudy skies hovering over the calm coast, limestone cliffs, and forested islands of Bacuit Bay. El Nido never failed to amaze me.

Walking out to see the view of Bacuit Bay in El Nido, Palawan

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My Packing Guilty Pleasure. Regatta Escape to Luxury Promo: Win a trip to Shangri-la Mactan

Marcos — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:08:40 +0000

Deciding on what clothes to pack for a long trip is always a careful and thoughtful process for me.

I usually start by putting together a pile of all the clothes that I would love to bring on the trip. More often than not, I end up with a pile too big to fit in my backpack. So, I start the process of eliminating less essential items or as I call them, “backpacking luxuries.”

I am guided with the lightpacking mantra, “If in doubt, leave it out!”

My clothes OC-ly folded into packing cubes.

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PP Subterranean River National Park Tour Palawan; PPUR to El Nido

Marcos — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:06:17 +0000

I traveled solo during my first visit to the Puerto Princesa Underground River in Palawan. I did it on a do-it-yourself (DIY) itinerary and to save on costs, walked the 5-kilometer jungle trail to the cave’s mouth.

It was one of those early moments when I got to experience how it is to “backpack” my way to exotic places in the Philippines.

I would still love to do the jungle trail over again but on my revisit to Palawan, me and my travel buddies took the more convenient package tour option.

I traveled to the same destination but the experience couldn’t be more different.

Traveling with friends to the Puerto Princesa Underground River

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Five Ways I Wear Headware that Keeps My Head Happy

Marcos — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:20:52 +0000

One handy travel accessory that I brought with me during my last few trips is a new product called Headware.

Headware is a stretchable fabric with a tubular shape, much like an elastic bandana. Seems simple right? That’s because it is! and I’ve been using Headware because of it.

I used my Headware mostly for its intended function, which is to keep my head happy. I loved that it is lightweight and packs really small yet can be worn in so many ways and useful in a lot of situations when traveling.

How Headware looks after taking it out of my day pack. Shot in Manukan Island, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

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La Tabacalera and Dinner at Johnny Moon Cafe in Laoag, Ilocos Norte

Marcos — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:30:30 +0000

La Tabacalera is a new dining and lifestyle center in Laoag, the capital city of Ilocos Norte. There were a handful of food and retail shops open during our visit. We spent dinner and the rest of the evening hanging out at La Tabacalera.

I get excited about developments like this (in towns and cities across the Philippines) because it means another cool place to hangout when I get to visit the area.

La Tabacalera added a cosmopolitan flavor to Laoag but not so much as to overpower its provincial charms.

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Surfing in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

Marcos — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 08:01:56 +0000

I couldn’t contain a sudden *gasp* of excitement when I found out we were suring in Pagudpud during Lakbay Norte.

Getting drawn into surfing culture thanks to movies like “Surfer Dude,” “Blue Crush,” and “Into the Blue” convinced me (and I know most people share the same sentiment) that surfing is one of the coolest things to do on this earth.

It was exciting to know that I may be one wipe out closer to actually learn how to surf!

Inching closer to surfing nirvana

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Blue Lagoon in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and Lunch at Kapuluan Vista Resort

Marcos — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:45:19 +0000

We were on our way to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. From the moment of wake on the long bus ride, I had been eagerly awaiting the final uphill road and sharp bend that would take us to the Blue Lagoon, a place I’ve been craving see under excellent weather.

I was impressed at how the Blue Lagoon retained it’s perfect-azure hued waters even under cloudy skies on my first visit to Pagudpud. This time, the sky was clear and the sun was peaking. it was the perfect time to spend the day at the beach!

I’ve built up high expectations and I was curious to discover if I would still be amazed when I got to see the Blue Lagoon again.

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