Pinoy Travel Pod | Explore Philippines

Shimizu Island in El Nido Palawan

2016-09-17T00:49:00.000+08:00

No island hoping is ever complete without snorkeling and enjoying the marine sanctuary El Nido has to offer. And there is no other place to be than doing it at Shimizu Island.

Shimizu is part of Tour A and it is one of the popular activities in El Nido, Palawan. It is also a perfect chill spot if you wish to stay longer at the beach line. Most of the time, you will spend your sumptuous lunch here with the delicious foods prepared by your guide.

Shimizu Island in #elnido, #palawan. To know why the island is named a la Japanese is to know the history that took place in the area. It’s not about World War II, but there is a significant event that took place in the island meriting it a Japanese name—a Japanese diver by the name “Shimizu” died while diving in the island’s underwater tunnel.#philippines #beachlife #beach #travelgram #itsmorefuninthephilippines #travelph #beaches #beach #travel

A photo posted by Kaiser of WayPH.com (@wayphilippines) on Sep 16, 2016 at 12:42am PDT

Shimizu Island will remind you of the movie “The Beach” by Leonardo Di Caprio only that it is located here in the Philippines and it has a shorted beach line. Add to that, the island is smaller. But the fine white sands, turquoise to deep blue sea, high limestone rocks with lush foliage and the vast marine life is truly world class. While snorkeling, you can feed the fish and try to identify the different fishes you can see. Add to that, it a perfect spot for picture taking whether for portrait or landscape purposes.

Naked Island Surigao Del Sur

2016-06-06T03:46:00.000+08:00

Naked Island is included on the itinerary if you booked a tour for Surigao. But in case you will have a tour here by your own, don't forget to check this small all white - called Naked Island.

From the name itself - all naked, means nothing in there except sand. And during high tide, this island is not visible. Huge waves are also expected in here. We were having a hard time going down from the boat due to huge waves.

We just stayed there for a while. We do swimming but due to big waves, the water pushed and pulled us as the waves splashed on the shoreline and expect deep water just few steps from the shore.

Enchanted River in Hinatuan Surigao del Sur

2016-05-25T23:58:00.000+08:00

Enchanted River is a very popular tourist spot in in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. Weekends and specially peak seasons, you can spot many tourist in here hence decreased the "enchantic" ambiance of the place - they said. The lagoon is so refreshing, water is cold and clear.

Still they don't allowed overnight stay on the resort. I also can't imagine myself swimming at night and sleeping in there, even though some says it's not enchanting anymore but I can still sense an enchantic feeling while swimming in there late afternoon, specially at the very corner - on the dark blue portion of the lagoon.

If you wear goggles and can see underwater cleary, it's really creepy. You can see large variety of fishes on the lagoon. The water is flowing and the current was a little bit strong when we got there.

The resort provides a vehicle service, transporting guests to the highway. Van and other private vehicles are not allowed to enter. Overall, Enchanted River is still enchanting as it is. Would love to come back again for the 3rd time.

Tinuy-an Falls in Surigao del Sur

2016-05-11T23:57:00.000+08:00

The beauty of Tinuy-an Falls remains the same as years passed by. Last time I visited the place was 2011 - check out here and still it's majestic. It was summer that time and due to El Nino, the fall curtians weren't that thick unlike when you visit it during rainy season. The falls is heavy and it looks much better.

This year 2016, our family planned a trip and decided to visit Surigao since many of my love ones haven't visited the place - so it's a go. As usual Tinuy-an Falls doesn't run out of tourists specially during weekends.

They made stairs to easily reach the other portion of the falls located at the top but be carefull as stairs are steep and slippery.

You can even go further at the top to see more scenic view. I remember when visiting before, there are lots of snakes around the corner of the falls and now snakes are nowhere to be seen.

We also enjoyed doing bamboo rafting to reach near the curtain of the falls. No one is allowed to go beyond the curtains because water were so strong and heavy. Rafting rental is 300 includes guide.

Sea Grass Beach Resort Samal Island

2016-03-30T22:53:00.000+08:00

Sea Grass Beach Resort is one of popular beaches in Samal Island. The resort was named Sea Grass because literally it has many sea grass. You can see it on the shallow portion. The resort has huge area where you can play volleyball. It has many cottages too. What I like about Sea Grass Beach Resort is it's relaxing ambiance, cool breeze and it has a diving area at the end of the catwalk.

Cottages are also spacious and it come also with service table and a long chair so you can arrange all your foods and things nicely.

Spacious ground near cottages. You can play volleyball, badmintion and can pitch tent around the corner. During peak season, that area is often a camping site.

They also have restaurant, serves affordable and delicous food, beverages and pica-pica snaks are available.

At the end of the catwalk is a diving area. Deep enough for diving activities. Around late afternoon, we enjoyed big waves splashing at the ladder below.

There are also cottages there but not ideal for overnight stay. At night, security guards do a roving to make sure no one is there. Kinda dabgerous if you are drinking liquor on that area and got drunk.

They also have two swimming pool. One near the restaurant and with slides. The other one is located on the top near entrance.

RATES

Entrance Fee
Adult (ages 12 and up) - Day Tour (Php80.00) Overnight (Php150.00)
Kids (ages 3-11) - Day Tour (Php40.00) Overnight (Php80.00)

Swimming Pool Fee - Php100.00/head (Adults/Kids)

COTTAGES/BEACH HUTS

Small Kubo (1-5 persons) - Day Tour (Php500.00) Overnight (Php750.00)
Medium Kubo (6-12 persons) - Day Tour (Php650.00) Overnight (Php1,000.00)
Large Kubo (13-20 persons) - Day Tour (Php950.00) Overnight (Php1,200.00)
Floating Kubo - Day Tour (Php1,000) Overnight (1,500.00)

Mini Function/Coffee Shop - Day Tour (Php2,000.00) Overnight (Php2,500.00)

DUPLEX ROOM (Closed) Php2,480.00
- Good for 2 persons
- With Air-con
- Colored TV with cable
- Hot & Cold Shower
- Free breakfast for 2
- Free use of swimming pool for 2
(Each room can accommodate up to 6 persons)
(Extra person - Php380.00/head with extra foam, pillow, beddings and blanket)

TENT RENTAL
Small Tent (2-3 persons) - Php250.00
Medium Tent (4-6 persons) - Php350.00
Large Tent (8-12 persons) - Php750.00
Canopy (open tent) with table and chairs - Php250.00

CORKAGE
Softdrinks - Php250.00 per case
Beer - Php250.00 per case
Lechon - Php300.00 each

BOOKING OFFICE
105 Lausing Bldg., Door 2 Roxas Ave., Davao City
Tel no. (082) 224-0116/(082) 284-0159
Telefax: (082) 224-1392
Mobile: 0927-8350299
Email Address: seagrassresort@ymail.com
Facebook: facebook.com/seagrassresort

A Must Try Ilocano Foods When You Visit Ilocos

2016-02-10T23:29:00.000+08:00

What are your favorite Ilocano cuisine? Ilocanos are known for best vegetable dishes like dinengdeng and pinakbet but there are also other delicous Ilocano foods that will surely captivate your heart.

Bagnet

A crispy looking meat. Super tasty and mouth watering. Some variations of this are tender and some cooked it very crunchy like chicharon. I like the original version - crunchy skin and tender inside. Try this one, very recommended.

Poque-Poque Pizza

Pizza is one of my favorite but I was shocked when I heard their pizza has pinakbet, longanisa and poque poque(what's that) flavor. I mean seriously? I can't imagine eating pizza with bagoong as sauce.

And then we decided to try. We dine at Saramsam Restaurant. The waitress said, poque poque is the best seller pizza. So we tried one.

Poque Poque Pizza

And the taste..tada! Amazingly delicious! The sauce is bagoong and it tasted good and itblend on the taste of the pizza toppings. Thumps up! I also recommend this one.

Pinakbet Pizza

We also tried Pinakbet pizza, I also cannot believe that it taste very well. It's delicious too! There are other variations like Pizza Longanisa, Pizza Bagnet, but we cannot consume all of those. :D Next time, for sure I will come back.

Pinakbet Pizza

Dinakdakan

This one is a must try too. It's ingredients mostly are mascara ( pig's face), liver and some include pig's brain. Yummy or yucky? Yucky if you think all of those parts over and over but I can assure you that it is very yummy!

Dinegdeng

A vegetable recipe which will balance if you eat all of the above. A must try also.

Empanada

We bought empanada near Paoay Church. Orange colored and stuffed with egg and meat inside. Taste is okay. 5 out of 10. :D

Dragon Fruit Ice Cream

The best ice cream! You can find this creamy dragon fruit ice cream at Saramsam Restaurant. For sure other restaurants are selling this also. A must try, very creamy, very dragon fruity :D

Longganisang Iloko

Longganisa in Ilocos is very different to the usual longganisa. Stuffed with less pork fats and seasoned so well. Very tasty and not so oily.

Places to visit in Ilocos
Hidden Garden of Vigan City
Baluarte
Paoay Church, Bantay Church Bell Tower and Laoag Sinking Bell Tower
Burgos Museum, Marcos Museum, Crisiologo Museum, City Jail Art Museum and Juan Luna Shrine
Pagburnayan Jar Making
Malacañang of the North
The Heritage Village
Calle Crisologo
Patapat Bridge
Bantay Abot Cave
Bangui Windmills
Hannah's Beach Resort
Kapurpurawan Rock Formation
Suba Paoay Sand Dunes

Tour Ylocos Travel Agency
Brgy. 1 unit 14 que Sagisi Building, Bacarra, Philippines
0919 326 3000
0932 881 2061

tour.ylocos@facebook.com
tour_ilocos@yahoo.com

https://twitter.com/tourilocos
https://www.facebook.com/tour.ylocos/

Sand Boarding on Suba Paoay Sand Dunes

2016-01-29T22:52:00.000+08:00

Sandboarding! Finally, the awaited event before our day 2 tour ends. We consumed our afternoon time in Suba Paoay Sand Dunes doing 4x4 adventure and sandboarding.

ATV rides are also available but I recommend 4x4 ride because it is more adventure. Promise, you'll never forget your 4x4 experience here.

Photo taken after battling on the bumpy road

4x4 Adventure is more expensive than ATV but it offers longer ride and free unlimited sandboarding. We were 5 on the group and started by riding at the back of the 4x4 wheeler and enjoy the superb bumpy ride.

Sahara dssert..mehehe

Sands..sands..sands everywhere, it looks like a deserted in Middle East.

Photoshoot..sand and beach and 4x4 wheeler

Here is the base for sandboarding. Get ready to eat sand! I mean be prepared to get dirty nyahaha.. Unlimited sandboarding, you can do all you want, sitting, standing on board but of course with precaution.

Sandboarders all the way down

Remember, don't push yourself, if you can't do it, don't do it, this activity might cause you injury. as beginner, try the sitting position.

Done 4x4 and we are about to do sandboarding

On our way back to main base

With my travel buddy

With my newly meet friends

Sunset...

Kapurpurawan Rock Formation

2016-01-14T22:51:00.000+08:00

One of the most awaited tourist attraction listed on our itinerary was the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation. Those rock formation are 100% natural caused by strong wind.

When you touch and wipe the surface of the rocks, you'll noticed that some sand falls out. It is not the typical rock type I have on mind when I see those formations. According to the guide, those are really sands and were formed by the strong wind. The wonders of nature as we speak.

Those smooth surface of the rocks were formed by strong wind. They are really awesome.

We also enjoy horse back riding. It's a worth ride from base up to the last formation of Kapurpurawan and going back to base. The tour/horse guide was also nice to take photo shoots all the way.

Bangui Windmills, Pagudpud Ilocos Norte

2015-12-09T22:51:00.000+08:00

The famous Pagudpud road signage. We stop over here and took some photos. We are entering Pagudpud to witness Bangui Windmills and Kapurpurawan Rock Formation.

Pagudpud's power source, the Bangui Windmills. They are more captivating on a closer look as you can see how big each windmill is. These windmills are storm proof, awesome!

Bangui Windmills

Due to strong wind, the waves are also strong. Cannot enjoy swimming. There are old news of unfortunate person who was drowned. So be very careful taking photos with huge waves as background, waves might caught you.

A close look of windmills

Hannah's Beach Resort Pagudpud Ilocos Norte

2015-12-06T22:19:00.000+08:00

Down that curvy high mountain lies a wonderful beach with a curving shoreline. You can find numerous beach resorts in here.

Our tour guide recommend Hannah's Beach Resort. We have our lunch here. Affordable choices of food and they will cook it for you as you order.

A nice view of curved shorline

Colorful small cottages

Patapat Bridge and Bantay Abot Cave in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

2015-11-17T22:50:00.000+08:00

Bantay Abot Cave

A cave down the road called Bantay Abot Cave. Actually it's really a cave. According to our guide, long time ago that was a hill and due to earthquake, the hill fell down and left a hole in the middle. Passing through that hole, you'll see a strong waves hitting the large form of rocks on top.

A view from the high rock is a shallow ocean with waves rushing on bottom rocks. Not a good place to swim due to strong wind, waves and rocks.

A great view of mountains for the hole

Patapat Bridge

Patapat Bridge is a long winding bridge on the bottom of the mountain. a nice curvy view of mountains above the ocean below.

The Heritage Village in Vigan City

2015-11-08T22:47:00.000+08:00

The Heritage Village in Vigan City is a must see. As you can see, the architecture are all vintage. Made of wood, a look and feel that will bring you back to Rizal's time.

The most famous on Heritage Village is Calle Crisologo. The streets are bricks made, the lamp post on streets are also vintage. The benches and everything are all amazing. Going there, you'll feel like you are in Spain.

Calle Crisologo

I was amazed when I saw Greenwich, Max and other restaurants are all on vintage shape. Here you can see many kalesa.

It is truly an amazing feeling being on that place. Great places and amazing people.

As we stroll down on the Heritage Village, we saw some nice houses. Like this one, it was renovated into a little modern look but still they maintain the ancestral look.

Another eye catching red building. It looks so nice.

A great experience riding on kalesa. Affordable price. Kuya is very kind, in fact all of Ilocano are very kind.

We tried to dine in here and ordered longganisa. A must try Ilocano longganisa version. Taste very different than the usual longganisa.

Foods like corn, bagnets, longganisa and many other delicacies can also be bought here as well as souvenirs.

Malacañang of the North

2015-11-05T22:50:00.000+08:00

A place that brings me back to my grandma's time and place. Ilocos ancestral houses and buildings are amazing as they kept the ancestral look to it.

I remember my grandmother's house, the walls, grills, flooring. All vintage. And as we enter inside, it was much more amazing.

An elegant historic architectural design. The kind of house that is old but elegant, clean and organized furniture, not creepy but I'm sure I don't want to stay there alone at night. :D

Pagburnayan Jar Making, Liberation Blvd, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

2015-10-20T22:47:00.000+08:00

Pottery is simply amazing. From clay they can form a beautiful pots and jars. It is a great form of art and handicrafts.

Inside, we tried to mold a jar. It is easy to look at but at first, it's hard. You need to stable your hands to maintain a curve on your molding.

Jar making on actual footage

Ilocos National Museums: Burgos Museum, Marcos Museum, Crisiologo Museum, City Jail Art Museum and Juan Luna Shrine

2015-10-09T23:02:00.000+08:00

Famous in old churches, Ilocos also never failed to amazed me on their museums. You can find many historical stuffs in here, great for learning about Philippine history.

Burgos Museum

Marcos Museum

Crisiologo Museum

City Jail Art Museum

They turned an old city jail into a amusing art museum.

Old city jail in Vigan City

Nice collection of arts

Juan Luna Shrine

Ilcocos Old Churches: Paoay Church, Bantay Church Bell Tower and Laoag Sinking Bell Tower

2015-10-02T22:46:00.000+08:00

Ilocos is very rich in historic attractions including churches. Their old churches are all stunning. They are famous because of its distinct architecture called earthquake baroque.

Earthquake baroque architecture was designed against earthquake.

Paoay Church, Ilocos Norte

The Saint Augustine Church, commonly known as the Paoay Church, is the Roman Catholic church of the municipality of Paoay, Ilocos Norte in the Philippines.

Paoay Church, Ilocos Norte

Bantay Bell Tower was also made the same architectural design with Paoay Church. They are considered as the landmarks of Spanish colony in the Philippines.

Bantay Church Bell Tower, Ilocos Sur

Another very famous is the Sinking Bell Tower in Laoag. It is originally called St. William's Cathedral in Laoag City and earned the name Sinking Bell Tower because literally it is sinking. The tower was built on sand and due to it's heavy load, it is sinking little by little on the ground.

The Bell Tower is 45-meter and was built by the Augustinians in 1612 and believed to be the tallest bell tower in the Philippines.

Sinking Bell Tower in Laoag

Baluarte Vigan, Ilocos Sur

2015-09-20T22:42:00.000+08:00

Baluarte is the recommended tourist attraction in Vigan City. It is a huge place, a zoo and a park. You'll see animal sculptures too. You can do horse back riding here, it's fun!

Another interesting to do in Baluarte is the photo encounter on different animals. And of course we choose the daring encounter with the Tiger.

It is a little bit scary as we go closer to the tiger, we hear him roar! I know animals like this should not be exposed too much to people. They have their own habitat. The tiger has many visible beat marks, so sad.. This will be my last photo op with wild animlas mehehe

They have souvenir shop. You can help them buy buying souvenirs.

Hidden Garden of Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

2015-09-14T22:17:00.000+08:00

I fell in love with Ilocos. This is the best place and my favorite of all the places I traveled so far this year. It's like I was in Madrid. You can feel the historical ambiance as you look everywhere in Vigan City.

From my home place - Davao City, I traveled so far to reached Laoag. It was a 8 hours travel by land. We left Manila 12:00AM then arrived at Vigan City around 8:00AM. But we reached to our first destination around 9:00AM.

The Hidden Garden was the first place we visited. Good thing it was a restaurant, we have a nice break and sumptuous breakfast.

The place is very relaxing and cool. If you love plants, flower and garden, you will appreciate it's beauty.

They are selling bonsai plants, all adorable and affordable. I actually bought one bonsai plant.

This was our breakfast, Ilocos all time favorite - Bagnet. At first sight, it looked like crispy pata without bones. It looks crunchy but it's not. It is a little bit tender and the skin is a little bit crunchy. Another favorite food!

I will continue posting our Ilocos tour this week. Thanks for reading!

PS: To those who are asking, we made a booking on Tour Ylocos Travel Agency before our Manila flight. It was a public group tour. That time we are only 2 so we joined the other group. Tour Ylocos will arrange a van to pick up guests at MOA terminal in Pasay.
Places to visit in Ilocos
Hidden Garden of Vigan City
Baluarte
Paoay Church, Bantay Church Bell Tower and Laoag Sinking Bell Tower
Burgos Museum, Marcos Museum, Crisiologo Museum, City Jail Art Museum and Juan Luna Shrine
Pagburnayan Jar Making
Malacañang of the North
The Heritage Village
Calle Crisologo
Patapat Bridge
Bantay Abot Cave
Bangui Windmills
Hannah's Beach Resort
Kapurpurawan Rock Formation
Suba Paoay Sand Dunes

Tour Ylocos Travel Agency
Brgy. 1 unit 14 que Sagisi Building, Bacarra, Philippines
0919 326 3000
0932 881 2061

tour.ylocos@facebook.com
tour_ilocos@yahoo.com

https://twitter.com/tourilocos
https://www.facebook.com/tour.ylocos/

North Bound Preparation

2015-08-20T03:13:00.000+08:00

I can't wait to set my feet on one of the local place I've been dreaming off - Ilocos. Gotta need to taste their best foods like Bagnet and Pizza Pinakbet. Weird right? Pinkabet on pizza but I know it surely taste good as it is one of the recommended dish to try.

So preping things up and hopefully weather is good.

I'll keep you posted about my Ilocos tour! Ciao!

Recommended Place to Dine and Stay in Puerto Princesa Palawan

2014-12-10T22:14:00.000+08:00

Kinabuch Bar & Grill

Ugong Rock Grill & Seafood Bar

Bilao at Palayok Restaurant

Stay at Go Hotel

For Bookings and Reservation

Gulliver's 24/7 Travela nd Tour

2nd Floor Moraga Building, Rizal Avenue

Corner Lagan Street, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

Phone: (048) 723-3218 / 723-8649 / 434-8649

Email: gullivers_24_7@yahoo.com / gogullivers02@yahoo.com

Individual Tour Packages

City Tour - 600.00/head

Honda Bay Island Hopping - 1,500/head

Underground River - 1,600/head

Optional Tours

Estrella Falls - 1,600/head

Dos Palmas - 1,840/head

Firefly Watching - 1,100/head

Kamia Bay - 1,600/head

Day 3: Honda Bay Island Hopping: Pambato Reef Snorkeling, Luli Island and Cowrie Island

2014-11-07T16:00:00.000+08:00

On day 3, we do Honda Bay Island Hopping, includes Pambato Reef, Luli Island and Cowrie Island. This time, we were added to a new group of travelers with the same destination to us. A nice chance to meet new friends.

Meet our new travel buddies

We stopped at gear rentals. We rented snorkel set (because I left mine at home) and water shoes.

Pambato Reef

We do short swimming and snorkel in here. We see many corals, fishes and non sting jellyfish. Indeed Palawan is very rich in marine life.

Luli Island

It means "lulubog-lilitaw" island. This is our 2nd stop. We had a sumptuous lunch here prepared by our tour guide.

Cowrie Island

Our last stop is the Cowrie Island, located within Honda Bay and it's about 8 kilometers northeast of Puerto Princesa City. It was named after the small-to-large sea snail, marine gastropod mollusc they call "cowrie".

A nice resort which is ideal for long term vacation and relaxation. It has fine white sand. They offer many water activities, they have bar and restaurants and they have massage service.

We do snorkeling and we encounter many fishes. You can also feed them and they will gather around you. You can also rent kayak and jetski. I like Cowrie Island over the 3 islands we visited in Honda Bay.

Before we leave, our guide took some photos using the sand castles. I never though those sand castles were meant for photo souvenirs.

For Bookings and Reservation

Gulliver's 24/7 Travela nd Tour

2nd Floor Moraga Building, Rizal Avenue

Corner Lagan Street, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

Phone: (048) 723-3218 / 723-8649 / 434-8649

Email: gullivers_24_7@yahoo.com / gogullivers02@yahoo.com

Individual Tour Packages

City Tour - 600.00/head

Honda Bay Island Hopping - 1,500/head

Underground River - 1,600/head

Optional Tours

Estrella Falls - 1,600/head

Dos Palmas - 1,840/head

Firefly Watching - 1,100/head

Kamia Bay - 1,600/head

Ugong Rock Adventures

2014-10-02T16:00:00.000+08:00

Want to add some cardio on your itinerary in Puerto Princesa Palawan? they try Ugong Rock Adventure. It's a cave adventure where you need to climb high rocks and reach the top of the cave. You have two options going down - zipline or manually descend to reach down again.

First, they do a short briefing to us about dos and donts when inside the cave. After going through information center, we then proceed to gear station.

They provided us with hard hat and gloves. The gloves are for the protection of stalagmites and stalactites. Once we touch them with bare hands, they will die as our hands produce oil and sweat.

According to our guide, they call it Ugong Rock because there are some stones that creates a sound if you slightly hit them.

The cave holes are narrow, needs to position your body according to the shape of the hole so you can get inside. It was a breathtaking climb we had during our trip, that caused us to have muscle pain the next day.

When you reached the top, you have two options going down - zipline or manually descend down again. The zipline is only 100 meters and the fee is 300.00. It's like 10 minutes zipline to reach the base camp. By riding their zipline, you are also helping them to support this spot for tourism.

The 2nd option to exit is to take the trail going down. Don't worry, you can found a lot of guides inside that will help you on your struggles. But be very careful, the rocks are sharp.

To add more adventure, we choose to take the trail going down. It's much easier to descend, no sweat haha and until we reach a very steep area, glad the guides are experts. I experienced muscle pain day after this adventure :D You must try this too!

For Bookings and Reservation

Gulliver's 24/7 Travela nd Tour

2nd Floor Moraga Building, Rizal Avenue

Corner Lagan Street, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

Phone: (048) 723-3218 / 723-8649 / 434-8649

Email: gullivers_24_7@yahoo.com / gogullivers02@yahoo.com

Individual Tour Packages

City Tour - 600.00/head

Honda Bay Island Hopping - 1,500/head

Underground River - 1,600/head

Optional Tours

Estrella Falls - 1,600/head

Dos Palmas - 1,840/head

Firefly Watching - 1,100/head

Kamia Bay - 1,600/head

Day 2: Puerto Princesa Underground River

2014-09-11T15:59:00.000+08:00

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park or known as The Palawan Underground River was one of the main highlight on our Palawan tour. We took a package from Gulliver's 24/7 Travel and Tour because you cannot go there without booking first.

I recommend to stay in Go Hotels, at the lobby you can find Gulliver's Travel and Tour boot. At night, they left us a note regarding the pick up time for tomorrow's tour. A very nice service. They picked us up from the hotel around 7:00AM.

Our tour guide - Kuya Alfred

Our guide was the best. His name is Alfred. I can see that he really love his job, he is happy to introduced the city to us. The history and all did-you-know facts. He has humor also which makes our long trip not boring.

We are going North, to Brgy. Cabayugan, 2 hours travel from the city.While on the road, our tour guide said that Puerto Princesa is described as a "City in a Forest" and is 1,500 meters above sea level. Palwan has 10,780 islands/islets and over 1M population. We passed by the Cleopatra Needle known as the highest mountain peak in Palawan.

Meet our travel buddies

We arrived at last after a long time of waiting from the ticket boot and boat port. It was raining again on our 2nd day of tour. And the tourists were superb many - we cannot find any vacant seats while waiting for our turn to go inside the cave.

A nice view of the cave entrance

We go around the place while waiting for our boat. We spotted nice views from the left side of the island.

It was fascinating to see the inside of Underground River. Different forms of stalagmites and stalactites. Inside forms and shapes are like abstract. You can use your mind to see different images. It is such amazing how nature works and I understand why Palawan Underground River was provisionally chosen as one of the 2011's New 7 Wonders of Nature.

For me it looks like a T-rex, sometimes the left side looks like

an "Alien" from a movie.

The Underground River tour lasted like 30 minutes. It was fun!

For Bookings and Reservation

Gulliver's 24/7 Travel and Tour

2nd Floor Moraga Building, Rizal Avenue

Corner Lagan Street, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

Phone: (048) 723-3218 / 723-8649 / 434-8649

Email: gullivers_24_7@yahoo.com / gogullivers02@yahoo.com

Individual Tour Packages

City Tour - 600.00/head

Honda Bay Island Hopping - 1,500/head

Underground River - 1,600/head

Optional Tours

Estrella Falls - 1,600/head

Dos Palmas - 1,840/head

Firefly Watching - 1,100/head

Kamia Bay - 1,600/head

Butterfly Eco Garden, Tribal Village, Baker's Hill Palawan and Binuatan Creations

2014-08-29T15:58:00.000+08:00

Butterfly Eco Garden and Tribal Village

Next stop is the Butterfly Eco Garden and Tribal Village. Entrance fee is Php 25.00. You can see different butterfly species, scorpions, bearcats and other animals.

Tribal Village shows us their different hand made musical instruments. You can also donate to help them develop their culture more.

Baker's Hill

I thought this was an ordinary bakeshop or pasalubong center. Baker's Hill is more than that. They have huge park inside. They have beautiful garden, sculptures, peacocks and many nice spots.

The bakeshop is located at front. Many delicious pasalubong. The famous is the Hopia. Others are yummy too!

Binuatan Creations

Last destination is Binuatan Creations. In here you can see how they made their native bags using field grasses. They will also teach you how to weave the grass.

Outside, they are selling their handricrafts. All made of field grass from bags to coin purse. Isn't it amazing to see all of these products are made of dried grasses.

For Bookings and Reservation

Gulliver's 24/7 Travela nd Tour

2nd Floor Moraga Building, Rizal Avenue

Corner Lagan Street, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

Phone: (048) 723-3218 / 723-8649 / 434-8649

Email: gullivers_24_7@yahoo.com / gogullivers02@yahoo.com

Individual Tour Packages

City Tour - 600.00/head

Honda Bay Island Hopping - 1,500/head

Underground River - 1,600/head

Optional Tours

Estrella Falls - 1,600/head

Dos Palmas - 1,840/head

Firefly Watching - 1,100/head

Kamia Bay - 1,600/head

Day 1: Palawan City Tour, Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center

2014-07-04T15:56:00.000+08:00

Another travel destination was recently checked on my bucket list. It was rainy when we arrived at Puerto Princesa early afternoon. We checked in at Go Hotels and it's free pick up from the airport. First thing I noticed was that the people in Palawan are very nice, kind and friendly.

We do malling while hoping the rain would stop and fortunately it did stop. Out first plan was to do City Tour. I recommend hiring tricycles if you are a solo traveler or in a small group. Puerto Princesa's main transportation is tricycles, no taxis in here. Outside Robinson's Mall, there are lots of tricycles, we negotiate drivers and agreed on Php 600.00 for city tour. That includes all city spots that Palawan Tourism offers.

Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center was our first destination. In here you can see the fossil and skin of the largest crocodile in the Philippines named Rio. After Rio died, another huge crocodile was captured and was named Lolong.

According to our tour guide, the reason Rio died was because of stress. We are prohibited to use camera flash when taking photos to crocodiles.

They also have hatching area where small crocodiles can be seen. When making a bag made of crocodile skin, they don't use skin of a large crocodile because it hard, thick and difficult to sew.

Palawan is also famous in selling crocodile meat. Most of restaurants in Puerto Princesa City serves crocodile sisig. A must try - it's very delicious!

After the tour, we allowed to take photos holding crocodiles. They are truly cold blooded - and heavy. Don't worry, it's mouth was sealed, it can't bite. Hope this crocodile wasn't stress.

They also have a huge zoo. Jungle type zoo because you need to walk yards by yards under the trees and green leaves before you can see another cage of different animals.

Tour guides will not go with you if you tour on the jungle zoo. There are signage thou so don't worry, you won't get lost.

On the exit, you can find many souvenir shops. T shirts, key chains. fans, bags and many more for a very affordable price.

Here's the entrance fee. You need to pay the fees if you hired a tricycles for city tour. Other tour package includes the fees.

For Bookings and Reservation

Gulliver's 24/7 Travela nd Tour

2nd Floor Moraga Building, Rizal Avenue

Corner Lagan Street, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

Phone: (048) 723-3218 / 723-8649 / 434-8649

Email: gullivers_24_7@yahoo.com / gogullivers02@yahoo.com

Individual Tour Packages

City Tour - 600.00/head

Honda Bay Island Hopping - 1,500/head

Underground River - 1,600/head

Optional Tours

Estrella Falls - 1,600/head

Dos Palmas - 1,840/head

Firefly Watching - 1,100/head

Kamia Bay - 1,600/head