Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

From WikiPilipinas: The Hip 'n Free Philippine Encyclopedia

Entrance to the Subterranean River

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located about 50 kilometers north of the city of Puerto Princesa in the province of Palawan, Philippines. It contains the renowned Subterranean River, thought to be the longest navigable underground river system in the world. The National Park is part of the Saint Paul Mountain Range situated on the northern coast of the island.

1 Geography
2 Tourism
3 Travel Advisory
4 New 7 Wonders of Nature
5 External Links
6 References
7 Citation

[edit] Geography

The park features a limestone karst mountain landscape, with an 8.2-kilometer navigable underground river. The cave contains stalactite and stalagmite formations, as well as several massive chambers. A distinguishing feature of this river is it winds inside the cave before emptying itself into the South China Sea.

The National Park is also a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation, as the site possesses a mountain-to-sea ecosystem. It is the home for most of the threatened and restricted-range birds of Palawan, such as the Palawan peacock-pheasant and the Philippine cockatoo. In relation to this, the park has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA), and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site as of December 4, 1999.

[edit] Tourism

Because of its natural wonders, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a key destination for local and international tourists alike. According to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development website, the park gets an annual income of about Php 5 million. This finances the maintenance, managed by the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) headed by the City Government of Puerto Princesa.

[edit] Travel Advisory

In order to get to the National Park, you must take the Puerto-Roxas road which goes all the way to Sabang, where the park is located. There are also daily buses which leave Puerto Princesa's San Jose bus terminal at 7am, and fare costs are at around Php 300. Two or three jeepneys also take the same route, leaving the terminal at the same time, but are cheaper at Php 200. Trips take three hours.

To explore the Subterranean River, one must secure a permit at the Tourist Information and Assistance Center at the Sabang pier. This costs Php 150 for Filipinos and Php 200 for foreigners. The office can also arrange boat transport to the river (round trip P700, 15 minutes). Then after a five minute walk to the actual entrance, you will be given a lifejacket and helmet, and assigned a boat and driver for the trip to the cave.

The boat ride takes you inside the cave for only about 5 kilometers, since beyond this the river becomes difficult to navigate. The round trip takes about 45 minutes. Cameras are allowed.

[edit] New 7 Wonders of Nature

The National Park is a nominee for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. On 7 July 2009, it was included among the top 77 ranks first in the nomination list. It qualified among the 261 national and multinational nominees during the second phase of the campaign to make it to the top 77. It also qualified among the 28 finalists in the third phase of the contest and is currently contending for a spot in the top 14 finalists. The final new seven wonders of nature will be declared in 2011.

The Philippines initially had four other nominees in the contest; the other three are Tubbataha Reef, the Chocolate Hills and Mayon Volcano.