Sabang

May 2015: Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour in Sabang, Puerto Princesa, Palawan

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We arrived at Sabang for our Underground River Tour a little bit late so we got a queue number that would makenus wait for a significant amount of time. Our guide suggested that instead we bore ourselves to death, we could actually do some sidetrips in Sabang. We targetted the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour and Sabang X Zipline.

Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour in Sabang, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

We rode again the van then back on the road and turned right to a guarded gate. I already done the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour before (read here) and this is my first time riding a van to get there that’s why the gate is a surprise to me. It says on the gate that we would need to pay a fee for us to pass by (I forgot how much was it.) Our group paid the fee since we will be passing by the private road. We reached the road parallel to the shore of Sabang and the van turned onto another gate which we need to pay another 10 Pesos/person except when your are doing the Sabang X Zipline. Since we were passing by private properties we had to respect the owner’s decision to use their facility for a fee.

Finally we arrived at the starting point for the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour. Some of us decided to do the Sabang X Zipline (550 Pesos/person), while we decided to do the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour.

10:49 AM – We registered, paid the fee of 350 Pesos/person, then given our lifevests and were guided to where we will ride their paddle boat.

Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour in Sabang, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

When we were on the boat they first fetched umbrellas so that the sunlight would not be too much for us. They did not have this on my first visit to the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour.

Failed Attempt to trek the Monkey Trail to the Puerto Princesa Underground River, Palawan

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It was the morning after our visit to the Iwahig Firefly Watching. Our plan was to do the Underground River via Do-It-Yourself, lucky for us since we got to secure our permit from the Underground River Booking Office.

Failed Attempt to trek the Monkey Trail to the Underground River in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

We woke up early and checked out of our lodge in Puerto Princesa for us to catch the 7:30 AM trip to Sabang via Lexus Shuttle Services. When we arrived on their terminal, there were 2 caucasian guys (I forgot the nationality) that were asking if they could still get on the van. Since we all looked like backpackers it was easy for us to get to chat with them. We found out that they still do not have a permit to the Underground River. I told them that there was a way before to get inside the Underground River if they were staying overnight in Sabang, I’m just not sure if that way still exists. Luckily, there was a resort owner in Sabang that was riding with us that verified that they could still enter the Underground River as long as they stay in one of the accommodations in Sabang!

Ugong Rock Caving and Zipline in Tagabenit, Puerto Princesa, Palawan

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The Puerto Princesa Underground River is not the only cave you should go into when you go to Sabang Port. I also highly recommend that you try going inside Ugong Rock and break a little sweat as you push yourself upward to a cave.

I personally experienced this when we first visited the Underground River last October of 2010 via a daytour package.

I’m a couch potato can I climb Ugong Rock?

Definitely! But to make sure that you are healthy when you climb they now require that your Blood Pressure be taken before you can go up.

Is it hard to go up?

Not easy but not hard. The challenge is enough for you to break a sweat and to stretch your body a little.

Is the view amazing at the top?

Enough to make the 40 minute climb worth it.

Food Tripping in Sabang, Puerto Princesa, Palawan

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We arrived at Sabang around 9AM via Lexus Shuttle Service and we were hungry!!!

The 50 Peso Dingy Diner

My brother and I planned that on this trip we would try to do things as cheap as possible, so we first looked for cheap breakfast. We checked out a couple of diners but the cheapest they can offer is a 89 Peso meal which is actually really off our budget.

We decided to walk westward, away from the lodgings and try our luck there. After passing by the port, asking some locals and passing by small souvenir shops we arrived at a dingy diner which serves 40 Peso dishes and an additional of 10 Peso rice.

I ordered nilagang baka and my brother ordered chicken adobo. For 50 pesos each we had our fill that morning.

Chicken Adobo

The Tribal Lunch

After checking out some lodging at the west side of Sabang and visiting their waterfalls, we were thirsty and hungry again!!! We decided to try another diner and clumsily decided not to buy water since we were already looking for lunch.

Unfortunately, almost all the diners near Sabang Port are only service Eat-All-You-Can food for 200 Pesos. That’s way beyond our budget. We decided to keep on walking until we find cheap food.

Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour in Sabang, Puerto Princesa, Palawan

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My brother and I were documenting the eastern side lodging of Sabang when we saw the jump-off for the Mangrove Paddle Boat Tour. We were planning to do the tour early next morning but since we were already there, might as well go on with the tour.

We paid 150 Pesos each on their office, wore the life vest they gave us and rode the boat.

Ate Cristina during the start of our tour

We were accompanied by Ate Cristina and Kuya Cristofer as our tour guides, which was really fun because they explained almost all the detail of the Mangrove Forest and why they were proud to have it in Sabang.

Kuya Cristofer

Did you know that the Mangrove Forest serves as a filter and protective covering from the sea and the land?

The Mangrove Forest breaks the waves before it reaches the land. It also serves as a blocker for the strong winds during a storm. In fact, the tour still operates during a storm but not during a very strong typhoon.