At Sabang, on Palawan’s western coast, the landscape draws visitors toward a limestone ridge and a river whose lower reach is affected by the tide. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park protects this unusual meeting of cave, river, forest and coast. UNESCO describes an 8.2-kilometre underground river that flows directly to the sea; the lower section is brackish and responds to tidal movement. The park is not only a cave excursion but a protected watershed and a mountain-to-sea ecosystem.
The World Heritage property covers about 22,202 hectares in mid-western Palawan, roughly 76 kilometres northwest of Puerto Princesa City. Water dissolving limestone formed its caves, chambers and rock features, including caverns UNESCO says can reach 120 metres wide and 60 metres high. The public boat route explores only part of this much larger system.
