2 days, 2 nights in Sabang, Puerto Princesa
Tips:
- You must obtain a permit before you visit the underground river in Sabang, there is a strict “no permit, no tour of the underground river” policy.
- For the underground river trip, it’s best to arrive at the pier early (around 8am).
- Sabang mostly operates on solar power, expect no electricity after sun set – bring a head torch!
- There are no cash ATMs in Sabang, so make sure you bring cash as the nearest cash point is 2.5/3hrs away in Puerto Princesa.
- Everything in Sabang is within walking distance, so there’s not herds of tricycles.
- I really recommend staying in Sabang for a couple of days, there is much more to the village than just the Puerto Princesca Underground River.
- Lexxus Shuttle has a terminal at Sabang pier and offers 3-4 trips to El Nido daily.
- If you have time, people were also visiting Port Barton from Sabang either by boat or bus, it’s meant to be a peaceful place to stay for a couple of days.
Fly in: Puerto Princesa International Airport.
Sleepy Sabang is a backpackers’s dream; think lazing in hammocks, happy hour at sunset and watching locals playing basketball on the beach. You always hear of people visiting El Nido or Coron, but hardly anyone ever talks about Sabang. This is what makes it so refreshing – it’s feels secluded and undiscovered, a true gem!
Hotel: Café Sabang
Café Sabang Rooms and Cottages is a budget travel inn. Powered by solar energy, it operates largely without electricity at night and is a very basic place to stay. There’s no wifi, the rooms are damp and there is no real toilet, but for an authentic experience, Café Sabang is the best place to stay.
It’s cute and charming, Mary (the owner) has a warm hospitable character. She’s really helpful when it comes to arranging tours and she knows everyone in the town.
They have private rooms with a good mosquito net – expect to be woken early by the sounds of geckos and cockerels – for us this became all part of the experience.
I’m more of a ‘hotel girl’ but I’m glad to say we were eco-friendly tourists on this trip!
Sabang is home to one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world: the underground river, 30 mins boat ride from Sabang pier.
Puerta Princesa Underground River
Sabang is known as “the gateway to the underground river”, throughout the day herds of tourists catch a bankga to explore the natural wonder. The best way to plan a trip is to stay in Sabang for a couple of days. Two nights is enough time to soak in the quiet atmosphere when the sun goes down, and admire the lush green scenery.
The underground river trip gets extremely booked up in advance and you need to get a permit before you visit. Permits are issued through the underground river office in Sabang. There is a strict “no permit, no tour of the underground river” policy. Our hostel organised this trip for us and made sure we got a space on one of the first boats – totally beating the crowds!
The cave itself is over 8km long. When you arrive, you transfer from the bangka into a shallow group boat. They supply safety helmets and an audio guide, great for explaining the stories behind the amazing rock formations.
Conservation of the ecosystem is given a lot of importance and the whole tour lasts around 45 mins travelling 4km into the cave. There are bats everywhere, mostly hanging upside down sleeping – keep your mouth closed to avoid any nasty drippings!
Sabang beach
The whole area surrounding Sabang is beautiful, huge dramatic mountains line virtually untouched white sandy beaches.
What’s really nice about Sabang is that it isn’t overrun with backpacker crowds, it is a serene spot to relax!
Sabang beach has been likened to Boracay, with white sands lining the shore, the only difference is that there’s no crowd, making this the perfect place for some down time.
Places to eat:
Sabang almost becomes a ghost town during the evening, a complete opposite to the daytime as most visitors only stay for the day. We liked the relaxed vibe, there’s some places playing music on the beach – one night we had a live band.
The Smoky Place offers the best vegetarian wood-fired pizza in Sabang, with candle-lit tables on the beach and a banging gin and tonic made with calamansi limes.
Our favourite evening meal was at Pawikan restaurant (the Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort) prices are more expensive but the food is served to perfection, and the surroundings are beautiful. It’s worth it for a special treat!
A daily must is buying a fruit shake from the vendors by the pier, you can make your own fruit combination or choose to add some rum if you’re feeling wild.
Before the underground river became a popular tourist destination, the town of Sabang did not have any hotels or resorts. It was a quaint fishing village with a handful of small cottages along the beachfront. It’s ‘rural’ vibe still exists, but there are signs of progress and development. Sabang has its own collection of resorts; Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa and Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort both offering more sophisticated accommodation in the same tropical paradise setting, depending on what takes your fancy you’ll either be looking at around £100 or £7 per night in Café Sabang.
Travel: Take a shuttle van from Sabang to El Nido, journey time is roughly 5.5hrs with a stop off in between. Lexxus Shuttle operates several trips daily from Sabang Port, the latest departing at 4.30pm.
Next stop: El Nido, Palawan Island
out of the office adventures 
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