I have been to Sabang many times over the last 10 years, always having stayed at Dab Dab Cottages. This time I included a one night stay in the beautiful nature park resort called Bambua, a ten minute walks from the Sabang beach.

Besides being a visually beautiful place, Sabang is also the gateway to the world heritage listed Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. (It was previously called the St. Paul's Underground River.) Probably more than ninety five percent of all the visitors to Sabang take a day trip from Puerto Princesa, staying long enough only to have lunch and experience the 45 minute underground river trip. The sleepy little village of Sabang transforms daily into an overcrowded car park when sometimes over 50 tourist vans arrive from Puerto Princesa. With up to eight people per van, the place often swarms with tourists around lunch time. By mid afternoon, most of the vans have left and Sabang returns to its quite self. At sunset, when the air turns cooler, there is a soothing tranquility that takes over as village life returns to normal and children come to play in their reclaimed streets. Sunrise takes on an equal calm, but all that changes again by 8AM when the first of day trippers arrive for their underground river excursion. Consider at least a one night stay in Sabang and experience its quiet beauty.

Most of the tourists that I have spoken to who went on a daytrip package had wished they included at least an overnight stay in Sabang. There is plenty of accommodation to choose from and plenty of things to do and see to keep you here for at least a few days and more. On this May 2009 trip, I spent 6 blissful days in Sabang

The last two years have seen a rapid growth in the number of visitors to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. During the peak season, those numbers often exceed the capacity of the park. On the May 1, 2009 public holiday, there were 800 visitors to the park which has a maximum capacity of 560 visitors per day. A British tourist staying in the same Puerto guest house as me told me that on that day, he had to wait 7 hours at the pier to get his turn on the tour. It is not often that bad but just expect long delays on public holidays during the peak season. Outside of the peak of the season, there is usually minimal waiting for the river tour.

 Underground River Day Tour Package From Puerto Princesa

If you want to do the underground river tour in a day, then the only reliable way to do it is to take the tour package from Puerto Princesa. It is P1500 fixed price and includes all costs including hotel pickup, park entrance fees and lunch on the beach. Any guest house or hotel will gladly book this for you. If the park is not too busy, you can expect the whole trip to take about 7 hours. Filipinos should be able to argue for a P50 reduction because the park entrance is P50 cheaper for them - try it.

The journey starts with an 80km drive to Sabang. The first half of the drive is north along the East coast to Salvacion. There will be some beautiful views of Honda Bay,  From Salvacion you will cross Palawan to the South China Sea, passing through native forests and many small villages. The road to Sabang  is almost completely cemented now, so the drive is no longer arduous.

Making your own way to Sabang from Puerto Princesa.

There is a 7am jeepney and a 9am bus going to Sabang. They leave from the San Jose terminal, near the new market, about 7km out from the centre of Puerto Princesa.  The trip will take at least 3 hours, depending on the amount of loading and unloading done along the way. The cost one way is P125 if you look like a Filipino and P200 if you don't. There are also private vans that may take you to Sabang. They can pick you up from your hotel or you can find one at the San Jose terminal. The cost could be as low as P200 for a one way trip and they are much faster and more comfortable that a jeepney or bus. It may be difficult to find a van for that price though unless they already have a one way fare from Sabang back to Puerto. Check with your hotel for deals.

If you are a group of 6 to 8, you may consider hiring your own van, The full day cost of a private van from and to Puerto will cost you P3000. Your guest house or hotel can book this for you. You could also arrange one yourself and have them pick you up from the airport. If you are going out of the peak season, you may also be able to manage your own tour by reading the instructions below. Consider also the possibility of having the van stay overnight in Sabang and bringing you back the next day.

Getting to the Underground River from the Sabang Pier.

Once you are in Sabang, there are two more parts to the tour. First you need to get to the underground river by a small outrigger motorized canoe called a bangka. They come in two sizes, the smaller boats carry 6 people and the larger one carry 12 people. If you are on a package tour, the bangka booking would have been prearranged for you, probably by the tour guide. If you are uncomfortable in small boats on the ocean, then make sure that the tour guide has booked you on a large boat.

If you want to do the underground river tour without a package, you will need to arrange your own Bangka. This cannot be done on a daytrip. You will need to spend an overnight in Sabang for that. Try and get on the first boats to the underground river at about 8AM. None of the day trippers will have arrived by then. Arrange all that the day before at the booking office at the pier if you can. Hiring a bangka usually requires joining a group if there are only one or two of you. There is nothing to stop you from hiring a bangka with only with yourself in it if you want to pay the full cost.

Note that maximum capacity of a bangka may not be allowed if the weather is rough. I was at the Sabang pier on May 8, 2009 when the waves in the morning were quite large. Only the large bangkas were permitted to go to the underground river and they were only allowed to carry 4 persons each instead of the normal 12. Many people were crowded around the pier on that morning waiting for the weather to clear up.

Hire of a small Bangka for the return trip to the Underground River is P750. This cost is shared by each of the passengers with six as the maximum. The cost is P1350 for a large bangka divided by the number of passengers with 12 as the maximum.

Also pay the entrance fee to Underground river national park while you are booking your boat. The cost is P150 for people that look like Filipinos and P200 for those that don’t. This also covers the cost of the park entrance plus the paddle boat tour of the underground river.

Getting to the Underground River via the Monkey Trail.

You can save yourself the cost of the bangka by walking to the underground river and back via the Monkey Trail. It is a 5.2km trek one way. You must pay your entry fee into the park at the pier before you set off. At a slow pace, the walk will take you about 2.5 hours. At a fast pace, you can make it back in 90 minutes. You can negotiate for a bangka to take you back if you like, or alternatively, you can take a bangka to the underground river and walk back.

The Monkey forest Trail is a fantastic walk and you are likely to see monkeys, monitor lizards, squirrels, birds, and lots of lush rain-forest flora. There is another trail you can follow too, called the Jungle Trail, which provides an alternative route for a round trip walk. If I recall correctly, it takes about an hour longer and you may get a little muddy during the wet season. When taking a break along the trail, especially as you get close to the Underground River, be careful that the monkeys don’t steal you food or bags – don’t leave them unattended.

Walk along the beach to beyond Mary's and Michi’s and Monkey Trail starts just after that. You will see a hut there which is the booking office for the mangrove tour, which is also the start of the Monkey trail. You will need to cross a small river at the start of the Monkey Trail – the bridge was destroyed by a recent typhoon. The people operating the mangrove tour will take you across in their boat for P10 each. If you are coming back via the Monkey Trail, you will need to shout out to the boatmen on the other side to pick you up. If there is no boatman, you may have to wade through the river at the shallow end where it flows into the ocean. The depth may be up to your waist during the wet season. Take sunscreen and an umbrella for shade and a large plastic cover for your backpack when it rains, which it probably will! (You can buy large clear plastic bags at Ausan's store – a good size for waterproofing most luggage – especially for bangka trips).

Other Things to do Around Sabang

Mangrove Forest Boat Tour - Take a guided boat tour of the mangrove forest. This is a fantastic thing to do, yet so few people do it. You pass the guides and boats on the way to the Monkey Trail. A guide and boatman will take you in a small flat bottomed boat through the forest and feed you information while you look at this wonderful place. They do a good job and the on-the-spot information is relevant and enriching. The local guides speak about this place with passion. Early morning is best – 9am latest. In the morning you are more likely to see wildlife rather than later in the day, when it’s too hot anyway. Take your umbrella and insect repellant. The cost is only P100 for a 45 minute tour.

Swimming - The beach on the northern side of the pier is good for swimming. There can be a strong undertow if the seas are rough, and there are warning signs along the beach to remind you. Sometimes there are some "stingy things" in the water but they usually cause only a minor irritation. I think the sting comes from bits of jellyfish tentacle floating in the water. It is not recommended that you sun bake on the beach in the early morning and late afternoon because of the sand flies . Read our section on Sandflies.

Halo-halo - Enjoy a halo-halo from a vendor near the pier. This is an ice confection composed of various jellies, beans, coconut meat, jackfruit and crunchy bits buried under shaved ice, topped with sweet syrup or condensed milk. Stir and mix it all up as best you can. Delicious on a hot day. This treat costs P25. I often eat halo-halo here. Generally it is safe when you can see the ingredients are well stored and the vendor is clean, which they all are. Surprisingly, this treat is not overly sweet, which is what makes it so nice.

Jungle trekking is also available and guides can be organized through any lodging place.

Places to Stay – economy and backpacker

General information – there is no electricity supply in Sabang so each resort has to generate their own. Electricity  is only generated between about 6 pm and 1 am in the budget resorts. There is no internet in Sabang although it is supposed to be coming soon. Your SmartBro Wi-Fi, GPRS or G3 will not work in Sabang because the cell tower is not configured it.

Dab Dab Cottages and Restaurant – a beautiful place to stay and I think best value for money - this is where I have been regularly staying for the last 10 years. Dab Dab is about 10 metres from the sea front and only about 200 metres south of the pier. It does not have a sandy beach but it is only about 3 minutes walk to the main swimming beach. Their nine cottages are all surrounded by beautiful gardens. Nothing in Sabang comes close to the beauty of Dab Dab. The cottage where I stayed on this trip has an idyllic setting. It is surrounded on two sides by a small lake and the font view is out to the ocean. The cottage (duplex) has a large verandah with a hammock, which is ideal for lazing and listening to the ocean waves breaking on the foreshore. This room also has a nice private bathroom and costs P800 a night for 2 people. There are two other bungalows with private bathrooms at P650 per night and 3 cottages with share bathrooms for P400 a night. They also have a large restaurant which is a beautiful octagonal structure built completely from natural materials including bamboo and nipa. Dante, the owner of Dab Dab, is an inspired craftsman and has sculptured some extraordinary furniture out of giant Ipil hardwood roots left behind by the loggers. (see pictures) The restaurant is adorned with his creations, and his artistic flare extends out to all of Dab Dab’s cottages and gardens. The restaurant can be quite a scene at night, especially if there are lots of visitors in town. They play good music, not too loud and cook good fish. During the low season, you may need to order your evening meals in the morning, or as early as possible, as this is when the fresh fish come in. For bookings call Dante on +63 910 924 1673.

Bambua – A beautiful nature retreat in a jungle setting surrounded by some 20 hectares of their own virgin forest. It is about 800 meters from the beach and ideal for those who would like to include some silence in their holiday. The surrounding forest seem to be teaming with life and is I saw monkeys and squirrels during my stay there. They have two types of accommodation, the standard cottage is P950 (includes booking fee) and top-end cottage is P1500. Depending on the number of guests and the time of the year, you may need to give advanced notice if you want meat or fresh fish as part of your meals.

Taraw Vista Lodge and Restaurant – local opinion is that Taraw is probably the best place to stay if you must be near the sandy beach. There are 13 rooms to choose from. The large aircon family room seems a bit expensive at P3000 for one person and P500 for every extra guest. There are 4 duplexes and 2 honeymoon cottages at P1000. The 2 small family rooms are P800. Probably the only drawback of Taraw is that about 100 day trippers from the legends hotel have their lunches served by Taraw in the shelters between the cottages and the beach, so it gets a bit crowded around the middle of the day.

Green Verdi Inn – located between the Sheridan and Taraw, They have only 3 rooms which appear to be clean and tidy. Two of the rooms have double beds and private bathrooms and the cost is P600 a night. One of the rooms has two double beds and costs P1000 a night. The rooms are set back about 100 meters from the beach so you won’t get that “on the beach feeling” sitting on your cottage verandah, but that is hard to get anywhere.

Mary’s cottages – You may be disappointed with Mary’s. It is at the furthest and of the beach, and a long walk if you are carrying your pack in the middle of the day. The place is a little run down and tourists and locals that I spoke to said it was not clean. Cost is P500 a night and it seems that it has been many years since there has been money put back into maintenance.

Michi’s -  the place looks long abandoned. When I walked past it on the way to the Monkey Trail I was asked if I would like to stay at Michi’s for P1000 a night. I thought the guy was joking, but he wasn’t. I could not imagine a more unappealing place to stay than this. I have been told since that their only guests come from Mary’s when it is full because it is right next door and people just don’t want to make the trip back along the beach to find alternative accommodation.

Hotels and Luxury Accommodation

Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort – Ideal for those who want or need their creature comforts while in the jungle. This is a good place if you are travelling with young children, and it is currently the highest standard accommodation available in Sabang . There is a swimming pool and the rooms have hot and cold running water, cable TV, air-conditioning and 24 hour power. Daluyon is the only place in Sabang with satellite internet and WiFi. The internet is for the use of their guests only. The room rates start at P4000 for the standard room which accommodates 2 people, and then there are higher end rooms for P4500 and P5250. The suite room has a separate living room and costs P5550. The Family Suite room has two bedrooms and a living room and costs P9000 per night for two persons. You will need to check if these prices are inclusive of the 12% VAT plus 10% service fees which are normally charged by Philippine hotels. The prices include breakfast for 2. Extra guests are P800 each, children under 3 are free and those aged between 3 and 6 are P400 extra. (see pictures) Landline is (048) 7230889 - Cell phone is 09273165513 – For international calls, the country code is  63 and drop the first zero in the number. 

Sheridan Hotel - This huge hotel complex is under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

Leaving Sabang.

There are two ways to go north to either to Port Barton or El Nido. One way is to go by road. You can go by bus, jeepney or hire van, but that will require you to go back to Puerto Princesa. There is no road along the west coast, so to get to Port Barton, you need to cross back to the east coast, then travel north and then head to the west coast again to Port Barton. All of the passenger services from Sabang go to Puerto Princesa, so that is where you will have to go. You then get transport north from there.

Alternatively you can go north by boat. I have done this several times and love going to El Nido this way. There are some stunning views of the coastline and the islands on the way. A semi regular service now operates daily, depending on demand and ocean conditions. The boat can take 14 passengers but they won’t take less than 8. The cost is P1200 per person to either Coconut Garden Island or Port Barton, and P2000 each to El Nido There is a booking office just before the pier and you must book the day before. The boat leaves at 7AM sharp and it takes about 3 hours to get to Port Barton and another 4 hours to El Nido. Apply lots of sunscreen because you can easily get sun burnt from the sun's reflection off the water. I suggest you enclose your backpacks in plastic bags incase the seas get a bit rough. Large clear plastic bags can be purchased from Ausan's store in Sabang. Bring drinking water and some snacks because there is no food available on the journey. There is a makeshift toilet on board.