The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park description and photos - Philippines: Palawan Island (Topic)

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park description and photos - Philippines: Palawan Island. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park.

Photo and Description

The Puerto Princess Underground River National Park is located 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princess on the island of Palawan. The park occupies the St Paul Ridge in the northern part of the island and is bounded by St Paul Bay and the Babuyan River in the east. Since 1992, the management of the park has been under the jurisdiction of the city administration. The unique underground river Puerto Princess became one of 28 finalists of the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" competition.

The landscape of the park is represented by limestone and karst mountains, and the underground river itself is accessible for navigation for 8.2 km. A distinctive feature of the Puerto Princess is its channel - it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. In the cave you can see whole clusters of stalactites and stalagmites, as well as several huge underground halls. Before the underground river was discovered in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula in 2007, it was the Puerto Princess that was considered the longest underground river in the world. In 1999, Puerto Princess was listed as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO for its biodiversity and critical ecosystems.

On the territory of the national park, 8 out of 13 types of forests characteristic of tropical Asia are registered - mountain forests, forests of freshwater swampy plains, evergreen tropical forests and mangroves, etc. Scientists have discovered over 800 plant species here, including 295 tree species.

The bird kingdom is very diverse - of the 252 bird species that inhabit Palawan, 165 are found in the park. 15 bird species are island endemic. Here you can see a blue-headed parrot, a jungle chicken, an Asian hornbill, a white-breasted sea eagle, etc.

Among the animals of the park, you can most often find a long-tailed macaque looking for food on the shore at low tide, a bearded pig, binturong , palawan badger and porcupine. Bats, swiftlets and spiders can be found in the caves, and in the waters of the park there are dugong sea cows and Bissa sea turtles. In total, the park is home to about 30 species of mammals.

Every year, thousands of tourists come to the park to see the unique river with their own eyes - trained guides arrange 45-minute boat tours right inside the cave. In addition, tourists can go on a real trek through the jungle - a 5-kilometer path from the town of Sabang to Puerto Princess will introduce you to the amazing flora and fauna of the park. Another option is to go on a catamaran trip through the mangroves, during which you can see what an untouched forest looks like, and even plant your own mangrove tree on a special site. Lovers of caves will love the Lion Gate and the so-called Daylight Hole, while mountain climbers should climb Ugong Cliff, which offers stunning views. Finally, you can simply relax on one of the many sandy beaches (among the most popular are Sabang, Panaguman and Martha Fe), or visit the Ethnographic Museum to get acquainted with the culture of local aboriginal tribes.

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Topic: The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park description and photos - Philippines: Palawan Island.