At the Lexxus Shuttle terminal
Most tourists visit the PPUR in group tours. Our hotel offered the tour for Php 1,740.00, inclusive of tour guide, van transfer, boat rides, buffet lunch and permits. The downside of these group tours, especially if there's only a few of you in your group, is that you will be joined with other groups to fill the van capacity. And of course, you have no control over your day's activities because your itinerary would depend on the entire group's itinerary.
Sabang dispatch area
Good thing, you can also tour the PPUR DIY-style. And it's easy. I will outline the steps in this post.
Upon your arrival in Puerto Princesa, the first thing you need to do is go to the PPUR tourism office located in the City Coliseum, and secure a permit. They are open daily, 8AM - 4PM. The fees have increased effective February 1, 2017:
- Adults: Php 500.00/person
- Senior Citizen: Php 400.00/person
- Children: Php 75.00/person
Closer to the Underground River
Aside from those entrance fees, it is also required to pre-pay for the audio device rental, which is Php 85.00/person, Php 76.00/person for senior citizens. Give your desired schedule of visit, preferably 2 or 3 days from your arrival.
The registration area and the pathway going to the PPUR entrance
Then, reserve a seat with Lexxus Shuttle, which travel from Puerto Princesa to Sabang, the jump-off point of the PPUR tour. For local tourists, the one-way fare is Php 140.00/person and Php 70.00/person for children. The earliest departure is 7:30AM. Please visit the Lexxus Shuttle website for the complete list of schedules and their contact number. Their terminal is located in the city's new market, just few meters from Robinson's Place.
Ready for our boat with our helmets on
The next thing you need to do is relax and wait for the day of your scheduled visit.
On the day of your schedule, please be at the Lexxus Shuttle terminal at least 15 minutes ahead of your reserved departure time. Once you're there, advise the dispatcher that you also want to reserve a seat from Sabang to Puerto Princesa. As for us, we were at the terminal at 7:15AM for our 7:30AM schedule, and we reserved seats for a 2PM schedule back to Puerto Princesa. The travel takes 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
Here we go!
Once you arrive in Sabang, please take note of these 2 options:
- If you have already done the Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour, chances are, you have already paid for the environmental fee of Php 150.00/person. Prepare all the receipts and go straight to the dispatch area and pay for your assigned boat.
- If you have not paid or does not have the receipt for the environmental fee, please proceed to the PPUR tourism office found in Sabang, submit your papers and wait for your name to be called. Once called, you need to settle the environmental fee of Php 150.00/person. Then you may go to the dispatch area for your boat.
One of the formations inside
Here are the boat rates (2-way):
- 6 Passenger Boat: Php 1,120.00 (Php 187.00/person if shared)
- 7 Passenger Boat: Php 1,275.00 (Php 182.00/person if shared)
- 8 Passenger Boat: Php 1,445.00 (Php 181.00/person if shared)
A mushroom-like stalactite
After paying for your boat, you will be assigned a group #, and wait for your # to be called. Once you're called, proceed to the dock and hop on your assigned boat. Boat ride to the PPUR takes around 30 minutes, depending on the weather conditions.
Sleeping bats inside the cave
Once you are at the PPUR, proceed to the registration area and you will be assigned a group #. Then proceed to the PPUR entrance and wait for your group # to be called. Once you're called, prepare for the amazing experience of navigating inside the PPUR. :) The tour takes approximately 45 minutes.
Light at the end of the tunnel. We're on our way out.
Congratulations! You just had a wonderful experience inside the PPUR. Eateries are available back in Sabang. There's also one that offers buffet lunch for Php 200.00/person. And don't forget to be in the Lexxus Shuttle terminal ahead of your schedule back to Puerto Princesa.
Fascinating view of where the river and the sea meet
Here's a summary of our total cost per person done DIY style (I didn't count the environmental fee because it has been included in our DIY Honda Bay Island Hopping Tour):
- Entrance fee: Php 500.00/person
- Audio Device Rental: Php 85.00/person
- Van (2-way): Php 280.00/person
- Boat: Php 181.00/person (we used the 8-Passenger Boat)
- Lunch: Php 200.00/person (we had buffet lunch)
Our total cost was Php 1,246.00/person. We saved Php 494.00/person.
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