Underground river features stunning ecosystem

Tourists enjoy boat rides at the entrance to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Palawan, the Philippines, Aug. 23. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo

By Yi whan-woo

PALAWAN, the Philippines — On a boat ride across the sea to Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, you can see a mountain known as the Sleeping Giant, which has an aquiline nose and a protruding stomach.

This bizarre human-shaped mountain is good enough to inspire wild imagination about what is inside — the 8.2-kilometer underground river is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

The world’s longest underground river flows directly into the sea, through a spectacular limestone or karst landscape with one of the most complex cave systems.

The discovery of at least 11 minerals, crystals and an eye-catching egg-shaped rock formation as well as a 20 million-year-old Miocene age serenia fossil in the cave prompted its protection and preservation.

With tight control of the human footprint, the cave is home to countless bats. Tourists are advised not to look upwards and to keep their mouths closed to avoid bat excrement or bacteria.

The park contains a full mountain-to-sea ecosystem with eight intact forest formations: a forest on ultramafic soil, a forest on limestone soil, a montane forest, a freshwater swamp forest, a lowland evergreen tropical rainforest, a riverine forest, a beach forest, and a mangrove forest.

An indigenous Philippine man holds a python on his shoulder at a tribal village in Palawan, the Philippines, Aug. 22. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo

Among other frequently visited tourist attractions in Palawan are the Butterfly Eco-Garden and Tribal Village.

This ecological garden in Palawan’s capital, Puerto Princesa, promotes environmental awareness by showcasing a variety of butterflies as well as stage beetles, scorpions, green-crested-lizards and some other endangered species Next to the garden is the Tribal Village where you can get a glimpse into the life of the Palawan people.

The village aims to preserve the remaining traits of the indigenous people as their younger generations are adapting to modernization.

Visitors can learn about Palawan’s indigenous ways of hunting, survival, making handicrafts, and daily life.

The city also runs Binuatan Weaving Creations Center, a community-based program that manufactures handloom woven products from Palawan’s indigenous fibers such as field grasses and buri.

The products vary from bags to placemats to table runners to window blinds to curtains.

Prices may be on the expensive side, but this is because of the time it takes to make the products. Every item on offer is truly world-class.

A hammock hangs between two trees on a private beach owned by the multi-award winning, four-star Daluyon Beach and Mountain Resort in Palawan, the Philippines, Aug. 23. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo