HOME
QUOTE
PERSONA
PHOTO ALBUM
RESUME
LINKS
[My Guestbook]
Web Design by Chona Basal
The most beautiful place in Palawan is the isolated island
of El Nido with its incredibly astonishing seascapes.
El Nido is a secluded group of islands east of Puerto Princesa,
Palawan's capital city, and is virtually cut off from the mainland
by three bodies of water - Luzon Sea to the north, the China
Sea to the east and the Sulu Sea to the west.
Towering midnight cliffs that jut thousands of feet above mirror
flat emerald waters are El Nido's most distinguishing feature.
This interplay of somber darkness and ethereal light provide
the dramatic backdrop for several luxury resorts and dozens of
moderately priced diver lodges on the islands.
The black marble and limestone cliffs contain large caves with
whimsical names like Cathedral Cave and Disco Cave because of
their formation. Though they look like barren sheets of inhospitable
rock, the cliffs actually spawn the swift, or balinsasayaw, which
produces the delectable bird's nest for soups. And in some of
the rock faces, yucca and talisay trees as well as wild flowering
begonias do thrive in the crevices.
The town of El Nido in itself exudes a quaint charm with well-tended
homes and clean streets. Many of the islands have hidden lagoons
sheltered by limestone crags. Schools of fish swarm in the coral
reefs, many of which are visible to the naked eye. When in season,
divers often encounter the rare sea cow, or dugong.
Only small chartered planes from Manila fly tourists to the upscale
resorts. Everybody else takes the sea ferry to this picturesque
fishing town.
Palawan presents a visual feast not only above the ground
but also below it.
St. Paul National Park is Palawan's most popular attraction and
covers 5,349 hectares of lush forest, dark mountains, caves and
white beaches. In the deep recesses of the marble and limestone
peaks of Mt. St. Paul flow the Underground River, said to be
the longest in the world. It is easily navigable for at least
four kilometers. The caves are filled with filigree-like sculptures
formed by stalagmites and stalactites. Near its mouth is a beautiful
lagoon with crystal-clear water that teems with fish. Also within
the park is the Monkey Trail, a series of wooden paths that winds
into the forest where monkeys, squirrels, lizards and some 60
species of birds are found. The Park is inscribed in the World
Heritage List.
Tabon Caves are the oldest known habitation site in Southeast
Asia. It is a complex of 200 caves scattered on a 138-hectare
museum site reserve, of which 33 have thus far been excavated.
Seven of these caves are open to the public as a prehistoric
museum where excavations have been left as they are. The caves
provide Paleolithic evidence that this is where life in Palawan
actually began and have yielded a woman's skull, fossilized bones
and earthenware dating to as far back as 890-710 B.C. The main
entrance to the caves offers a panoramic view of a white-sand
fringed bay. The caves lie in the mountains of Pipuon Point in
the town of Quezon.
Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park is the country's largest
marine habitat. It hosts giant manta rays, sea turtles and hundreds
of reef fish species. Located at the heart of the Sulu Sea, the
marine park is 33,200 hectares of coral atoll, barely emergent
islets and open water, and constitutes a unique complete open
ocean ecosystem. It is inscribed in the World Heritage List as
"rare and superlative phenomena as well as formations, features
and areas of exceptional beauty." It is located some 98
nautical miles from Puerto Princesa and is a premier diving destination.
HOME
QUOTE
PERSONA
PHOTO ALBUM
RESUME
LINKS