Palawan is certainly one of the Philippines’ incredible destinations. Famed for being a home to one of the world’s 7 New Wonders, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (simply known as the Underground River), which is also recognized as a UNESCO heritage site. I can’t believe it took me 24 years to visit this place. And for it, I thank my job.

Together with team, we traveled to Palawan and headed to this amazing resort known as the Sheridan Beach Resort & Spa. Located in the small town of Sabang, a one and a half-hour drive away from the Puerto Princesa Airport (PPS).

Along the way we saw marvelous views of towering karst mountain ranges, which entertained us until we reached our destination.

The first thing I noticed as soon as we got inside the resort compound were the solar panels attached to each lamp post, which provided me the first good impression about the resort. Later on we were told that the whole place has very limited electricity supply. Therefore to maximize their resources, they take advantage of using natural power generators such as solar and wind.

After we settled things up and meet the resort’s coordinator, we took our lunch and headed to the resort’s organic farm, where we stayed in for our first night. It took us 15-20 minutes drive to arrive at the vast and beautiful farm.

We did our usual video shoot protocol that consisted of a tour around the farm, a little this and that about organic farming (which I find very interesting, I want to build my own) and a lovely cooking show.

When we finished, my team and I took the time to explore the farm more.

Rey, the man behind the farm’s success, took us to the cornfield area where we saw the best view of the mountains. We were able to enjoy the time while munching on organic sweet corns.

Rey, together with his eight farm dogs, took the time to be with us and tell us more stories about how much effort, patience, and dedication he needed to build an organic farm in a land where its soil is not suitable for farming. We learned a lot from him, making our stay in the farm more memorable.

Day 1 ended more interesting that we had imagined. We slept in a cozy cottage powered fully by solar energy and woke up feeling recharged and ready for Day 2. After a few minutes of realizing how wonderful it would be to live for some time in a farm while witnessing a lovely morning view, we packed our belongings and headed back to the resort, where we were scheduled to stay the last night of our 3-day travel.

A visit to Palawan famed destinations and activities were the highlight our travel. We were so happy to  visit the infamous Underground River for the first time. It is one of the world’s longest subterranean rivers and among the new 7 wonders of nature. It is home to many magnificent rock and mineral formations that boast an awe-inspiring beauty that only nature can do.

After a 45-minute nature encounter at the Underground River, we went back to the resort for our second activity. We rode on very cool-looking 8×8 all-terrain vehicle that took us to our next destination – the Mangrove Sabang Forest.

It was quite an experience;  We were able to see monkeys and a snake sleeping on a mangrove tree. The boatman told interesting facts about these trees that I like to call as water trees because they can live in water.

The sun was about to go down when we finished our last outdoor activity – a thrilling 800m zipline adventure. The experience was amazing; brilliant views of mountains and islands with roaring waves overwhelmed our eyes in a good way.  I would do it again and again.

Day 2 ended very well. Even though we were physically exhausted due to all the activities we did, we thought they were all worth doing. And before calling it a day, we spent time near the beach just sitting around, chatting over a glass of drink. The wind was soothing, almost chilly – a perfect way to end our last night in Palawan.

If there’s one thing I learned from my recent travels, it is to travel is to know that you are more than alive. It is when I can let go, feel free and just take in the pleasure of observing new and familiar things around me, continuously widen my curiosity in life and inspire me to know even more.

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Photo credits for some of the photos in this post:  Mango Tours, nerdinred.wordpress.com, Krizzle Omiles

Note: Unauthorized use of the above photos is prohibited.