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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.
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.
The Calauit Island Wildlife
Sanctuary covers an area of 3,700 hectares
and is home to both endemic and African animals.
The imported giraffes, zebras, impalas, waterbucks,
and gazelles, among others, have successfully
bred and graze the preserve undisturbed. They
share the land with endangered endemic animals
like the Calamian deer, Palawan mouse deer, bear
cat, leopard cat, tarsier, Palawan peacock pheasant,
scaly anteater, porcupine and monitor lizard.
The mangroves are home to the man-eating Philippine
crocodile while offshore sea grass beds are the
habitat of the rare dugong. Many endemic and migrant
birds flock to the area. Safaris can be arranged
with the park rangers. Modest accommodations are
available for overnight stay.
International cookery
is also widely available to serve the continuous
influx of tourists. There are many restaurants
on the main and side streets of Puerto Princesa
offering varied international and native cuisines.
Check out the restaurant row along Rizal Avenue.
The capital city is also known for its Vietnamese
eateries, Palawan being once a refugee center.
Anywhere, rice and fresh seafood are staple fares.
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