How do you get a permit for the Puerto Princesa Underground River, and how much does it cost?

How the permit system works

Access is limited by a daily cap set by the park's Protected Area Management Board. The figure usually cited, including by the city government, is 900 visitors a day. Most of those slots go to tour agencies, so in peak season (roughly December to May) independent slots can run out days in advance.

Booking in person: the city's tourism page lists the PPUR booking office on the ground floor of the City Coliseum in Barangay San Pedro, and recent visitor reports also describe a booking office on H. Mendoza Street in the centre, open daily about 7:30 to 17:00. Bring your passport, go one to two days before your visit, and you will be assigned a date and time slot. There is also an office at Sabang port, but by the time you are in Sabang the day's slots may be gone.

Online booking: the city announced a digital booking system after complaints about queues in 2025, aiming to launch it in 2026. We could not confirm that it is live, so check the official park site or call the city tourism office ((048) 434-2509) before you rely on it. Treat any site selling "official permits" with suspicion unless it is a city government domain or a licensed agency.

Fees in 2026

The city does not publish an up-to-date fee table online, and the figures have changed several times. The most detailed recent breakdown (March 2026) is:

• Entrance fee: ₱500 per adult

• Environmental fee: ₱150 (also covers Honda Bay)

• Audio guide: ₱85

• Boat from Sabang wharf to the river: ₱2,100 per boat for up to six people (about ₱350 each if full)

That comes to about ₱1,085 per person on a shared boat, paid at Sabang port on the day. Some sources list different foreigner and Filipino rates or a small terminal fee, so bring extra cash. Joining an agency day tour from Puerto Princesa typically bundles the permit, fees, van, boat and a buffet lunch in one price.

Getting to Sabang

Sabang is on the west coast, roughly two hours by road from Puerto Princesa.

• Shared van: from the Irawan (San Jose) terminal on the city's northern edge, about ₱450 and two hours or so. A multicab or tricycle gets you to the terminal.

• Jeepney or bus: cheaper and slower, with the first departures early in the morning.

• Agency tour: pickup from your hotel, the simplest way if you are only doing a day trip.

With a morning slot, an early van (around 7:00 to 7:30) gets you to the wharf by about 9:30. Boat tours run from about 8:30 to 15:30. Expect to wait one to three hours at the wharf for your turn in busy months. Staying a night in Sabang lets you take an early slot before the day-tour vans arrive; our Sabang guide covers where to stay and what else to do there.

What you see on the tour

From the wharf a bangka (outrigger) takes about 15 to 20 minutes along the coast to the park beach. A short forest walk, where monitor lizards and long-tailed macaques hang around, leads to the cave mouth. There you swap into a small paddle boat with a guide, a lamp and an audio set.

The river runs about 8.2 km underground through a limestone karst and flows straight into the sea, with its lower part affected by the tides. UNESCO listed the park as a World Heritage Site in 1999. The standard tour paddles only about the first 1 to 1.5 km and back, in about 45 minutes, past large chambers and flowstone formations that the guides name after fruit, saints and animals. Thousands of bats and swiftlets live on the ceiling, so keep your mouth closed when you look up. Keep the flash off, and expect the audio guide to do most of the talking.

Best time to go

The dry season, roughly November or December to May, is the most reliable: calm seas for the bangka crossing and fewer cancellations. From about June to October the southwest monsoon can make the crossing rough, and the park closes the river when the sea or the water level is unsafe, sometimes for days. Weekdays outside Christmas, New Year and Holy Week have the most open slots.

If you are combining Palawan stops, Sabang works well between Puerto Princesa and the four- to five-hour drive north to El Nido. Register on eTravel before you fly into the Philippines; our eTravel guide walks through the form.

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