Palawan Adventures: Quezon

So I spent a year and 7 months working as a medical officer in a hospital in Quezon, Palawan. Those were fun times! I'd like to show you what that humble municipality has to offer in terms of its beaches. Do you know that Quezon is home to the Tabon Cave - where the famous Manunggul Jar was discovered. It was home to the earliest men and women.

It may not have the best beaches (because I think the beaches up north are better), but it has a number of good islands too.

Tabon Cave. There are 200+ caves but only a few are explored and are open to the public. You have to go hike all the way up and down its trails to be able to visit each of the caves. Right down below is the beach, where you can take a dip after a really tiring trek. Each cave has different attractions, but I was really drawn to the amazing stalactite and stalagmite formations in that cave known as the Cathedral. I've never seen a cave big enough to be a gym, and a stalagmite big enough that you have to climb through it. To reach the Tabon Cave, you have to ride a boat from the mainland. You have to set an appointment with the Museum and they will arrange the trip for you. A tour guide will meet with you and guide you through the trip.

Tabon Cave entrance seen from inside. I call this the "Tabon Man's Gate"





The cave known as "The Cathedral". It's beautiful.

Another view of the Cathedral Cave. Note that the stalactite and stalagmite almost meet.

A sound-producing stalactite.

In this cave, 500+ jars with human and animal bones were excavated. A jade bracelet was also retrieved.

Quezon has a lot of undiscovered islands which are comparable to the beaches of Samal Island. Here are some:


Sidanaw Island. The tabon cave looks so near from this view.


Frederick Island.


White Island. Heard this has no owner yet. Hmmm. :)

Another view of the White Island. Just to give you an idea how narrow it is. This is also me practicing to smile like I'm this island's owner.

Tataran Island. This is the island seen nearest to the Tabon Cave from the mainland. Unfortunately, this is privately owned, so we were not able to visit it.

Villa Esperanza Resort. This is a quaint, quiet resort in the mainland which is actually my favorite spot in Quezon mainly because I feel like I have the whole place to myself. They do not charge much too (a 10-peso entrance fee, a 600 pesos cottage rental fee for an airconditioned room). They have several cottages which can be rented, a wide garden, a nice view of the Tabon Cave and a beautiful view of the sunset. The beach is not good for swimming though.





I wish that the tourism in Palawan could also look into what the Southern part of the island can offer. Quezon, Palawan is an interesting place. I think that its caves have formations comparable to the underground river, except that here, you have to trek rather than ride a boat, and you don't have to use a flashflight because it's already well-lit by natural sunlight. The beaches are not as spectacular as el nido's, but, they are definitely beautiful as well. It's way way way cheaper too. At 800-1000 pesos for the boat fuel (which can accomodate 8-10 people already), you can go to Tabon Cave and to the several islands already. Definitely worth the 3-hour trip from Puerto Princesa.

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