Sabang na Palawan - how to get there, what to see, where to stay

General information about Sabang - recreation, infrastructure, beaches

Sabang is a small village on the Ocean 70 kilometers from the capital of the island Cities of Puerto Princesa (Sabang on the map). First of all, this place is known and popular with tourists because it is home to the famous Puerto Princesa Underground River, it is one of the most famous and visited natural tourist attractions of Palawan and the Philippines.

In addition to the underground river in Sabang, there is a beach quite suitable for swimming, there are several more interesting caves in the vicinity (but without an underground river), there is a hiking trail through the jungle through the underground River National Park, a waterfall, a zipline. There is a minimum necessary tourist infrastructure, including a couple of dozen hotels and guest houses, a market with goods for tourists and souvenirs, several cafes and restaurants. With all this, Sabang is not suitable for a long rest, you will die of boredom here in a few days. Therefore, most tourists come here only for one or two days to take a tour of the underground river.

Hotels in Sabang and where to stay

There are at most a couple of dozen accommodation options in Sabang, mostly simple guest houses, but there are also several decent hotels with a territory. As we told in the article about the underground river from our experience, we found a room for 600 for two at the Blue Bamboo Resort on the spot, although this place is not for everyone, because it is in a neglected state (but it may have already been repaired). Other accommodation options were requested from 1500 pesos.

It is possible to book accommodation in Sabang in advance online:

• 🛌 Search for hotels in Sabang on Trip.com
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Sabang on Ostrovok.ru
• 🛌 Search for hotels in Sabang on Yandex.travel

Infrastructure in Sabang

Sabang is a very small village of just a couple of streets. There is a small tourist market next to the pier, where boats depart to the underground river, and there are also several cafes where you can reasonably eat simple local dishes such as rice with chicken or burgers. The only more or less decent establishment is Sarang Restaurant Korean & Filipino Food. The prices in it are very high by local standards, but at least here you don't have to sit on a wooden bench or a plastic chair under a canopy of polyethylene. There are no travel agencies, motorcycle rental or a car here. There is no taxi either, but it is replaced by locals on tricycles, or just walk here on foot, because everything is nearby. There is a massage parlor and SPA, and even an ATM.

Sabang weather and tourist seasons

You can visit Sabang at any time of the year. It is always warm and almost always sunny here, and since this is not a beach resort, but people come here to visit an underground river, it is quite possible to visit it on rainy days between beach holidays and island tours in El Nido, Puerto Princesa or other beach resorts in Palawan. However, you need to know that the rainy or typhoon season (low) and the dry season (high) stand out here.

• The dry season runs from January to May. This is the best time to visit, because the probability of typhoons and rains is small, the sky is clear most of the time, it is not very hot. Well, the "driest" and best months are January-March.
• The rainy season lasts here most of the year from June to December. At this time, you can also go on vacation, but it rains and clouds more often, and there is a high probability of typhoons. Typhoons very rarely directly affect Palawan, they can spoil the weather for several days. But in fact, the rainy season is not at all the same as many people used to think after visiting other Southeast Asian countries. Precipitation is short-lived, usually in the evenings, and within an hour after them there is no trace. And even if the sky is covered with clouds, this does not interfere with sunbathing at all.

Typhoons or tropical storms hit the Philippines several times a year, for example, in 2019 it happened 21 times. They occur mainly during the rainy season and affect the north of the island. In general, they do not interfere much with the rest on Palawan, but during the most ferocious typhoons, the movement of ferries completely stops for 1-3 days, and sometimes even evacuation is announced. It is not yet possible to predict the appearance of storms and typhoons for a long period, so just follow the forecasts before the trip, and make a decision immediately before departure. Read more about the seasons in the Philippines and when it's better to go here...

Seasons in Sabang by month, when is the best time to go

Current Sabang weather and forecast

How to get to Sabang

If you need to get to Sabang just to see the underground river, then it's best to buy tours at hotels or travel agencies in Puerto Princesa, they cost from 2200 pesos / person, and include a transfer from the hotel, all entrance fees and even lunch.

You can come to Sabang on your own by rented motorbike (from 500 pesos/day in Puerto Princesa) or by car (from 1800 pesos/day).

You can also get there by bus. Unfortunately, we do not have accurate information about regular buses from the new Irawan bus station in Puerto Princesa to Sabang, but judging by the information from the reviews, jeepneys or minivans worth 300 pesos go along this route a couple of times a day. But there is no schedule as such, they are sent as local residents gather.

Private minivans from the popular cities of Palawan also go to Sabang: Puerto Princesa, El Nido, Tai Tai and Port Barton. For reference, from Puerto Princesa for 500 pesos/person or 3500 pesos for the whole minivan. Tickets for them are sold in travel agencies and hotels, and there is no schedule as such either, you need to check on the spot. Here, for reference, is a photo of the schedule in Sabang itself: