Ugong Rock Caving & Zipline: Puerto Princesa, Palawan

We had booked our day tour to see the Underground River, which has been declared a UNESCO Heritage Site as well as one of the new 7 Natural Wonders of the World. Unbeknownst to us, there was actually a morning stop at Ugong Rock before we made our way to the Underground River. Initially, I was annoyed that we would have to sit around and wait for an hour or so while the only person in our tour van who had paid for this ahead of time was to go up the rock and zipline down. Fortunately, the friend I was with convinced me to go as it was inexpensive and was better than doing nothing for an hour. Not that difficult to convince me under those circumstances, to be fair.

Caving through and climbing up the rock was about 250PHP and to zipline down was an additional 200PHP or 250PHP if you wanted to do the “Superman” zipline (where you are on your stomach). All in all it was about $10 CDN.

Climbing up the rock was actually quite enjoyable – there was a bit of rock climbing, stairs, and extremely tight spaces to squeeze yourself through (this might explain why there is a weight restriction to go up). Our tour guide also enjoyed pointing out the various “natural artwork” found throughout the caves. This proved to be a theme on this day tour, as our tour guide during the Underground River also did this.

Once at the top, you have a nice view of the rice paddy fields around you. Ziplining down was over quite fast, but was fun. Going down the “Superman” way is highly recommended.

Ugong Rock is located in Barangay Tagabenit, on the way to the Underground River in Sabang. The rock is about 75ft high and is actually part of a government-run environmental project whose aim is to preserve the rock while also helping to provide an income to the small community that surrounds Ugong Rock.