The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the city center of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. The National Park is located in the Saint Paul Mountain Range on the northern coast of the island. It is bordered by St. Paul Bay to the north and the Babuyan River to the east. The City Government of Puerto Princesa has managed the National Park since 1992. It is also known as St. Paul's Subterranean River National Park, or St. Paul Underground River. The entrance to the Subterranean River is a short hike from the town of Sabang. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the finalists for the "New Seven Wonders of Nature" competition.
The park has a limestone karst
mountain landscape with an 8.2 kilometer navigable underground river. A
distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave
before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. Until the 2007 discovery of an underground river in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula,[1] the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River was reputed to be the world's longest underground river.
The Park has a range of forest formations representing eight of the
thirteen forest types found in tropical Asia, namely forest over
ultramafic soils, forest over limestone soils, montane forest,
freshwater swamp forest, lowland evergreen tropical rainforest, riverine
forest, beach forest, and mangrove forest. Researchers have identified
more than 800 plant species from 300 genera and 100 families. These
include at least 295 trees dominated by the dipterocarp type of species.
In the lowland forest, large trees such as the Dao (Dracontomelon dao), Ipil (Intsia bijuga), Dita (Alstonia scholaris), Amugis (Koordersiodendrum pinnatum), and Apitong (Dipterocarpus gracilis) are common. Beach forest species include Bitaog (Calophyllum inophyllum), Pongamia pinnata, and Erynthia orientalis. Other notable plant species include Almaciga (Agathis philippinensis), Kamagong (Diospyros pulganensis) Pandan (Pandanus sp.) Anibong, and Rattan ('Calamus sp.)
