the underrated SABANG BEACH in Palawan

August has been a dull month for me in terms of travel so I haven't featured many travel posts lately. Good thing Boracay and La Union are in my itinerary this coming September. My blues are about to go away. Looking into my list though, there are still a few spots in my past travels that I haven't taled about and so I am bringing the discussion back---this time on SABANG BEACH PALAWAN which I call the underrated beach.

Much has been said about surrounding areas,say, the Mangrove Forest and the Underground River which are both a few minutes away from Sabang but I haven't really blogged about SABANG BEACH in particular. I think it's not just me, I find rare blog entries about it among Pinoy Travel Bloggers as well. I wonder why.

SABANG BEACH  Palawan

So why is Sabang beach underrated?
The dock in Sabang serves as the set-off point for the Underground River. By the time tourists arrive here, they immediately check in to make sure they get the first boat to the UNESCO HERITAGE site. That means the best thing you can do is to appreciate the view of the surrounding, take a few photos and then leave for the Underground River. 

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After the tour of  the underground river, you go back to Sabang and have lunch in one of the partner Restaurants there depending on your travel tour company of choice. By that time, people are already feeling the exhaustion so they just lazy around after eating and appreciate the beach from  the comfort of the Nipa huts or under one of the many coconut trees near the beach. If you eat slowly, the moment you finish, you only have an hour or so left before your guide reminds you to be ready for heeding back to downtown Puerto Princesa which is another 2 hours away.

During our tour of the place, we noticed some signs that swimming is prohibited for the time being. Some of my collegues said that the sign has been there for quite sometime. They noticed it months ago when they went there. At the same time though, you could hardly see people swimming. I really thought such a beautiful beach should be crowded during a warm summer day. The guide nexplained later on that people are discouraged to swim becuase the tides are big and the area is facing an open sea--the SOUTH CHINA SEA which is referred to now as the WEST PHILIPPINE SEA. 

Despite that and the warning from our guide that we don't have much time left for a swim, some of us  rushed into the beach and stripped for a swim. The sand is fine and beachfront is wide which makes it perfect as a playground except nobody is playing---even beach volleyball sana. There's no activity here.It's dead except swimming.

Once in the water, you will get to enjoy the regular interval of waves coming your way. On a regular day, I find the waves not too big to be a threat for drowning which was the message I concluded when our guide said they encourage people to swim because its an open sea. I thought that waves in Pagudpud's Blue Lagoon during our trip there were even bigger. Another good thing about Sabang Beach is that there's no sudden deep scenario which you could experience in Honda Bay. You could go far from the shore and still feel that the deep is still manageable. I didn't dare go too far though. I am not that bold just for the sake of curiosity.

After a few minutes of swimming and riding the waves though, I noticed something about the water. It's ITCHY. It's not just itchy, I noticed something stinged me many times.I am not sure if it was jellyfish or something else but I was stung many times, even in the unlikely places. That made the swimming experience uncomfortable. I am not sure if that is one bad characteristic attached to Sabang Beach. Try it yourself when you visit Puerto Princesa to find out.

Still, I think Sabang Beach is a beautiful beach which is more than just for the eyes to feast....

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