The permit, step by step

Do you need a permit for the Underground River?

Yes. Every visitor needs a Visitor Entry Permit, secured before going to the park. The park calls it a "NO PERMIT, NO ENTRY" policy and enforces it strictly.

The rule comes straight from the park's Notice to the Public: all persons must secure a Visitor Entry Permit at the Underground River Booking Office before going to the park. That covers everyone in your group, children included, since the notice says all persons.

For most visitors the permit is invisible. You book a tour, the operator puts your name on the list, and on the day your guide handles the check at the wharf while you look at the boats. Every tour on this site works like that.

Adrian took the river and firefly tour in Nov 2026: "Whole experience was great, it deserves it's UNESCO recognition. Lovely location, well managed attraction."

Why does the park allow only 900 visitors a day?

To protect the cave. The park set a carrying capacity of 900 visitors a day after the river was named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, so that access stays sustainable.

The park's own words: the global recognition "required that steps are taken to ensure access is sustainable and does not result to degradation". The cap and the permit are those steps. Thousands of bats and swiftlets live inside, and the park times the tours around them as well, so the boats are out of the way when the animals leave and return to the cave.

The cave earns the care. The underground river is about 8.2 km long and flows straight into the sea, and it is reputed to be the longest navigable underground river in the world, says the park. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 4 December 1999.

The Manila Times put it plainly in June 2026: the city government limits visitors to 900 a day and strictly enforces the permit rule.

How do you book the Underground River permit?

Two ways. Book a tour, and the operator books the permit with your name on it. Or book it yourself at the Underground River Booking Office in Puerto Princesa City before you travel to Sabang.

Through a tour. This is how most visitors do it. The operator registers your group, and the listings show how: the zipline and mangrove day says your guide arranges the paperwork for the cave on arrival at the wharf; the 6-hour tour with buffet asks for the full name of each participant after booking; the tour from the city proper confirms the details the night before. You do nothing except bring your ID.

On your own. The park's Travel Advisory, posted in January 2026, names the Underground River Booking Office at Mendoza Park, Barangay Model, Puerto Princesa City, about ten minutes from Puerto Princesa International Airport, phone (048) 716 1522. The park's Contact page adds the email [email protected]. The City Tourism Office page still lists an older office address at the City Coliseum in Barangay San Pedro, so call before you go.

Booking yourself also means arranging the road trip to Sabang and the boat from the wharf. How to get to the Underground River covers that part.

Can you get a permit on the day in Sabang?

Do not count on it. The park formally warns that going straight to the park, or staying the night in Sabang, is no guarantee of a Visitor Entry Permit.

The Notice to the Public is direct about it. Claims online that a walk-in or an overnight stay in Sabang earns you a permit are, in the park's words, inaccurate, and the park says it has authorized nobody to promise that. Its own slogan is simpler: "Book Early and tour sURely!"

Plan the permit first and the rest of the trip around it. Every tour here cancels free up to 24 hours before, so locking in a date early costs you nothing if your plans move. The tour with fees included says the same in its listing: tours run every day, and early booking helps because availability is limited.

What changed at Sabang Wharf in 2026?

A new way of handling guests. The park announced a dry run of a new guest-handling process at Sabang Wharf starting on 7 February 2026, and asks every visitor to follow it.

The park's public advisory asks visitors to review its instructions and follow the new procedure during the dry run, for "smoother and more convenient operations for all". The step-by-step instructions sit in images on that advisory, so read them on the park's site, undergroundriver.puertoprincesa.ph, before an independent trip.

On a tour, your guide knows the drill and walks the group through it. You pay the environmental fee of PHP 150 in cash at the wharf (unless your tour includes it), keep your ID handy and wait for the boat call. More on what is new this year in the 2026 park updates.

What do you need to bring for the Underground River permit?

A valid ID. The park asks visitors to present valid identification and register individually before the tour. Several listings accept a copy of your passport or ID card.

• Your ID. The park's Travel Advisory asks for valid identification and individual registration. The zipline day, the tour from the city proper and the 6-hour tour with buffet all accept a copy.
• Cash in pesos. The environmental fee of PHP 150 per person is paid in cash at the wharf on most tours. Only the tour with fees included has it in the price.
• The names of everyone in your group, spelled as on their IDs, when the operator asks.

Two timing notes from the Corazon Travel & Tours listings. Bookings received after midday on the day before count as last-minute and get a later pickup. And guests arriving on a cruise ship must book the private option, since they cannot join the shared tours. The tour from the city proper asks the same of cruise guests.

Your own van and driver for up to 4 people, the boats, the entrance fees and lunch. The option cruise guests book.

★ 4.5 · 8 to 9 hours · from $341

Explore the private tour → Tour details

What time do Underground River tours run?

In the daytime only. The park's notice schedules cave tours from 08:00 to 16:00, every day except in extreme weather, so the boats stay clear of the bats and swiftlets as they leave and return to the cave.

The park's Points of Interest page gives a slightly tighter window, from 08:30 to 15:30. Either way, tours pick you up early to fit the drive inside it. The tour from the city proper collects guests from 06:30 to 07:30, and the 6-hour tour with buffet starts its pickups at 07:00 and reaches Sabang Wharf at about 09:30.

Weather can close the river for the day. The park pauses tours in extreme conditions, and several listings say a tour may be cancelled for a typhoon or strong winds, with a refund. The best time to visit covers the seasons.

Marcello took the river and firefly tour in Apr 2026: "Excellent organization. The guide and driver were very professional. The Underground River is simply wonderful."

Which Underground River tours include the permit?

All nine on this site arrange entry for you. The table shows how each listing words it, with the pickup and the from-price.

GetYourGuide from-prices in USD; every tour cancels free up to 24 hours before.

The environmental fee is a separate line on all but one. What the tour costs lists what each price includes.

The most booked day: pickup in the city, the Buenavista viewpoint over Ulugan Bay, the boat from Sabang, the cave and lunch by the sea.

★ 4.5 · 8 to 10 hours · from $45

Explore the full-day trip with lunch → Tour details

Frequently asked questions