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City guide · Puerto Princesa
Puerto Princesa
A city in a forest hiding the world's longest underground river — the gateway and heart of Palawan
Located on the east coast of central Palawan Island, on the southern shore of Honda Bay, it is the capital of Palawan Province yet keeps the low-density character of a "city in a forest". It is the hub for the Underground River National Park and island-hopping in Honda Bay; the city itself has a Spanish-colonial-era cathedral, Second World War sites and a crocodile farm, and has repeatedly been rated the cleanest city in the Philippines. Tricycles shuttle between coconut groves and seafood stalls while the Sulu Sea breeze blows into the harbour — for most people this is their first stop in getting to know Palawan. It also has the nickname "Peacock City of the Philippines", named after the Palawan peacock-pheasant found only here.
History
How the city came to be
The shores of Puerto Princesa Bay were once the fishing and hunting grounds of Indigenous peoples such as the Cuyonon. In 1872, Spanish colonists founded a settlement on the bay's southern shore, first naming it Puerto de la Asunción after the daughter of Queen Isabella II; when the princess died young, the queen, in her memory, simplified the name, leaving "Puerto Princesa". The Spanish built a naval base and the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, and the town became Palawan's administrative and military centre. After the Spanish-American War the United States took over, and around 1910 established the wall-less Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm. In 1942 Japanese forces occupied the city and set up a prisoner-of-war camp, and at Plaza Cuartel American POWs were burned alive. After the war the city slowly rebuilt; it was formally chartered as a city in 1970. After the Underground River was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999 and selected as one of the New7Wonders of Nature in 2011, Puerto Princesa became a benchmark of Philippine ecotourism, and in 2007 it was upgraded to a highly urbanised city.
- 1872The Spanish found the Puerto Princesa settlement and build the cathedral
- 1898The United States takes over Palawan after the Spanish-American War
- 1942Japanese forces occupy Puerto Princesa and set up a POW camp
- 1944The Plaza Cuartel massacre; American POWs are killed
- 1970Puerto Princesa is formally chartered as a city
- 1999The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is inscribed on the World Heritage List
- 2007Upgraded to a highly urbanised city
- 2011The Underground River is selected as one of the New7Wonders of Nature
Trips beyond the city
These places can be explored from this city but lie outside it. See each place for transport and visiting guidance.
