Kuyba Almoneca
A Place to go when it’s Rainy in Puerto Princessa
Going to the Philippines in July might be cheaper and it might be the only time you can get holidays, but it is intact their wettest season. As we travelled around Southeast Asia for 2 months between June and August, the Philippines was our last stop of the crazy adventure, but to our despair, it rained. Every. Single. Day. And we were only there for one main purpose, the beach. So we managed to find a little sanctuary that didn’t need the sun to be enjoyable, Kuyba Almoneca, a meditation garden with caves that lead to natural spring pools that you can swim in. The Philippines are a predominantly catholic community and you will notice a lot of churches and catholic symbols around the towns. Getting There: From your accommodation you will either be lucky enough to find a tuk tuk (or “Tricycle” as they call them in the Philippines) straight there, if he knows the shortcuts. If not you will need to ask to be dropped at Junction 1, from there you’ll get on a “multicab” which are little busses that cram local people on for around 15 pesos. They tried to charge us 200 pesos just because we were tourists, so don’t be naive and insist on a cheaper price! The multi cab will take about 30 minutes to Kuyba Almoneca where you’ll pay 100 pesos (around $3 AUD) for entry and a tour guide who will show you around. If you prefer, just tell them you’re happy to walk around by yourself without a guide like we did.
Meditation Garden
The beautiful gardens are lush and green in the wet season and you can wonder around, admiring the meditation areas that cater to catholics. From little waterfalls to bridges and entrances to caves, it is a peculiar little oasis in the middle of what seems like nowhere. There are also a couple of restaurants where you can stop for lunch or a fruit shake.
After Swimming in the natural springs underground, you will walk up a spiral staircase towards the fish spa, included in the entry price, you can sit and let the little fish bite away at your dead skin, lovely!
The best part about going in rainy season is that there aren’t many tourists around and you might even get the whole place to yourself!