Day 2: Firefly Watching at Iwahig River in Puerto Princesa, Palawan
After we got back from Honda Bay, we decided to do the Firefly watching tour (P600/person) at the Iwahig River. It's not as popular as the Undeground River or Honda Bay Island tour but I would recommend this educational/ecotour, especially if you have school-aged kids with you. It's a joint project of the ABS-CBN Foundation together with the Iwahig community who manages the place and the boatmen/guides are knowledgeable and are proactive in preserving this ecosystem.
Travel time was about 45 minutes through some very dark and creepy-looking roads and the only vehicle on that long stretch of road is yours. We scared ourselves sh!tless by imagining about the appearance of white ladies and mysterious creatures (not a wise thing to do.) Tsk tsk.
I've seen a few fireflies around our backyard when I was a kid and we used to catch them by trapping them inside our white shirts so you could see them shining their light underneath. Fireflies are one of the indicators of a healthy ecosystem and when there's an imbalance, they no longer thrive. Since new houses started to be built around previously vacant and fertile lots, we haven't seen them since, so I was curious to check out this tour to find out how many fireflies you could actually see.
They give you a lifevest and a salakot (native wide-brimmed hat) to wear before boarding the boat. Only 3 people are allowed for each boat, excluding the boatman. There are some mosquitoes in the area so we slathered on some mosquito repellent before coming there.
The boatman started to paddle out from the century-old acacia tree at the dock going into the river and shared some educational tidbits about the Iwahig River, the different types of mangroves found there, and quick facts about the fireflies. Fireflies perceive any form of light as a signal. The boatman uses a red laser light by pointing it at the mangroves and immediately it would light up like christmas trees. No flash photography is allowed during the tour so either you tinker with your camera settings for pitch black darkness or just relax and chill while enjoying one of nature's spectacles. I initially tried to take some photos without the flash but only the photo below is of decent quality.
Here's a short video clip of the tour. No need to worry that you won't see anything in the dark, your eyes will adjust accordingly. The red light you'll see in the video comes from the boatman's laser light which he points to the mangroves and the fireflies light up in response to it.
The Iwahig River doesn't have crocodiles and up to this day, not one has been seen in its waters. The river is full of fish and plankton and during our boat ride some fish even tried jumping out of the water which startled us a bit.
One of the mangrove types is called Nilad and it's one of the favorites of fireflies. According to Kuya (our boatman. Too bad I forgot his name), the place we now know as Manila had many Nilad trees back in the day (and thus fireflies) and was referred to as Maynilad.
There's also a package tour with dinner included but it costs P1300 per person.
We opted to have dinner at Ka Lui Restaurant instead.
Travel time was about 45 minutes through some very dark and creepy-looking roads and the only vehicle on that long stretch of road is yours. We scared ourselves sh!tless by imagining about the appearance of white ladies and mysterious creatures (not a wise thing to do.) Tsk tsk.
I've seen a few fireflies around our backyard when I was a kid and we used to catch them by trapping them inside our white shirts so you could see them shining their light underneath. Fireflies are one of the indicators of a healthy ecosystem and when there's an imbalance, they no longer thrive. Since new houses started to be built around previously vacant and fertile lots, we haven't seen them since, so I was curious to check out this tour to find out how many fireflies you could actually see.
They give you a lifevest and a salakot (native wide-brimmed hat) to wear before boarding the boat. Only 3 people are allowed for each boat, excluding the boatman. There are some mosquitoes in the area so we slathered on some mosquito repellent before coming there.
The boatman started to paddle out from the century-old acacia tree at the dock going into the river and shared some educational tidbits about the Iwahig River, the different types of mangroves found there, and quick facts about the fireflies. Fireflies perceive any form of light as a signal. The boatman uses a red laser light by pointing it at the mangroves and immediately it would light up like christmas trees. No flash photography is allowed during the tour so either you tinker with your camera settings for pitch black darkness or just relax and chill while enjoying one of nature's spectacles. I initially tried to take some photos without the flash but only the photo below is of decent quality.
Here's a short video clip of the tour. No need to worry that you won't see anything in the dark, your eyes will adjust accordingly. The red light you'll see in the video comes from the boatman's laser light which he points to the mangroves and the fireflies light up in response to it.
The Iwahig River doesn't have crocodiles and up to this day, not one has been seen in its waters. The river is full of fish and plankton and during our boat ride some fish even tried jumping out of the water which startled us a bit.
One of the mangrove types is called Nilad and it's one of the favorites of fireflies. According to Kuya (our boatman. Too bad I forgot his name), the place we now know as Manila had many Nilad trees back in the day (and thus fireflies) and was referred to as Maynilad.
There's also a package tour with dinner included but it costs P1300 per person.
We opted to have dinner at Ka Lui Restaurant instead.
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