Pukaway Cave Underground Lake

Useful Information

Location:	Pukaway, Coron, 5316 Palawan. (11.962956945077051, 120.22995867626169)
Open:	Closed. [2025]
Fee:	Closed. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent Coloured Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:	Leonardo Piccini, Guido Rossi (): Italian Caving Exploration in the Island of Palawan, Philippines Speleologia 31, 1994, pp. 5-61. researchgate
Address:	Pukaway Cave Underground Lake, Pukaway, Coron, 5316 Palawan, Tel: +63-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

06-OCT-2023

legal action against the operator by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.

Description

Pukaway Cave Underground Lake is a karst cave which is flooded by seawater. Located close to the coast of Coron Island, which is a steep limestone cliff, the cave is entered by walking up a steep trail and then climbing down a narrow vertical shaft. There is an iron ladder in the shaft, so it is actually not difficult, nevertheless, climbing down a very long ladder in a narrow shaft requires some physical fitness and agility. The goal: swimming in the brackish water of the cave. We thought a while if this is actually a show cave or not, as it has electric light, development, entrance fee, and open hours. However, the main goal of a show cave to make it accessible for normal people is not given here. This cave is only for fit visitors, although no real climbing skills are required. And the visit is actually a boat tour, Coron is an uninhabited island of the Calamian Group of Islands. To get there its necessary to embark on a private boat tour.

Coron Island is definitely spectacular, a combination of stone forests and karst towers in the middle of the sea. There are numerous karst features, like karren, caves and collapse dolines. Another sight nearby is weird Barracuda Lake. Numerous bays on the island have wooden jetties for all the excursion boats. The island is a main destination for swimming, snorkeling, and diving. Its obvious that the only "show" cave on the island is actually an underground swimming pool.

The visit is not sold in form of a ticket at the entrance. Actually there are boat operators which offer 1-day boat tours which include the cave visit. Such tours are sold at the hotel, the harbour, or on event portals in the internet. A typical price for such a tour is around 100 €. Most boats start from Lualhati Park on neighbouring Busuanga Island.

However, the island is under protection and so Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSDS) filed charges. It seems the operators did not have a permission for the development. It was a violation of Republic Act No. 9072, also known as the National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act. The installments harmed the cave and the cave animals, and so this venue was closed. Currently, the cave is closed [2025], and it is unclear if it ever will be reopened. The Philippines are quite exceptional in that matter, they actually have a law for the protection of caves. Even European countries which have strict nature protection laws often "forget" to include caves. We decided to add this site nevertheless, for two reasons. First of all to warn tourists that the site is closed. If you find an advertisement be very careful, it is most likely either outdated or even a scam. And second, the idea is quite exceptional, though not suitable for everyone. We would have liked to publish some pictures, but unfortunately there are no public domain pictures available. We recommend looking for a video on YouTube search.