KOTA KINABALU: Star Cruises will return to Sabah and homeport in Kota Kinabalu from Nov 8 till March 1 next year.
And this time around its 13-storey SuperStar Aquarius will introduce a new destination to Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan Island in the Philippines.
In the offing is a voyage of 4D/3N Kota Kinabalu/Puerto Princesa City, two-night high seas cruise (available alternate week) and the regular one night high seas cruise.
In conjunction with the deployment of SuperStar Aquarius, Star Cruises in collaboration with the Philippine Department of Tourism organised a familiarisation trip to Puerto Princesa on Oct 14-17 to sample some of the tourism attractions that could be promoted to visitors later.
Also in the entourage were local tour and travel agents as well as local and national media members to help sell and promote the cleanest and greenest city in the Philippines, which is home to many beautiful sights and natural wonders.
Among the places that the entourage from Malaysia visited include the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new seven wonders of nature. It was endorsed on January 28, 2012.
Visitors will take a paddled boat ride inside the underground river to see the many fascinating rock formations, large bats and deep water hole in the river.
Those who like swimming, snorkelling, diving and enjoy the sandy beach, can take a ride on board the banca, a traditional boat for islands hopping at Honda Bay.
For a day trip, visitors can stopover to see the many type of fishes at Pambato Reef which is a floating platform before heading Pandan Island and Cowrie Island.
There are also many interesting sites within the city to explore and discover and one of such is the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre, formerly known as the Crocodile Farm and Nature Park.
Endangered species like the Philippine Crocodile, as well as other endemic wildlife to the island such as the bearcat, are also protected in the sanctuary.
Also, take a glimpse of the unconventional religious structures by visiting the Immaculate Conception Church, which is famous for its angular structure as well as visit the flea market to find its cultured freshwaters pearls and local crafts.
Activities in the evening beside dinner, the visitors can also go for a quiet paddled river cruise at the Mangrove Eco-Tourism & Wildlife Park for the Iwahig firefly watching.
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