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Features
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The island of Palawan, in the Philippines, conceals an extraordinary subterranean treasure: the Puerto Princesa Underground River, or Natuturingan, as the locals call it. This immense cave has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, and since 2012 it has been listed as one of the "New7Wonders of Nature". It plays host to an underground river that traverses the mountain from one side to another, and which flows out just a few yards from the South China Sea. It features an exceptionally rich eco-system, encompassing hundreds of animal species, many of which are native, and a food chain based on the guano generated by gigantic colonies of swiftlets and bats. One of the most popular caves in the world for tourists, Natuturingan retains intact its ancient fascination thanks to far-sighted management: no lighting has been installed inside, no passageways have been paved, and no jetties have been built on the beach. Using small outriggers, visitors can sail for around one mile into the breathtaking flooded galleries. But the cave also includes numerous other chambers, some of which are colossal in scale. Here, immersed in the silence of time, there are mineral formations of quite stunning beauty. Over the past thirty years, the La Venta group has made a crucial contribution to the efforts to explore and document this cave. La Venta's longstanding input is at last charted in this book, which gives everyone an insight into what is one of our planet's most extraordinary underground. by Antonio De Vivo, Paolo Forti (Editor), Leonardo Piccini (Editor) |
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