4 Must-visit Caving Sites in the Philippines
One will never run out of travel ideas when in the Philippines. When done with island-hopping, trekking in mountains or just beach bumming by the sea, the caves are the ones worth checking for.
Here’s a list of the must-visit caving sites in the Philippines which should be included in your bucket list:
Callao Cave
CALLAO CAVE. One of the more popular caves in the Philippines thanks to its limestone formations./PHOTO Rawen Balmaña
Tucked in the province of Cagayan up north is Callao Cave which offers a grand attraction of huge lime stones and rock formations. When going to the place, you need to summon the strength of going up to 200 steps before seeing several chambers. The main attraction, named as The Chapel, is a chamber turned cathedral.
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
UNDERGROUND RIVER. Arguably the most popular of the country’s caves, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is better known for the limestone formations within the caves./IMAGE Puerto Princesa Tourism Office
This world renowned underground site is not for spelunking and diving. Touring this river encompasses passing through the St. Paul Underground River Cave. The whole river is about 15,000 meters or 5 miles. It is also considered as one of the seven wonders of nature.
Tabon Caves
SEAT OF PHILIPPINE PRE-HISTORY. One of the oldest human fossils in the Philippines was found in the Tabon Caves. This is one of its many chambers./PHOTO Jim Colico via Wikimedia Commons
Tabon Caves, located in the municipality of Quezon in Palawan, became known during the discovery of the Tabom man skull. The Tabon man is said to be 22,000 years old. The cave itself is known to be inhabited for over 55, 000 years. The Tabon Cave Complex has 29 explored caves and there are still unexplored ones up to this day.
Hinagdanan Cave
EASY TO GET. What you’ll see inside Hinagdanan Cave will stay with you for a while… all without breaking a sweat./PRIMER FILE PHOTO
In Dauis, Bohol, there is a cave where tourists need not exert so much effort in exploring. Stalagmites will welcome you after a few series of steps and the cave’s beauty will illuminate as a ray of sunlight enters its walls. This cave also has a pool though visitors are not allowed to swim in it. If you are visiting Panglao in Bohol, we suggest you have a side trip to this cave to add to your Bohol bucket list.
Written by Gelyka Dumaraos
Image sources: Tabon Cave from Wikimedia Commons, Rawen Balmaña
