Whenever someone mentions a caving or spelunking exploration I get goosebumps of excitement. I spent a few years guiding caving tours in Newfoundland, soon discovering the confines of it, in and out. Find out about the Corner Brook caves here. However the prospect of squeezing and crawling through a whole new cave system in the Philippines had me intrigued. When darkness falls, my senses awaken and I fully immerse myself into this unbelievable universe.
The Philippines consist of over 7000 different islands with diverse landscapes, outdoors activities along with a rich cultural diversity. Northern Luzon island attracted us into its breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage rice terraces. Little did we know that beneath the quaint mountainous village of Sagada was hidden a real gem. The Sumaguing and Lumiang caves offer hours of spelunking with a unique geology. Initially reticent at the idea of needing a guide, we realized that going solo was out of the question. Plus only a few meters into it we would have regretted our decision.
Firstly, you have to register at the Tourism Office and pay an environmental fee, make sure you bring your receipt along. So we decided to go with the dual cave tour, which we were told was more “adventurous”.
The Cave Connection (3-4 hours caving tour)
The next morning we met up with our guide who picked up a kerosene lantern and led us by foot to the entrance of the cave. Surprisingly we were told to wear sandals for this type of caving tour since your footwear will get wet and most rocks are smooth.
Our guide told us the story behind the small wooden coffins or hanging coffins. He was very knowledgeable and a great entertainer. With the lantern shining into the confines of the earth we waded through water and climbed ropes.
The stillness and silence of the first cave known as Lumiang was astonishing. There was not a single tourist to be seen in this section. Which is due to the fact that it was more physically demanding as well as a longer caving tour. Tight openings lead us deeper into the cave system where some unique geology made it seem as if there was some miniatures of rice terraces.
As we reached the second cave, Sumaguing, our guide encouraged us to leave our flips flops behind and to follow him. Smooth rocks lead us through magnificent rock formations and pools of water in which Cory cliff jumped. Rocks were shaped like a chocolate cake, tooth or mushrooms which our guide happily pointed to while giggling at funny shapes.
I would highly recommend adventurers to jump into this opportunity and to go caving in Sagada. Even the village is great to walk through. For pictures of the caves as well as the Philippines visit our Facebook page by clicking here.
Alex
Live Wildly Intrepid!
Carpe Diem
