Cavinti Underground Cave
The trip to the caves was an adventure in itself because of the mishaps.The road was underdeveloped and not suited for other vehicles besides jeeps, 4x4s, motorcycles, and tricycles. The dirt road got worse because of the rains, which made crossing via vehicle so much harder. Halfway trough the dirt road, our jeepney driver did not want to go any further because of the poor road conditions. We all went on an unexpected 1 hour trek to get to the jump-off point to the Cavinti caves.
After a tiring trek, we finally arrived at the jump-off point and were greeted by a picturesque river and rock formations.
The brief rest and lunch reinvigorated our bodies, then we were finally off to explore the caves.
There were plenty of bell-like formations that were reminiscent of Sagada but the similarities end there. Cavinti cave is larger and safer compared to Sagada. The cave we visited covers 4km and has two chambers. There are also lesser narrow walk ways, crawling parts, and dangerous ravines.
There was water flowing out of the stalactites.
There are other noteworthy rock formations inside the cave. The cave took shape over thousands of years because of underground rivers and other factors. Some of the sections of the cave were surrounded with ropes to avoid further damage caused by tourists touching and pulling the rock formations.
The stalactites inside the cave were also magnificent in their own right. The stalactites took various shapes from chandeliers to hands to feet and other shapes.
There was also an underground falls deep inside the cave. The water was cool and relaxing after an hour inside the cave. The cave was not as challenging as Sagada but still posed a challenge because of the slippery rocks. It took us almost two hours to go through the two chambers.
Cavinti cave was a great adventure. The road to get to the place needs a LOT of work to become tourist-friendly. Once it starts raining the road becomes completely impassable. We were told that the caves were discovered by illegal loggers, how ironic.
With its sudden media exposure, there were already a lot of tourists flocking to the caves despite the poor road condition. Sadly, the caves will be closed because of a government announcement (I forget why but it had something to do with fixing regulations, rules, fees, etc.). If I'm not mistaken they will open the caves to the public again starting July. They were only finishing off the tourists that have bought permits before the announcement was made.
We spent P1,000 each for the tour (courtesy of Explore8) which included lunch, snacks, guides, jeepney ride, and permits. The bus ride to Cavinti and back to Manila were excluded from the price.