Callao Cave, the main attraction in Cagayan Valley, is just a 30-minute drive away from the center of Tuguegarao and is located at the town of Penablanca. It is one of rare ones for it is found at a top of mountain – as we all know, caves are usually found underground. In the main entrance, we were asked to register our names and pay twenty pesos each as entrance fee.
We were surprised that we needed to climb 187 steep steps just to get in to the chambers.The first few steps were quite hard for it has bigger steps compared to the ones at the top that only need baby steps.From the top of the mountain, you could see the wide river of Pinacanauan where some teenagers and families are found to be busy kayaking, grilling and fixing up their tents.
From the stairs, we walked towards the first chamber, the Aviary Room, where there are large openings that allow different species of bird to enter and live inside the cave. The second and the main attraction of the cave is the Divine Room that was converted into a church with some benches and an altar. Also, it has a daylight opening at the top of it so it’s like putting a natural spotlight in the altar. The rock formations in the next chamber were so hard to see because of its dim features and so the locals named it as the Dark room. The fourth was the Cream Room as it was named after the ice cream scoop shaped rock formations found inside the chamber. The last but not the least chamber we’ve seen was the Jungle Room that has animal-looking rock formations. We were not able to get into the sixth and seventh chamber because it was already getting dark and so we needed to leave the place in just a few minutes.
Callao Cave was really a memorable trip since it was my very first time to go cave trekking. The bats, rock formations, stalagmites, stalactites and everything I’ve seen inside are extraordinarily magnificent. By the way, since it's a Holy Week, we considered this as part of our Visita Inglesia.
Post Its:
Wear comfortable shoes and expect to get sweaty & dirty.
How to get there from Manila:
1. Ride a bus off to Cagayan Capitol (Florida/Victory Liner/Baliwag Transit) - Fare: P600.00 Or ride a plane off to Tuguegarao (Air Philippines) - Fare: 800.00
2. From the Balzain Highway in Tuguegarao, take a tricycle or a jeepney and ask the driver to drop you off at the Callao Cave - Fare: P25.00
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