Callao Cave houses a thousand wonders

Posted at 1:35 pm March 11, 2010

Tags: Natural Wonders, Vacation

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by Edzelle Peña

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PEÑABLANCA, CAGAYAN – When in Cagayan, you should not miss the experience of seeing centuries-old limestone and rock formations at one of the region’s most magnificent caves -– the Callao Cave.

We drove several hundred kilometers from Cagayan’s capital, Tuguegarao City to the town of Peñablanca to visit Callao cave. It was roughly a 30-minute trip. This seven-chambered cavern, situated above the Pinacanuan River, is among the many documented caves in the region and is one of the most visited by tourists.

It was named after the Kallaw bird, which used to abound in the area. However, due to constant hunting, their population dropped drastically over the years.

We climbed 187 steps to reach the entrance. A young, dynamic boy served as our guide. He was among the locals there who make a living as tour guides and the local government has their full support on them. He said they had to undergo extensive training, familiarizing and memorizing the history and all the other details about the cave. He was actually very informative. He must have memorized a book’s worth of information and could very well be dubbed a ‘walking encyclopedia’.

The first chamber is called the Aviary Room for it is home to a number of bird species. You could see them flying all over the area and their ‘tweets’ and ‘chirps’ were all music to my ears. At the right side of the entrance is a fenced area where archeologists from the University of the Philippines discovered Neolithic tools and human remains.

It was dark and slippery inside so if you’re planning on a visit, be sure to bring flashlights. Nevertheless, DOT Cagayan has setup incandescent bulbs in some parts of the cave but they only turn these on mostly late in the afternoon when there isn’t ample light coming from the sun.

The second chamber is called the Divine Room. It is said to be the main attraction in the cave for it was transformed into a church following the natural formation of a grotto on the wall and a natural skylight. The chamber is a perfect spot for a wedding ceremony but as part of the tradition, the groom would have to carry his bride up the 187 steps. Quite an exceptional act for a man to profess his love ain’t it?
As we went deeper inside, we reached the fourth chamber called the Dark Room. We had to walk very slowly to navigate around the chamber since there really was no light to guide us. After a few slips, we found ourselves inside the fifth chamber, the Cream Room. It was named after a huge rock formation which resembles three scoops of ice-cream. Look up and you will find the formations of the ‘Head of St. Joseph’ and ‘Wings of an Angel’.

Following this chamber is the Jungle Area. Here we found lots of animal-shaped rock formations. Among these are the ‘Pawikan’, ‘Lion Kissing the Big Turtle’ and ‘King Kong’.

The sixth chamber is called the Adventurous Area which has a passage branching off halfway up the ceiling. It is accessible through another entrance situated on the other side of the mountain.

The way to the last chamber was rough. The decline was steep and we had to be very careful because a slip could mean plunging down towards sharp-edged rocks.

The seventh and final chamber, which I personally find the most astonishing, is called the Sun Room. Sun rays peek through an opening in the wall and gives tourists a heavenly view. The best time to catch this display is between 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. when the sun directly hits the cave. For photographers, it is one perfect spot to create a masterpiece.

The Callao Cave offers nature-lovers as well as adventure-seekers an exciting escapade that will surely be a worthwhile experience. I will surely go back there and the next time around, I promise to bring a better camera.

See these amazing pictures from Alford Ronduen. You might also want to check out this video from Biagkensiak.

Here’s how to get there from Lakwatsero.com:

By Land

From Manila, Victory Liner, Baliwag (Contact No: 524-7111, 525-1067, 525-3064, 525-6769, 525-2338, 525-2294), EMC Bus Company, Auto Bus Company (Contact No: 7358096) and Florida Liner have daily trips to Cagayan Capitol everyday almost every hour. It is around 485 kilometers north of Metro Manila; travel time is about 10 hours and the fare is approximately P600.

If you are coming from Tabuk, jeepneys are available in Kalabaw Intersection (in front of St. William Cathedral), fare is P55. From Ilocos and Abra, GMW Liner and Florida Liner have trips to Tuguegarao.

By Air

Air Philippines flies to Tuguegarao from Manila, travel time is an hour more or less.