The lush Cagayan Valley in Northeastern Luzon is the gateway to awesome and jaw-dropping tourist spots. Count the caves as one of them.
Peñablanca town in the province of Cagayan plays host to a famed natural spot that continuously beckons poets, photographers, and adventurers as they unlock mysteries and discover secrets of nature.
Peñablanca is a Spanish word that means ‘White Rock’. Archaeologists said the area was established a hundred and fifty million years ago when tectonic pebbles raised the ocean floor, exposing the snow-white-like limestone formations.
The town is believed to be the land of various cave formations, earning it the sobriquet ‘Caving Adventure Capital of the Philippines’. It has the biggest concentration of caves in the entire nation.
The Pinacanauan River adjacent to the Callao Cave and the Bat Cave in Peñablanca, Cagayan. (Photo courtesy of DOT 2)
The Sierra Madre Outdoor Club (SMOC), the official caving organization in the province has already mapped more than 350 caves in the town and is continuously exploring its large land and mountain coverage to explore other possible caves that may be hidden in the vast valley.
Many of its explored caves offer a kaleidoscope of lights and colors like surrealistic paintings of nature.
Callao Cave is the most visited one and the flagship tourism destination in the Cagayan Valley Region. It is named after the bird species ‘Kalaw’, which is now considered endangered. It is famous for its numerous giant sky holes from where raindrops and skylights filter into the cave, offering natural illumination in meditation, perfect for the chapel built in its main chamber, where holy mass is sometimes held.
Lately, archeologists found the oldest bone of human remains at the mouth of the cave, believed to be 67,000 years old, named ‘Callao Man”, older than the one discovered at the Tabon Cave in Palawan.
The chapel at the second chamber and the stunning rock formations at the fourth chamber of the Callao Cave in Peñablanca, Cagayan. (Photo courtesy of DOT 2)
Adjacent to Callao is the ‘Bat’ Cave, the home of millions of fruit bats. Big birds circle into the caves’ openings to prey on bats. The bats darken the sky at sunset and sunrise every day as they go out and form a circadian flight, reaching the northern tip of the province and as far as Kalinga and Apayao provinces, a hundred kilometers away. They scatter in the vast valley to spot food the whole night and return to the cave before sunrise.
Jackpot Cave has another story to tell. It is located at Sitio Tumallo, Barangay Quibal, and is 115 meters in length, making it the second deepest cave in the Philippines. The cave has a walking-sized passage, shafts, and drops of varying depths that provide for a lot of rope work.
Boat ride at the Pinacanauan River near the Callao Cave is one of the adventures offered for tourists at the Callao caves Tourist Zone in Peñablanca, Cagayan. (Photo courtesy of DOT 2)
The Odessa-Tumbali Cave, also in Barangay Quibal, is recorded as the third longest cave in the Philippines, with a length of at least 12.60 kilometers, only 7.65 kilometers of which, however, have been explored and mapped. It has five different entrances and is considered a difficult cave to explore, with its narrow, flood-prone passages. Its actual length may reach up to 15 kilometers.
Other than this, Sierra Cave, Roc Cave, San Carlos Cave, and Carabao Cave are a few of the caves with unique and long stories to tell. They have different characteristics that provide excellent opportunities for cave photography as well as wet sport spelunking while serving as a home to a variety of wildlife.
History also tells the story of Peñablanca as one of the last sanctuaries of the retreating Japanese military forces during the Second World War. There are many rumors about Yamashita’s treasures discovered in its many caves. However, no one could tell if there were successful treasure hunters in the caves.
The warm and hospitable Ibanags make up the natives of Peñablanca. They are simple and happy folks who till the barren land to grow corn, legumes, nuts, fruit-bearing trees, and vegetables.
Peñablanca is where people and nature meet, touching one’s spirit. It is a place where mystery and adventure mix perfectly, offering a unique experience to its visitors. (OTB/PIA Region 2)
