Callao Cave

Callao Cave is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction of Cagayan Province. I first came to know about this place when I went to a travel expo a few years back. The image of a chapel in a cavern captivated me. I knew I must see this place.

Callao Cave is one of the many caves in Peñablanca town. The discovery of a 67,000-year-old human fossil in the cave system of Callao made my trip even more interesting.

Last year, I went to Tuguegarao City. It was a sunny Friday morning when we departed Manila. An hour later, the plane landed right on schedule. From the airport, I went to Candice Hotel to drop off some of my stuffs.

Foremost in my itinerary was Callao Cave. I went to the jeepney terminal to Callao but found out that no jeepney was leaving soon. I started to wonder how I could get to the cave without hiring a tricycle. A helpful soul told me that I could go to another terminal where I could find tricycles that ply the route to Callao. I thanked him and flagged a passing tricycle to take me to the other terminal.

At the other terminal, I was relieved when I found out that all the tricycles there were going to Callao. I had to wait for more passengers to fill up the tricycle. When we left, it was past midmorning and the temperature was scorching. Tuguegarao City happens to be the hottest place in the Philippines.

There are two ways to get to Callao Cave. One can go directly to the entrance of Callao Eco Tourism Zone via Quibal or take the other one that leads straight to the banks of Pinacanauan River. At the riverbank, a flat-bottomed boat will take you across to the steps going up to Callao Cave.

The tricycle I took brought me to the bank of the river. Crossing the emerald river in a flat-bottomed boat was an amazing experience. When I got to the other side, I got off and climbed the steps to the information center of Callao Cave. I had to pay first a minimal fee before I could go and see the cave.

I had to climb close to 200 steps before reaching the entrance of the cave. At the cave’s entrance are some information regarding archeological diggings in Callao.

While it was sweltering outside, inside the cave was a wee bit chill.

The highlight of Callao Cave is the second chamber – a chapel in a cathedral-like chamber illuminated by a natural opening above.

Farther in, the other chambers have interesting stalactite and stalagmite formations.

I explored the cave alone, although there were other groups. It wasn’t hard to explore the different chambers at all as most have natural lighting.

I didn’t go to the last chamber since it started to rain when I got to the cave. In some areas, the path has become muddy and slippery. I have no intention of hurting myself considering that the rock surface is quite jagged.

I immersed myself with Callao’s natural wonder as I stayed at the chapel until the rain has stopped. Its beauty is simply mesmerizing.