Travel Guide: Callao Cave
Callao Cave is perhaps one of the most popular caves in the Philippines (even more popular than the caves of Sagada) and the best known tourist attraction of the Cagayan Province. It is located in Barangays Parabba and Quibal, in the town of Peñablanca, a thirty minute drive from the provincial capitol Tuguegarao.
Unlike the caves of Sagada, Callao Cave is very easy to explore but requires little test of endurance as you go up the stair with close to 200 steps before witnessing the massive limestone and rock formations inside.
It is made up of seven chambers and various formations: the Column, Chapel, Skeleton, Elephant’s Head, Praying Angel, Rocket, Lion’s Head and Dog’s Head Formations. The Chapel, being featured in many tourism ads and postcards, is the main attraction of the cave (and of the whole Cagayan), it is a chamber turned into a cathedral by the locals. The place draws a dramatic picture as the skylight illuminates the hall through its opening.
While in the area, one must also try a wooden boat ride in Mororan (Minoran) River passing through small rainforest, a bat cave, scenic rocky cliffs and picturesque river banks with crystal clear water ideal for swimming.
How to Get There:
Tuguegarao, the capital of Cagayan Province is the jump-off point for Callao Cave. There are two ways to reach the cave from Tuguegarao: One (though rare) is to ride a jeep/tricycle in Balzain Highway going to Quibal for P25.00/head, the road that leads to the town of Peñablanca ends at the Park; or take the road that leads to Callao Cave Resort leading to the Mororan River, but one needs to ride a banca to get across the river to Callao Cave.
To go to Tuguegarao:
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 P600.00.
If you are coming from Tabuk, jeepneys are available in Kalabaw Intersection (in front of St. William Cathedral), fare is P55.00. 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.
Where to Stay:
For those planning to stay overnight in Peñablanca, you may stay at Callao Cave Resort (Contact No: 078-8441801). But there are more hotels and lodges in Tuguegarao, among them is Bed & Breakfast Pension House (Contact No: 078-8464743/+639206666997) which offers P500 for a triple fan room, and extra P100 per head, with free breakfast. The bathrooms are shared, but the place is clean and safe.
Other hotels are:
- Hotel Candice, Blumentritt St, Tuguegarao (Contact No: 078-8442001; Fax No: 078-8442003)
- Hotel Delfino, Gonzaga St, Tuguegarao (Contact No: 078-8441314)
- Hotel Lorita, Rizal St, Tuguegarao (Contact No: 078-8441390)
- Pensione Roma, Luna St, Tuguegarao (Contact No: 078-8441057)
Activities:
Here is the list of the activities you can do to maximize your stay in Callao
- Spelunking in Callao Cave (Entrance Fee: P20.00/<$1), and other caves in Peñablanca: Jackpot Cave, Odessa-Tumbali Cave System and San Carlos Cave
Lifted from RJ SeaFlight Discovery Tours:
· Callao Caves – Located within the Peñablanca Protected Landscape; 24 kilometers from Tuguegarao. The seven-chambered Callao Caves boast of massive limestone and other rock formations, skylights, and a chapel.
· Jackpot Cave – Located at Sitio Tumallo, Barangay Quibal in Peñablanca. At 115 meters, it is the second deepest cave in the Philippines. The cave has a walking-size passage, shafts and drops of varying depths that provide for a lot of rope works.
· Odessa-Tumbali Cave System – Located at Sitio Abbenditan, Barangay Quibal in Peñablanca. At 12.60 kilometers, it is the third longest cave in the Philippines. Known locally as Abbenditan Cave, it is active, flood prone, and provides excellent wet sport caving.
· San Carlos Cave – Probably one of the toughest caves the Philippines could offer. When inside the cave, spelunkers will learn the art of cave crawling. A chamber called “Ice Cream Parlor” contains a cluster of white stalagmites that resemble scooped ice cream. The “John the Baptist” chamber is a very deep underwater sump that one has to take a deep breath and swim to the other side of the chamber. Sharp and rough stones could scratch the skin and tear clothing.
- Boat ride in Mororan River (P300.00/~$7)
- Watch thousands of bats fly out from Callao Cave at around 6 pm from the Mororan River.
- Swimming in Mororan River
- Kayaking in Pinacanauan river.
- Visit Our Lady of Piat Basilica Minore
- Explore the rest of Cagayan: Portabaga Falls in Sta. Praxedes, Black & Fine Sand Beaches, The Oldest Bell in Southeast Asia located in Camalaniugan’s San Jacinto de Polonia Parish.
Tips:
- When in Callao Cave, some kids offer guide services for any amount your conscience can afford. These kids are kind and will help you in any way they can.
- To ride a banca to Mororan river, go downstairs near the Callao Cave entrance. One banca can accomodate up to fifteen (15) people, so you may opt to join other groups to lessen the expense. A banca ride cost P300.00, back and forth.
- Try swimming in the river, so bring extra clothes.
- If you are a commuter, be sure to finish the tour on or before 3:00 pm because transportation is limited beyond that time. We finish our tour by 4:00pm and we cannot find Traysi near Callao so we were forced to rent a special Traysi Trip for P300.00 to Tuguegarao.
Lakwatsero Experience:
Lakwatsero has been to Callao Cave in 2006. Watch out for the narratives, pictures and itineraries of his travel.
Viewed 42621 times by 16379 viewers
callao cave was the best place i’ve been too last vacation,ganda talaga don di kapaniniwala ang mga nkikita ko sa ganda,i just wish 1 day that i wii be able to go there again,,,,,,,, MABUHAY CAGAYAN
extreme talaga pumunta ng calla caves, lalo na sa sierra cave… libre ung mud spa
the best talaga ang sierra cave…maraming nageenjoy sa adventure na dala ng cave…lalo nasa selica’s passage…love you mga cagayano…be proud of it…
if you visit callao cave in cagayan, do not miss also the cape engaño, palaui island and anguib cove in cagayan. contact kuya arnulfo, 09154670964 / 09085021217 for boat and tour guide. very reasonable boat fare. he is very friendly and helpful. he even cooked food for us, arranged our homestay and transfer to ilocos..
mabuhay mga cagayano! sulong pa, turismo ng cagayan valley!
Wow thanks dhelsea! I long dreamed of going to palaui and even further to babuyan, i hope i can do it next year. Thanks again for the suggestions and recommendations.
i think kuya arnulfo can also take you to babuyan island and camiguin island (north). madami pang islands dun and you can go for dolphin-watching. paki kamusta mo ako kay kuya arnulfo kung ma mi-meet mo sya..hehe.. irecommend mo din sya sa ibang friends mo. sobrang asikaso kame nyan ni kuya.. for the resort in cagayan, check http://www.bauabeach.com.ph/. pinsan ni kuya arnulfo ang may-ari ng baua resort naman.
thanks for the tips dhelsa
magagamit ko yan
hi angel, nakapunta ka na pala sa callao. balak naming pumunta sa holy week. northern luzon trip naman. sama ka
Pwede po bang humingi ng itinerary? Mga gaano katagal ang kelangan para sa exploration ng 4 na caves sa Peñablanca? Pati dun sa Mororan River, at kayaking sa pinacanauan river at dun sa iba mo pang mga activities na pwede gawin? Thanks!
Hi, we’re going to cagayan this weekend. I’d like to ask for options to get to Callao Cave, other than jeeps/tricycles… Since you said,
“One (though rare) is to ride a jeep/tricycle in Balzain Highway going to Quibal for P25.00/head…”
In short, what’s the usual way?
hi…i grew up in callao,im i thank you all for the appreciation you made from my hometown…please continue and tell ur friends the beauty of callao…
last year 2008 i visited my hometown and it makes me so mad and very sad..the cottages are not maintained and some are already destroyed..i blaming the mayors from 1998 to present pinabayaan nyo ang ganda ng callao cave and resort..mga walang kwentang opisyal ng gobyerno..
and the worst thing is this;they cut almost everything of the stalactites specially at the entrance of the cave
bullshit to those people who did that????mga pu……in……nila.
Hehehe! Thanks winston! Yeah you’re right, some irresponsible people don’t care about our nature… and I hope the local government act to restore the place, sayang eh…
Hi Bleue,
We scheduled a Callao – Pagudpod trek this coming November. We will just commute from Manila to Callao, then Callao to Pagupod. Is there bus travelling from there? Thanks
Good you were able to enjoy your trip in callao.
I’m a penablancan.
I am undertaking a study on a development plan of our own Bengaongao cave at Tublay, Benguet. Can you share me more about the developments that were undertaken in the cagayan caves? Thank you very much
sana mkapunta ako dyan sa cave nin u….
,hi p0…whehehehe…
,sama nman p0 ñ0 aQ z 3p 0r hikes
ñu z calla0,whehehee..,0 khit san p
yn….,i’m a crtifyd LAKWATSER0 kz e’…
Geeeee I’ve been to this cave ~9 years ago.
I attended a national competition (NSPC) in Ilagan, Isabela. Side trip kami tuguegarao.
wow, youve been to Callao Cave, im from tuguegarao, have you met the kid tour guide who speak in english and explain everything to you?
Wow! nadaan ka pala dito sa Tuguegarao, maaraw.
try white water rafting in kainga, an hour away from tuguegarao. website http://www.chicoriverquest.com
hi chow, check out our white water rafting packages at http://www.chicoriverquest.com. we will be happy to have you, we are just an hour away from tuguegarao.
hi chow, well aside from those activities and sites to visits that I mentioned in my post, you may also try white water rafting in Kalinga. For other scenic attractions in the whole province of Cagayan, please see this page: http://cagayano.tripod.com/tourism.html
hi,
i hope you could advise on other must-see’s in cagayan. our group will be assigned in tuguegarao city for the months of june and july…and we would love to explore more of cagayan…hope you could share some touring info with us (what to visit. where to go…etc.)
after we visited your site, we surely are going to visit callao cave.
thanks!
hmmm…
a great cave…
nice
Hi Angel!
This post is very timely! After our Sagada and Banaue trips, this will be our next destination. Please do post more, so we will have an idea where to explore next.