Spelunking in Bohol

CEBU, Philippines - With the heat of the summer sun burning down our necks and frying our skin cells, things call for an escape and with it, adventure, mystery and wonder. At the mention of Bohol, most people would probably direct their thoughts towards either the Chocolate Hills or the Tarsier.

True enough, Bohol, Cebu’s neighboring island province, is famous for these limestone formations and nighttime creatures. It’s also famous for its white sand beaches that literally line the coast for tourists to visit year after year, its choices of world class diving spots surrounding the island, its rich marine life, its gentle rolling terrain whose interior mountainous region is home to various flora and fauna, its culture and history reflected in century-old churches and monuments, and its famous delicacies like the Peanut Kisses and the Kalamay.

But there is more to Bohol than pristine white beaches, beautiful limestone formations and interesting flora and fauna. You will be surprised to find that Bohol caters to a lot of different people with different interests, one of which are spelunking enthusiasts.

Spelunking or also known as caving is a general term used for exploring caves. It is a recreational sport of exploring wild cave systems.

Bohol, from the word Boho meaning “hole”, is home to over a hundred caves, the biggest of which is found in the eastern part of the island. Because of this, Bohol is an ideal place for spelunking adventures. There are more or less 1400 caves to date that were discovered throughout the island. The caves were said to have been found near coastal towns of the island with a few situated inland yet near rivers and streams. There are many good spelunking spots in places such as Danao, Anda, Maribojoc, and Sierra Bullones.

There is a hidden beauty to the underground world of caves. In one spelunking venture with my family, my jaw literally kept dropping in amazement. In one of the unnamed caves by the Loboc River, we found astounding stone formations from stalactites and stalagmites. Being inside a newly explored cave gave me a sense of excitement as there was a hint of danger that lurked in the shadows. We saw different formations such as a crocodile head, the Tres Marias and angels’ wings.

“One cannot imagine how nature carved such beautiful things”, Teresa “Tessie” Mapute, 2001 Kalakbay Awardee Tour Guide of the Year of the Philippines says referring to the different formations.

I allowed myself to take everything in as the wonders of the underground world unfolded in front of me with every step I took. I limited myself to just absorbing everything because our guides warned us that a camera’s flash, and touching a stalactite or stalagmite could spell its ruin. As we explored the caves, our guides also shared that most of these caves were used as hideouts for the rebels in Bohol during the Spanish era.

There were two significant revolts that occurred in Bohol during the Spanish Era, one of which was the famous Dagohoy rebellion led by Francisco Dagohoy, which was considered the longest rebellion in Philippine history. The locals believed that part of the reason why Dagohoy’s rebellion lasted for so long was because of the help of the complicated cave systems in Bohol.

During cave explorations, one may find different creatures such as minute bats (which are an inch small), unique spiders and other creepy crawlies that can only be found underground. Caving is good exercise for the body as in some cases your body is made to execute different positions just to fit in through holes. You will also be doing a lot of walking, crawling and perhaps swimming.

Mapute suggest that if you’re the type who’s searching for new things to do and to enjoy in Bohol, spelunking is one of the activities you can try out. For a safer and organized caving experience, you can try out Danao’s Eco, Environment, Extreme Adventure Tour or EAT Danao. But if you want to try to rough it out, you can coordinate with the Bohol Outdoor Explorers or BOEX, an association of mountain climbers and cavers, and they can be your guides to newly explored caves for a fee of course.

If you’re also the type who’s out looking for a summer vacation packed with adventure, mystery and wonder, then come visit Bohol and try spelunking in its complex cave systems. You’ll surely have a summer vacation you’ll always remember.

“If you have the guts, then try to explore the underground world of caves.” Mapute says, “Kung beautiful na gani sa taas, unsa na kaha sa ubos.” Photos taken from http://www.eatdanao.com/wp-content/gallery/caving/