Spelunking in Sagada

Any physical activity is never my cup of tea. But sometimes we have to get out of our comfort zones.  I didn't even know that the word 'spelunking' is synonymous with 'caving' until I tried it. 

It was a drizzling afternoon of my 2012 birthday. We arrived in Sagada from Bontoc before noon and just after lunch we went to the tourism office at the municipal hall to inquire on what are the best activities that we can enjoy. When we travel, we always consult Google and Tripadvisor first so we can maximize our time. But as I've said in my other Sagada blog, this trip is just out of the blue and we had the luxury of time. So I didn't know what's in for me in my first 'spelunking' adventure.

Good thing I was in proper attire for my first trip to the bowels of the earth. Even at the entrance of the cave, it was already a challenge for me because the rocks were too slippery. But there's no turning back, I have to move on. 

Entrance to the Sumaguing Cave

The first part of the Sumaguing Cave was the descent to the dark world of unknown. It was like a 90 degree vertical descent on rugged rocks while holding on to bat pooped slimy rocks. Good thing our guide pointed us where to step our foot or hold our hands to.

Going down

The next part was easy. We removed our shoes and walked on stones which felt like sandpaper on our bare foot. We came across a calcium filled stream and drank from it. There were magnificent rock formations in this second part. 

Bare foot on sandstone

The last part was the most difficult yet rewarding part. We have to crawl into some holes in rocks, rappel and our guide provided us a 'human ladder' so we can go down on a steep rock. But the more difficult this part is, the more magnificent were the rock formations like the King's Curtains, Dancing Hall and  Rice Terraces. At the end of the Sumaguing Cave is a waist deep pool of cool and clear waters just in front of a rock formation which looks like a Shark's Head. Taking a dip in this refreshing pool is rewarding enough. And once you go beyond this pool, you can see the connection to Lumiang Cave which we didn't dare to cross. Sumaguing Cave is well enough for my first time spelunking adventure.

Human Ladder

Rapelling

Stream

Cool and refreshing

This one looks like a _______ (censored). 

Waist deep pool

Shark's Head

So we went back to the face of the earth on the same route that we took going down here. Then I googled about Sumaguing Cave and found out that it is one of the deepest and most dangerous caves in the Philippines. True enough and in a few months after that, the Sumaguing Cave made headlines as 30 tourists were trapped inside the cave and one died when a strong current gushed inside. May her soul rest in peace...

Some pictures are courtesy of my friend, Chris Perez.

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