A great look into a cave with some fantastic rock formations and fossils. Also informs you of the towns burial practice. A great experience for those who like an active adventure.
We went here during peak season so there were a lot of tourists who did the cave connection spelunking, thus the traffic especially at the passages where only one person can fit and pass through at a time. The guides carries the lamp AKA the only source of light inside the cave.
I really enjoyed my trip to Sumaguing Cave but visitors should be aware that it is dangerous. One of our party slipped and fell and hit her face. She ended up spending a few days in hospital. One of the things that makes this an exciting experience is that the cave does not follow European safety standards. No railings, no cut steps, no clearly marked route and lots of very slippery stones. In addition there didn't seem to be an emergency procedure in place. The person injured had to walk for a further 10 minutes to exit the cave and then was taken to the local hospital on the back of a moped. I had my mobile and passport on me but I would advise that you consider leaving these behind as people on other groups fell into the water. As for children, I personally wouldn't take a child but I saw several Filipino women carrying young children. On balance, dangerous but fun.
Four of us girls did the Cave Connection, which actually started at Lumiang Cave and ended at Sumaguing Cave. It was a four-hour grueling adventure inside - sliding down slippery slopes, propelling ourselves up, inserting ourselves into slivers of rock, maintaining our balance walking sideways so we don't fall into a cliff of rocks and all sorts of thrilling actions. We paid P400 each to the tour guide, Kuya Joel, who was so experienced that he just laughed at our anxieties. it was actually good because we felt more confident with him at the helm. We were so impressed at how we would just traipse around the cave, all the while carrying the lampara with one hand. He and the guides of the other groups were all very helpful, allowing us to step on them so we could maneuver ourselves more easily through. Kuya Joel said we could've finished it in 3 hours if not for the traffic inside. There were a lot of groups touring at that time since it was a holiday weekend. Nevertheless, it was an adventure of a lifetime and I'm glad we did it! It's one for the books!
From pictures at the bureau of Tourist, in the town of Sagada. The caves looked the best, when asked for easy, medium or hard and wet and none wet. One would think it is the way stated. unfortunately the easy trail was very hard and you had to past water, before you would get to the best of the stalactites. And don't Forget to bring your flashlight, you'll need it. The hired guide has a lantern but, is in front and it is hard to see your footing.
this is a challenging yet fun experience. you have to be very careful moving around as some rocks are slippery and/or hard to climb. but no worries, if my senior parents and aunts were able to do it, you definitely can too! ;) just make sure your brought your aqua shoes (which i forgot). it is when you start seeing the wonderful rock formations you would find the fuss you actually took paid off! we started the trip in at 1pm and were back at the entrance by 4pm (when more people were only about to start)take note of Sagada festival dates, usually end of January, to avoid the crowd.
Will surprise you what you can do inside the cave. At first I think that I can't survive it since I'm not very an outdoor person but surprisingly, I enjoyed the whole adventure and want to go back! You will be amaze to see the rock formation inside the cave and their shapes.
We are not spelunkers but wanted to have a cave experience. This is a quick walk from the end of town. We brought head lamps and would recommend them. the guides have gas lamps and they are kind of stinky. We brought hats against bat poop. The guides were good at helping us up and down, but I would recommend being in pretty good shape. it is very slippery on the way down as it is granite. the flow stone is lots of fun to walk on.
Quite an experience. The cave was beautiful and deep. The problem lies going back due to the long way up, :).
Most of the time I was scared. But everything paid-off. It was place to learn to trust yourself. We dipped in the pools inside the cave spell Super COLD. The guides were reliable and incredible.