Sumaging Cave Sagada

Sagada – Sumaging Cave

Visitors to Sumaging Cave in Sagada wade through chest deep water to get to a large chamber surrounded by limestone formations.

Wading through the cold underground river in the Sumaging Cave in Sagada is really a neat experience. It is a good idea to bring along a pair of shorts or have a swimsuit under your clothes because it is the only way to get back in the cave.

This cave gets a lot of tourist pressure but it is big enough to absorb the crowd. We went there on a Saturday and there was a group of 93 PMMA (merchant marines) with 11 guides just exiting the cave.

There was to be a crowd of 300 students the following day as well but we chose to take that day off.

Sunday is also the market day in Sagada. There is a lot of transport on that day so we bolted for Bontoc, a village that is often bypassed by tourists for the more popular sites like Batad and Banaue.

A stairway leads down into the cave itself and you soon are in the business of wading the underground pools.

There are a lot of beautiful formations that are relatively undamaged considering the enormous tourist pressure this place gets.

There is a guide cooperative (Sega) set up whereby the tour guides take turns on a rotating basis to lead the groups through the caves. This is a great idea because some of the money charged goes towards the maintenance of the cave.

All tourists are asked too hire a guide at the park office in the Municipal Hall near Alfredos.

For a simple tour the cost is 400 pesos per person. I am not sure of the breakdown but some of the money is used for the preservation of the cave and hanging coffin sites. Some of the more intense tours cost more and take longer.

For serious spelunkers there are other caves strewn about in the hills where they can be completely away from the crowd but that requires a degree of experience with this kind of thing.