Our first day in Sagada started with an easy hike in Echo Valley, where the Hanging Coffins can also be found. You can read more about it in my previous post as seen here: http://lushangel.com/2017/10/22/sagada-day-1-echo-valley-hanging-coffins/. It was an easy and quick hike that by lunch time, we were back in the town proper. We had time to eat lunch, nap and lounge before braving our next activity. To be honest, I did not expect our next one to be the complete opposite. Up next: Spelunking.
A Sagada trip won’t be complete without exploring caves. You can opt to go to one cave, which is just about 1-1.5 hour of spelunking, or you can also try what we did which is Cave Connection: 2 caves, Lumiang and Sumaguing, connected underground. It takes about 3-4 hours (depending on the pace) to finish the 2 caves.
A guide is needed for this activity. You can arrange this at the tourism center in the town proper.
What to wear and things to bring: Make sure to wear clothes that can be wet, such as board shorts, water repellent jacket (it can be cold inside the cave), and aqua shoes. If you have sensitive skin, I also suggest using full leggings or hiking pants to avoid scratches. Take note that there is a part inside the cave that you will have to walk in waist-deep water. Do not forget to bring your mini flashlight and put it around your neck using a lanyard. Lastly, try to avoid bringing big bags since you need to squeeze yourself in between rocks. If you need to, you can use a waterproof bag or just a waterproof travel neck pouch.
To give you an idea how beautiful (and challenging) it is, here are some of our photos.
The guide assisted us which rock to step on. The feeling? One wrong step and I will say goodbye to the world! Whew, thank God we safely conquered both Lumiang and Sumaguing caves.
I learned to completely trust our guide to get out of the cave safe and sound. Imagine going down and squeezing yourself in between rocks without certainty where your next step will be. Thanks to Kuya who guided our feet.
And when legs aren’t long enough to reach the next step, the guides help each other to pull the tourists up. Again, you’ll just have to trust them that they can carry you and they won’t slide. Those with trust issues will have a problem here. LOL!
Inside the caves, you’ll see amazing shapes of rocks — and if you’re creative enough, you’ll be able to imagine various animals and characters. They’re all natural, by the way!
In every cave, there will be bats. Yup, those are bats so expect some parts to be a little stinky.
From here onwards, you’ll see our photos from the Sumaguing Cave.
If you’re not comfortable leaping or if you find the rocks slippery, you can always sit down and extend your leg for the next step — just like what I did below.
Some rocks are less slippery without footwear.
Again trust the guide if he says he got your hands and just let your body fall.
There’s a little rappelling too.
It’s true when they say…
Whew! Did I tire or scare you a bit? Don’t worry it’s such a wonderful experience! And yes, I had fun and I will do it over again if given a chance.
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