For The Adventure-Seeker: Caves To Add To Your Bucket List When Traveling To Mindanao

The Mindanao region of the Philippines boasts of rich and expansive agricultural lands, and a thriving marine life. The second largest island group in the country next to Luzon, Mindanao has many unexplored and underrated attractions waiting to be discovered. As such, the region offers a number of pristine forests, mountains, beaches, and even caves. Yes, it’s a paradise for people with adventurous spirits! As Mindanao is also home to some of the country’s tallest and legendary mountains, many hikers also enjoyed spelunking in the region. After all, Mindanao is home to many famous caves in the Philippines. Here are some of them.

Many people, both local and international tourists, rave about how the Lagbasan Cave in Sultan Kudarat is of world-class caliber. One of the most popular caves in the Philippines, this cave is filled with unique and stunning stalactites, stalagmites, and rock and limestone formations. There are different chambers to enter in this cave, yet more chambers are still yet to be fully explored. Magnificent cave crystals could also be found in this place.

Address: Barangay Kuden, Kulaman Senator Ninoy Aquino, Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao, Philippines

Revisit the past and explore the scenic and historic Macahambus Cave. A famous cave in the Philippines, the Macahambus Cave is a local attraction in Cagayan de Oro. It is located in the Macahambus Forest nature reserve, which is also an adventure park. It is said that the momentous Battle of Macahambus Hill took place in this site during the Philippine-American war in the 1900. Today, the cave became an educational tourist spot where you could also see bats resting in their natural habitat.

Address: Macahambus Forest nature reserve, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Mindanao, Philippines

Did you know that a cave in the Philippines houses the largest colony of Geoffrey’s Rousette Fruit Bats? Also known as old world fruit bats, a huge number of them could be found inside the Monfort Bat Cave in Samal Island, Davao del Norte. In fact, Guinness World Records acknowledged the bat cave in 2010. Today, an estimated 2.3 million bats are said to reside at the Monfort Bat Cave. While tourists will not be able to explore the cave, you could get a good view of the bats from the outside of the cave’s entrances.

Address: Barangay Tambo, Babak District, Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines

Located in Bucas Grande Island in Surigao Del Norte, Crystal Cave earned its name from the shiny mineral formations and columns found inside the cave. Don’t forget to bring your flashlights when coming to this cave so you could see the glistening beauties of large stalactites, stalagmites and even flowstones. One of the caves in the Philippines with a walkable chamber, this ground could get muddy so ready your spelunking gears.

Address: Bucas Grande Island, Socorro, Surigao Del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines

Fit for professional and experienced adventure-seeking spelunkers, the Kweba De Oro is a challenging river cave in the Philippines. To get into the cave, the visitor would need to rappel 40 meters down, which is about 130 feet. As it is a river cave, there will be parts wherein the water will almost touch the ceiling. In order to exit, you will also need to swim through a sump or an underwater passageway to reach a pond where you will see the sunlight.

Address: Barangay Lumbia, near Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Mindanao, Philippines

See spectacular dripstones or flowstones when you go spelunking at the Buenavista Cave in Hikdop Island, Surigao del Norte. It has three entrances, and upon entering, you could already see magnificent mineral formations. These formations are also referred to as the “King’s Court” because they seem to resemble people's silhouettes. There is also a knee-deep underground pool inside the cave so it is best to wear appropriate swim attire.

Address: Barangay Buenavista, Hikdop Island, Surigao del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines

Another historic cave, the Kutawato Caves is said to be the only system of caves in the Philippines that is located within the city proper. With many underground passageways, the cave walls have different stories to tell. After all, it served as sanctuary for locals during the Spanish era, and was also used during the Japanese occupation. The city’s name Cotabato also originated from the name of Kutawato, which means “fort of stone.”

Address: Cotabato City, Maguindanao, Mindanao, Philippines

Fit for the experienced, join groups of spelunkers in exploring the Kabyawan Cave in Davao del Norte. One of the caves in the Philippines where miniature fruit bats reside, you will need to descent through large crevices in order to reach the cave floor. As there are fruit bats inside the cave, be wary of stepping onto bat droppings. Nonetheless, the cave is filled with impressive mineral and rock formations. There are waist-deep watercourses, too, so don’t forget to wear the appropriate spelunking gears.

Address: Barangay Dakudao, San Isidro, Davao del Norte, Mindanao, Philippines