CENTRAL CAVE : A Spectacular Cave in Samar But Rarely Visited

If somebody would ask how many provinces in the Philippines I have traveled so far, my answer would be: I cannot exactly give an accurate count. You see I am not into counting provinces visited for I am that type of person who visits and revisits places. What if a particular place has so much to offer which could not be perceived in one visit or two… I think, once is not enough to visit one tourist spot. There are might be many stories to tell, adventures to experience, cultures to immerse in, food to eat and a lot of other interesting stuff to do. I like to maximize my time by exploring as much space as possible as far as my feet can take me.

That’s the reason why I keep going back to Samar. Yes, Samar has been dubbed as the Caving Capital of the Philippines, and when I have explored the biggest cave in the Philippines, I yearned for more. I want to visit another cave in Samar!

So this blog is about the experience I had in my third cave in Samar.

 

A Fish Start

This adventure started in the city of Catbalogan, specifically in Sir Joni’s place where we ate a delicious breakfast early in the  morning. The feat that we will go through later will need a lot of energy and strength.  Luckily, the food that was served was my favorite smoked fish, a delicacy in Calbayog, a neighboring town of Catbalogan. Nom nom! I was full.

Where I Experienced Canyoning

Then we headed directly to the trail which was already familiar to me. We passed through the site where I experienced my first ever canyoning in Samar. I did not know that beyond those trails there was another cave explored by only a few adventurers.

The Amazing Trail

In going to the cave, we saw a lot of big pipes and tubes along the trail because a water facility was built there. We passed through rivers and a series of waterfalls. We came across a verdant scenery of a forest. A lot of hidden and beautiful places just lurk in the corner. These are what I love about Samar.

Hello there, Pit!

And because we were in the middle of the jungle, we were greeted by a familiar cold blooded friend. We saw a snake, not just an ordinary snake, but pit viper specie which was venomous. I’m not afraid of snakes but I make sure that I am at a distance from them for the thought of being bitten scares the hell out of me. But still I was happy because for the first time I saw a pit viper there which means that the jungle’s ecosystem is still healthy and balanced. (Am I correct?)

The Unnoticeable Cave

We continued hiking for almost three hours along with my old and new found friends, porters and Sir Joni, the cave master. I was already tired but when we saw the almost unnoticeable mouth of the cave, my tiredness vanished. Just look at how small the entrance of the cave is!

 

What’s for lunch?

Before we began our cave exploration, we ate our lunch first, care of Ate Rhine. We really didn’t feel hungry for it seemed that when we had this adventure with Sir Joni, we didn’t feel any hunger at all, hahaha!

The Scary Entrance

This is not just an ordinary caving tour because in entering the cave one should descend using a rope of about 60 feet, comparable to a five-storey building and some gears attached to it. This technique is called SRT, single rope technique. There is so much difficulty in entering this cavern. Using the proper equipment for safety is a must.

I believe these are the reasons why few people have risked exploring this cave.  This adventure is not for the fainthearted.

When Locals Tried to Enter the Cave 

Sir Joni told us that there were some locals who tried to enter the cave using a vine but unfortunately the vine broke off for it wasn’t strong enough. Luckily, only minor injuries were sustained by the risk takers.

The Caving Experience

To my surprise the cave was so huge inside that we explored it for about three hours.

Central cave is one of the beautiful caves I’ve visited. I thought I have already seen the beautiful sceneries in Langun and in Lobo but then I discovered that each cave is incomparable to others for each has different unique features  and exquisite natural rock formations.

Central Cave is also known as Crystal Cave because of its crystal-like rock formations inside the cave.

Just look at these photos and be mesmerized.

Everything I saw down there was breathtakingly spectacular. Mother Nature is truly a brilliant and meticulous artist for her artwork takes a million years to create and it’s still beautifully growing year after year. That is why we, people, must take good care of the creations of Mother Nature. This blog may spark an interest in you to go and explore this cave and if you do so, more beautiful surprises will catch your eyes. So, please take good care of nature’s beauty for us to appreciate and for posterity.

The Exit is Much Scarier Than the Entrance

Then after exploring the cave my heart beat so fast again for we were about to go out of the cave. We would exit in the same spot where we entered. We still used SRT to go up. This time we would exert effort to go up. It’s kind of tiring and thrilling at the same time while being suspended in the rope midway between the ground and the entrance of the cave. This is just one of the unforgettable extreme adventures i had in Samar.

Almost Trapped with Flash Flood

Since it was still raining and we would go back on the same trail, we walked earlier but this time water in the river flowed so fast that it turned brown with mud already. Fortunately we were still able to pass through even though it was already dark, and we were all soaking wet, haha! We arrived safely and called it a day.

I Have a VLOGGGG!!!

Here’s my video about my experience in Central Cave. I tell you, my words can’t truly describe the excitement and thrill of this adventure. That’s why,  here’s my vlog which might add what my words missed to fully express.

If you do like my video don’t forget to subscribe my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBm_O45IgHnPoqBPuB0v21g . Thank you so much.

Who to Contact this Amazing Caving Experience

 

What I love about caving with Sir Joni is that he has the heart and passion about cave exploration. He invested with all the right equipment to explore caves. He has all the stuff and information needed for caving. For these reasons, I highly recommend

Sir Joni as your tour guide in caving Samar.

• For bookings, tour packages and rate inquiries contact:

TREXPLORE THE ADVENTURES
CAVE MASTER: Joni Abesamis Bonifacio
ABESAMIS STORE ALLEN AVE.
CATBALOGAN CITY,SAMAR 6700
055-2512301 / 5438550
0919-294-3865 / 0927-675-0062
trexplore.ph

• For CENTRAL CAVE tour rate

1 DAY CAVING TRIP ( CAVING ADVENTURE)

PRICE: PHP 3,500.00 PESOS / $ 70 DOLLAR PER PERSON

for more details visit this link- https://trexplore.ph/package/central-cave/

How did we get there:

From Cebu City, we rode a fast craft to Ormoc, then rode a bus to Tacloban and then took  another bus to Catbalogan. For faster transportation and to save time you may ride a van.

Important note

• The night before we had this adventure, we practiced the use of SRT in Sir Joni’s home under his directions and guidance so that we would be familiarized with the gears and would save time as we go caving in Central Cave.
• This is an extreme adventure. This could be tiring and could drain a lot of energy. It’s advisable that you should be physically fit.
• Wear dry and comfortable outfit  because inside the cave it is dry and warm. Wear trekking shoes or sandals. You will walk into some river or rocky terrain.
• As much as possible, never touch anything inside the cave.
• Always follow your guide, never ever wander off for you might step on some cave minerals.
• Leave no trace.

*Some photos here in the blog credit to Sir JOni

Those naughty potatoes roll so fast that I could hardly catch up with them CENTRAL CAVE. I wonder what place will they be venturing next. So stay tuned for my next chasing potato adventure.

 

 

 

Have you tried caving in Samar? If so, tell me about it.   I would love to hear from you? Please connect thru  my FB page and Instagram. Join me in my adventure and misadventure. Let’s chase those potatoes. OH YESSS! Thanks for visiting.