Sagada Adventure. There are several cave tours you can visit while staying in Sagada. You can try the normal caving in Sumaging Cave which can last for 2 hours or cave connection from Lumiang Burial Cave to Sumaging Cave which can last 3-4 hours (while Balangagan Cave and Crystal Cave were closed for quite a time now).
Aside from the protective attire and footwear according to the SAGGAS. What should go in and out of the bag for Sagada Cave Exploration?
1. Headlamp/ Headlight. Light your own path. Help yourself.
2. Food and Drinks. During rest, it will be great to have something to munch.
3. Drawstring/ Backpack. Don’t let your bag be a setback for you to move better. Put your things on your backpack as well.
4. Camera. Capture fascinating limestone formations and genuine wet-look smiles and faces.
5. Sarong. Wipe some ice-cold water from your face and body.
6. Friendliness. Meeting new people and building bridges can make the cave experience way much better.
7. Sense of Humor. There are plenty of chances for a good laugh inside. Share it with your guides and fellow cave mates. Feel every moment and savor it. Be amused and amazed at the same time.
8. Open-mindedness & Good Attitude. Respect your guides and cave mates. Be open for ideas and what your mates share while inside the cave. There are some jokes from the guides (if you find it funny, laugh); all to make the experience more fun but if you find it irritating, offensive or porn-like, well, just be open-minded.
9. Exercise & Warm-Up. Maybe do it a week-long readiness. hehehe… Flex those sleepy muscles, try climbing 100+ steps stair. That’s a tip! 🙂
10. Plenty of Courage. One slip, it will be goodbye world! Just trust your guts and you guides, and all is gonna be fine.
1. Cellphone. No signal, you’ll not need it.
2. Social Network Updates. Don’t bring your gadgets, it might got wet.
3. Accessories. A watch will be a necessary but all the others are a No! No!
4. Whining. Don’t blame anyone (your guides or your mates) for any mishaps or tiring caving. It was your choice and paid it. Be sure you are willing to do the cave tour.
5. Brat-pack. This is a major No! No! Being a brat, your guide/s might throw you on the deep part of the caves. You wouldn’t want that right? Expect to be dirty, touch the guano (bat shits), slip in the mud and have some body scratches.
And that’s the least Violet can impart as a guide for what’s IN and OUT of Sagada Caves using her own caving experience.
Photo credits: Len Flores. Photographed by: T-Rex.
violetxplorer 