Panligawan Cave
Panligawan Cave
3.5
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3.5
12 reviews
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exotictravelbug
Bohol Island, Philippines203 contributions
for people who are into spelunking, this one is an easy cave to explore. for the newbie in spelunking this can serve as a great start or intro. the word Panligawan means "courtship" coz the guide told me that on the olden days, the local lovers would go there and this was the place to woe the women they love. well, for sure I felt some romantic vibe when I got into the cave and then looking at the wide interiors. unfortunately, this doesn't have the crystalized stalactites and stalagmites, this looks more like a dead cave.
for avid spelunkers, there are more caves to visit in the town of Mabinay. from Dumaguete, you can ride a Ceres bus or hire a van, the trip should be more or less 1:30 mins-2 hrs. on a nice paved road. before doing this activity, be sure to go to the Municipal Hall where the government office that handles this type of activity can assign a guide to the different caves of Mabinay. they will be the ones to give the rates depending on how many caves you would want to visit. before going inside caves, you will be made to sign on a notebook and pay entrance minimal entrance fee and then will be given a hard hat.
Be sure to have your own headlamp for a much better cave exploration.
the most attractive cave I visited in Mabinay was the Crystal Cave. so if you are an advnce spelunker, better opt to see this one. it shines when you point your flashlight on the stalactites and stalagmites and there are already pathways inside it for easy explorations but of course you can't avoid the broken portions and then you can step on slippery mud so be sure to have ample footwear for this adventure.
the unfortunate thing about this crystal cave - some tourists who were ignorant and careless try to chip off some crystallized stalactites/stalagmites as souvenirs to take home. they don't realize it's like corals that takes thousands of years to grow back. there were also people who used to go there with gas lamps or something that burned the stalactites and turned the white crystals into black. the guide said, it is this reason that they don't let people go there without permission and proper guide to avoid further destruction of this natural beauty.
for avid spelunkers, there are more caves to visit in the town of Mabinay. from Dumaguete, you can ride a Ceres bus or hire a van, the trip should be more or less 1:30 mins-2 hrs. on a nice paved road. before doing this activity, be sure to go to the Municipal Hall where the government office that handles this type of activity can assign a guide to the different caves of Mabinay. they will be the ones to give the rates depending on how many caves you would want to visit. before going inside caves, you will be made to sign on a notebook and pay entrance minimal entrance fee and then will be given a hard hat.
Be sure to have your own headlamp for a much better cave exploration.
the most attractive cave I visited in Mabinay was the Crystal Cave. so if you are an advnce spelunker, better opt to see this one. it shines when you point your flashlight on the stalactites and stalagmites and there are already pathways inside it for easy explorations but of course you can't avoid the broken portions and then you can step on slippery mud so be sure to have ample footwear for this adventure.
the unfortunate thing about this crystal cave - some tourists who were ignorant and careless try to chip off some crystallized stalactites/stalagmites as souvenirs to take home. they don't realize it's like corals that takes thousands of years to grow back. there were also people who used to go there with gas lamps or something that burned the stalactites and turned the white crystals into black. the guide said, it is this reason that they don't let people go there without permission and proper guide to avoid further destruction of this natural beauty.
Written 6 January 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
myoth m
Dahab, Egypt43 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
It's actually a grotto - no dark places, short, opened from both sides. But anyway nice to visit and spend time there. Good for photographers by the way.
Written 8 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rhoody B
Dumaguete City, Philippines90 contributions
Jan 2016 • Family
When you get a experienced guide with good English and knowledge is is the whole walk to the three caves which make it a pleasant experience.
Don't be too focused on the caves, it is the great nature, the surroundings, the stories a good guide can tell, which makes the trip worthwhile.
Try to visit when there are no festivities, public holidays, etc. Selfie crazy people, shouting teenagers can ruin the experience in this stunning nature.
Don't be too focused on the caves, it is the great nature, the surroundings, the stories a good guide can tell, which makes the trip worthwhile.
Try to visit when there are no festivities, public holidays, etc. Selfie crazy people, shouting teenagers can ruin the experience in this stunning nature.
Written 13 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CharlieHepburn
Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada76 contributions
Mar 2016 • Friends
We toured Panligawan, Pandalihan, and Crystal Caves and it was a lot of fun and very reasonably priced. We have our own car and a group of five of us went there. The road from Dumaguete to Mabinay is good except for a couple of spots up in the mountains, but passable even with a small car. The three caves we visited are an easy climb for inexperience explorers and the guides are knowledgeable and patient. We will likely return here in the future when we have visitors from abroad.
Written 30 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FloatingTummy
Singapore, Singapore45 contributions
Feb 2019 • Solo
after visiting the twin lake, took a ceres bus bound for mabinay. 1.5hrs later, arrived at cave at 4pm, they close at 5pm and was told that the 3 caves required 3 hrs in total. p400 for guide good for 5pax. however, they allow visit to crystal cave as it was nearby for p200. not seeing the point of just visiting only one cave, i decided to come back the next day. the staff told me that they open at 8am.
came back at next day. took ceres bus bound for mabinay. bus can be taken at the terminal or flag along the road. journey took a whopping 3hrs from dumaguete. arrived at 1210pm. went to the office and was told that the cut off time to visit all 3 caves were at 12pm! why didnt they tell me yesterday? the staff went to check with their boss if i could visit the caves and the boss said that if i have track shoes and OWN headlamp, they will allow me in. however, i do not have my own headlamp. i was aware from reading blogs that they provide helmet n headlamp rental BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE STOPPED WITH HEADLAMP RENTAL. i am not very sure why but if this was a made up story just to chase me away, they succeeded. not only did they NOT informed me about 'the cut off time' the day before, they have failed to tell me that i REQUIRE TO BRING MY OWN HEADLAMP. since i wasnt fated to visit the caves, i left feeling angry and sad. a 3hrs bus ride back. a total of 6hrs wasted when i could be visiting other sights.
i was utterly disappointed with the staffs and the tourism office. you promoted and make the caves sound so fun but you dont allow visitors in. the slip of paper which your staff passed to me had zero important information. the onoy information tgere was the name of the caves, the duration ofnthe tour and the cost. below was a contact number.
if you have a cut off time, put it on the paper! if you need guest to bring their own headlamp to allow entry, PUT IT ON THE PAPER! if advance booking is required, WRITE IT IN HUGE LETTERS ON THE PAPER. dont just pass the USELESS paper around and said that its for information when there isnt!
came back at next day. took ceres bus bound for mabinay. bus can be taken at the terminal or flag along the road. journey took a whopping 3hrs from dumaguete. arrived at 1210pm. went to the office and was told that the cut off time to visit all 3 caves were at 12pm! why didnt they tell me yesterday? the staff went to check with their boss if i could visit the caves and the boss said that if i have track shoes and OWN headlamp, they will allow me in. however, i do not have my own headlamp. i was aware from reading blogs that they provide helmet n headlamp rental BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE STOPPED WITH HEADLAMP RENTAL. i am not very sure why but if this was a made up story just to chase me away, they succeeded. not only did they NOT informed me about 'the cut off time' the day before, they have failed to tell me that i REQUIRE TO BRING MY OWN HEADLAMP. since i wasnt fated to visit the caves, i left feeling angry and sad. a 3hrs bus ride back. a total of 6hrs wasted when i could be visiting other sights.
i was utterly disappointed with the staffs and the tourism office. you promoted and make the caves sound so fun but you dont allow visitors in. the slip of paper which your staff passed to me had zero important information. the onoy information tgere was the name of the caves, the duration ofnthe tour and the cost. below was a contact number.
if you have a cut off time, put it on the paper! if you need guest to bring their own headlamp to allow entry, PUT IT ON THE PAPER! if advance booking is required, WRITE IT IN HUGE LETTERS ON THE PAPER. dont just pass the USELESS paper around and said that its for information when there isnt!
Written 7 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fess S
Tucson, AZ375 contributions
Apr 2018 • Solo
I took the public bus and dropped in front of the Bulwang Caves. I was traveling by myself so I decided to wait for other people to show and I could split the cost. After 1/2 hour a group of 4 Filipinos arrived. The guide then wanted me to pay 4 times as much as the Filipinos because the guide said we were 2 groups- my group of 1 and their group of 4 instead of being 5 people- ridiculous. Total rip off!
Written 6 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bebie1959
Dumaguete City, Philippines27 contributions
Mar 2016 • Business
We conducted a seminar here last March 10-11, 2016. On the afternoon of March 10, we decided to visit this cave because there was still time before it gets dark. So, we posed for picture-taking and as we went along the journey by hiking towards the cave, the tourist guide was very friendly, very talkative (having informative subjects to carry), we learned of so many things from him. Though the road was rough and stony, nevertheless we enjoyed the walk because our main purpose was to acquire a first-hand experience and glimpse of the inside of the cave. And really we did enjoyed-- wonderful for picture-taking and video-taping.
Written 20 May 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
B Adventures AU
Sydney, Australia94 contributions
Apr 2015 • Friends
Mabinay is situated roughly in the central part of Negros Island. There are over 100 known caves, including the popular Bulwang Caves: Panligawan, Pandalihan, and Crystal Cave. Travel from Dumaguete City is about 2 hours. At the time the buses between Dumaguete and Mabinay was PHP112, and ran regularly about every hour.
Bulwang Caves are easy for beginners. Bulwang means "big hole"
and is also the name of the barangay where the caves are located. The visitor centre has basic toilet (CR) facilities, snack and souvenirs for sale, and tour guides. Tour guides were PHP400 for groups up to 5 people. Also PHP15 entry fee per a cave. Video link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm1jz5BEqmY&list=PLWw-_AGo_PBh4-qBugLvDCUuGm_kRZFwt&index=7
Bulwang Caves are easy for beginners. Bulwang means "big hole"
and is also the name of the barangay where the caves are located. The visitor centre has basic toilet (CR) facilities, snack and souvenirs for sale, and tour guides. Tour guides were PHP400 for groups up to 5 people. Also PHP15 entry fee per a cave. Video link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm1jz5BEqmY&list=PLWw-_AGo_PBh4-qBugLvDCUuGm_kRZFwt&index=7
Written 9 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ManuLLosangeles
Emilia-Romagna, Italy573 contributions
Jan 2017 • Friends
We stop on our way to Punta bulata, great beach resort to stay at, and it was a nice visit to tease open caves. We only visited the first three, it's called the beginner level, but there are many more to see if you are interested. You walk to the three different caves, the best one being the last one, and the first 2 are open grottos, so you can take very nice picture. Medium level hiking trails, maybe more on to the easy side. The tour guide was vey nice and helpful, and the price to access the caves is very reasonable. Tip the guide!
Written 11 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Petra L
Dumaguete City, Philippines7 contributions
Dec 2015 • Friends
It is just part of the tour to 3 caves. Nice to see, but nothing that special.It is more the whole package which is a 4-point tour and more interesting than the twinlakes.
Easy to reach Bus stops directly at the entrance to the cave tour.
Easy to reach Bus stops directly at the entrance to the cave tour.
Written 28 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do you need to contact anybody before going to the cave or you can just go directly?
If you bring a car, can you go directly to the cave? Thanks
Written 26 April 2018
get in touch with the tourism office. i went there twice and was rejected twice.
Written 8 March 2019
Hi. Would anybody know the latest time we can start a tour of the Bulwang (three) caves? Our flight won't reach Dumaguete until half past 1 in the afternoon =D
Thanks for whatever info you might have :)
Written 16 June 2017
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