Siquijor V.2 - Day 03: Cantabon cavin'

It’s a muddy, dirty job, but one really has to do it. Missed out on this one on my first Siquijor visit so figured this is the chance to finally do it. The cantabon cave is easily the most popular cave in the province, and for a good reason. Featuring a 8-9 meter drop underneath Mt. Bandilaan, the path snakes through places littered with dripstone formations. One oftentimes has to bow, crouch down low or crawl to get through. prepare to get wet as there are places where you have to wade in waist-deep water. I myself, slipped on a rock and fell to neck-deep water (luckily, Ironwulf got hold of my D80 camera; thanks buddy!) so it pays to wear sturdy footwear that grips well even when wet.

As a message of concern, please refrain from smoking within the cave as this can harm the dripstone formations as well as pollute the air. We personnally had to pick up fresh cigarette butts on our spelunking trip, wishing out aloud that the guides will have the courage to tell guests, whether foreign or not, to please respect rules. 

Tidbits: To explore Cantabon Cave, stop over at the Barangay hall and register. A fee of P600 applies, inclusive of guides, porters and gas lamp. One can leave a clean change of clothes at the Barangay hall along with items that may get wet. The tour is anywhere from 1.5 – 3 hours long, depending on your pace. (for photographers like us, we took our sweet time since the low light conditions automatically mean setting up the tripod again and again)