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PhilippinesDescription and Is it Worth Visiting
Sambulawan Cave and underground River is a new attraction on Siquijor island that opened to the public in 2018. It is visited only accompanied by a guide, who is allocated when paying for the entrance to the cave.
The cave consists of three branches, at the bottom of one of which flows a freshwater river with a length of about 200 meters. To overcome it, you have to go and swim on the water, for which a life jacket is issued at the entrance. After that, you will be offered to walk along the other two arms, which are filled with young stalactites and stalagmites, bats, and a small number of large cockroaches and spiders. Insects should not be afraid: cockroaches are the most common tropical, and spiders are not poisonous and feed on these cockroaches.
Visiting the cave is a real adventure lasting about an hour, which we recommend that everyone experience. During the visit, you will be accompanied by a guide who will guide you through the cave and tell you a little about it in English. The guides here, although non-professionals, are just young people from neighboring villages, but they are experienced enough to ensure safety. By the way, some of them "tore off" and examined this cave, so they know it like the back of their hand. For a walk you will be given a life jacket and a flashlight, but it does not hurt to take your extra brighter one. Since you will have to swim, bring a waterproof camera or smartphone case, a swimsuit, and preferably swimming shoes, such as coral slippers. But do not worry, you do not have to dive into the water, and swim quite a bit. And even if you do not know how to swim, it will not be difficult to overcome several areas where you need to swim in a life jacket.
You can not call this tour extreme, but you should not treat it too lightly. We do not recommend taking too young children into the cave, especially those who do not know how to swim, because they can simply get scared and panic. Also, do not go here if you have a fear of darkness and enclosed spaces.
🕐 Opening hours
from 08:00 to about 16:00 hours depending on the season.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket prices
entry 250 pesos (4.05 USD, see Philippine currency and exchange rate), plus 100-300 pesos at your discretion tip the guide for accompanying the group. If you are alone and want to save money, you can wait for other tourists and share tips with them for the guide.
🚶 How to get there
Sambulavan cave is located in a field near the village of Lazi (Sambulavan on the map). Asphalt leads to it first, which then turns into a primer, there are signs along the way. In the place marked on our map right in the field you will see something like a camp and a parking lot, where tickets are sold and guides are waiting. Here you will need to pay for the entrance, sign up in the magazine, get a vest and a lantern, and go with a guide on foot to the entrance to the cave. And by the way, from here the guides can take you to another cave, dry Banahaw, which is about a kilometer away, the entrance to it is 100 pesos.