Caves of Bolinao

Part of our  Pangasinan  Tour  is to  explore the caves of  Bolinao.  On the second day of our trip,  we headed to see these caves which  are  just a short distance away from each other.  We  were already tanned   but we made sure we're still  protected with sun block lotion  because  we're going around Bolinao.   The caves  naturally have fresh  water  and    serene so  we  expected a cooler  day  ahead  us, with   shelter to completely protect us from harmful rays of the sun.  And the  adventure continues..  

And so..  without further ado,  let me introduce  you the  three caves  that we explored,  their character,  looks  and beauty.   Sounds pageant, Huh.



Cindy's Cave

Upon entering the cave,   I  noticed  a  different  look of  a cave  that  I normally  see on  TV or  books.   It was already   cemented and developed   like you  are in the  park or  at the terrace of your  house.  The cave should look natural  but  not  this one  and all the caves that  we went to.   I told my kids that  the natural formation of cave  doesn't look  like  this and  what they saw  was not  the original cave because  the mystery and the natural charm was already  ripped off.

There's  a  part   of the cave where the owner told us not to go to  because it's quite deep and advised us  to be very  careful  with the electrical lights  with the ceiling that's too low.   He  shared us  a few  information,  rules  inside the cave  and  reminded us  to  take care  of  our belongings  just in case   other  visitors come in.

Nevertheless  even without  splashing  and playing inside the cave,    the kids  enjoyed  the cool water a lot, while we  kept an eye to them and reminded  to just swim in shallow water.

I asked the owner   about   the distance of  the cave leading  to the open sea and he said that  "Born to be Wild"  travel show already explored the cave in the  episode,  "Cave Diving,"   but the passageway was  quite narrow  to  squeeze themselves and   so they did not continue the  exploration.    If  people could explore  some unimaginable  space to be reached,   outer space or  some areas  of  the cave,   there is  certain part   of  the world  that  is yet to be  included in  the map  and  the nature  simply  wants  this part to be left  unexplored.

The high tide  that  night  washed away  the old water and  that turned the water in the cave  new  and  clear in time  of our  visit.     .

There is a public CR and a water pump for shower outside the cave.

Of the three caves, this is where we stayed longer where our kids got to swim in fresh water
.
Entrance fee to the cave is P50/pax if not swimming  and P70/pax if swimming  good for two hours. They have spacious parking area and you'll pass by a little trekking, I mean a pathway  about a  few steps away.

Wonderful Cave

Marian-like smile. My model for the whole cave  trip. :)  I was behind her  all the way and that results..  my cave photos are now watermarked with her charming face.  Now, this is natural.  Untouched. Unexploited.

Ooops.. be careful of the rocky ceiling..

Like the other caves, this one is developed too.    The stairs at Wonderful Cave are quite steep.   There were some tourists when we arrived.  When we asked the tour guide who own  the cave,  he said  that it's a  family owned property  like the Cindy's   and Enchanted Caves,   wherein they just discovered the caves  in their own backyard. 

Entrance fee to Wonderful Cave is P50/pax.  They only limit a number of person for 30 minutes during summer to accommodate  other visitors.



Enchanted Cave

Of all the three caves,  Enchanted Cave is the most developed.  As soon as we entered, we heard some people  screaming, I mean singing  with videoke machine at the picnic hut.. Oh.. in a place like this?  That scene  I've witnessed made me think the place less enchanting.     

Oops, careful again..  low beam..

There were some tourists swimming  inside the cave.  The  water could reach up to  14ft  during high tide in some parts of the cave.

Enchanted Cave has man made pool with the water coming from the cave too but it is strongly sanitized with chlorine as I could even smell it even from afar.

What makes me curious about the enchanted cave are the  rocks that surround the place. I  asked the tour guide  how these corals went up the hill.and he said that  it wasn't actually rock but dead corals.  The whole Bolinao  was believed to be  underwater  million years ago.  Now, that is enchanting!

See more corals...

I mean dead corals..

and  dead corals..

and a proof other than dead corals  that the province was once  under water is the giant clams found on top of  the coral  hill.

Giant Clams Fossils from coral mountain up 2KMS  away
Estimated age: 2-3 million years
carbon date: (not yet available)

The cave is enchanting as the name implies.    If not developed,  it could have been more enchanting. 

Just a little  note. It is best to bring aqua shoes, because the cave's floor is not sandy but rocky.
Entrance Fee is P90/pax if not swimming,  P120/pax if swimming.
There are tables available for rent outside the cave.  There are hammocks too,  I am not sure though if  they are also for  rent.   Above parking fees apply.



Of the three caves,  Wonderful Cave is the most appealing to me.  I based my opinion only on one criteria,  clear  water.    All the caves  were already  developed into tourist attractions  that look like  man made cave now,   thus  they  lost their  natural  beauty and  charm.  Honestly,  I  was  a  bit  disappointed  in this  cave trip  seeing  these natural wonders  in manicured path,  cemented  and  exploited.


Location:   Brgy. Patar Bolinao, Pangasinan