Sagada Cave Connection: The ultimate underground obstacle course

SAGADA, Philippines —The first time I entered Sumaguing Cave, I was 11 years old. It was the summer of 1988, and like any good Sagada kid, I was there because my mother’s family roots tied us to the place. Every summer — and sometimes Christmas — my family would go home to experience a slice of the “unplugged” life. On this particular adventure, my playmates and I decided to explore the cave armed with nothing but flashlights and blind courage. Thinking back, it was a miracle we made it out with all limbs intact and without a single lost slipper!

Try pulling that kind of stunt today, and you’d likely get scolded by the Sagada Tourism Office — or worse, by a Dap-ay elder who’ll lecture you for days. These days, the community prioritizes safety and sustainability, a welcome upgrade from our kamikaze ’80s childhood.

Since that first escapade, I’ve gone back to Sumaguing Cave over a dozen times. Always with a guide, mind you. Most recently, our guide was Ciano Bomogao, a local expert with years of spelunking experience. Ciano provided us with headlamps — an improvement from the old kerosene-fired Petromax lamps we used back in the day. Those lamps, while nostalgic, weren’t exactly eco-friendly. They harmed the delicate formations inside the cave, polluted the air, and sent the resident bats into early retirement. Now, most guides use solar-powered lights. Headlamps are safer, more effective, and much kinder to both humans and bats. A win-win situation.

Sumaguing Cave: The OG of Sagada spelunking

Sumaguing Cave is the rockstar of Sagada’s cave systems, boasting of the largest chamber of them all. It’s appropriately nicknamed “The Big Cave” because, well, it’s huge. Inside, nature has carved a gallery of jaw-dropping rock formations over thousands of years. These shapes spark a game of pareidolia — imagination gone wild. From bears to elephants, turtles to chocolate cake (seriously, why does nature know our favorite desserts), every corner of Sumaguing offers something new. This is why tourists flock back year after year, hoping to discover a new shape or maybe just work off their Sagada coffee and lemon pie.

Where the brave go to lose their breath (literally)

For years, I’d heard about the Cave Connection, a spelunking challenge that links Lumiang Burial Cave to Sumaguing Cave. But it took a lot of convincing — and a sister who dared me to finally give it a go. Along with my sister, who’d done it before, and my niece, who was equally clueless as I was, we dove in, knowing it would be tougher and messier than a family reunion after pinikpikan.

The adventure kicked off with a short hike through Sagada’s breathtaking landscape — lush pine trees and green rice fields that suddenly give way to dark, mysterious caves. Lumiang Cave greeted us with its stacked ancient coffins, each one carved with stories. It was quiet, dark, fascinating, and, let’s be honest, a reminder not to mess around with our Sagada ancestors.

Inside, the Cave Connection route tested every ounce of our grit. Imagine this: rappelling down vertical shafts, squirming through narrow tunnels, dangling off ledges that made my inner auntie scream, and wading waist-deep through icy streams. At one point, we slid down formations that looked like rice terraces.

Despite the adrenaline-pumping chaos, Ciano managed to keep our spirits high. He even shared stories about past clients. “My oldest cave connection client was 89 years old,” he said. “And once, I guided someone with a 43-inch waistline.” Hearing that gave me a fresh appreciation for Ciano’s patience and creativity.

The details:

• Duration: 4 to 5 hours
• Fee: P500 per person
• Fitness level required: Somewhere between “I can hike” and “I’m okay with small spaces”

We completed the Cave Connection in a record-breaking three hours (according to us), thanks to the December rush of tourists motivating us to move faster. We emerged from Sumaguing, scratched and bruised but utterly exhilarated.

And because we grew up with Sagada ways, we called out our Igorot names before leaving the cave: “Maykan, maykan Inglay, Lingayo, Maymay (Come, come Inglay, Lingayo, Maymay)!” This wasn’t just for fun; it was to make sure no ab-abiik (spirit) got left behind in the darkness. Like a good Sagada chant, this call keeps your being grounded in tradition even in the wildest adventures.

Sagada isn’t just a place you visit, it’s a place that remembers you. In the quiet depths of its caves, every echo and every stone reminds me of the roots that ground me, the traditions that shape me, and the sense of home I carry wherever I go. – Rappler.com