As an avid adventurer, I'm constantly on the lookout for my next great thrill — those hidden gems that promise excitement and wonder. One such treasure lies beneath the surface of the Philippines: the Langun-Gobingob Cave System. That's why I could not contain my excitement when the cave master himself, Joni Bonifacio, of Trexplore the Adventures, offered me the chance to join the 3-day spelunking exploration to Langun-Gobingob cave. Needless to say, I was squealing with anticipation!
Langun-Gobingob Cave is the largest cave system in the Philippines, spanning over 900 square meters and comprising 12 different cave systems. It used to be the second largest in Asia until recently. The cave's ecosystem is magnificent, with dark tunnels, countless holes, and seemingly bottomless chasms. Inside, you can find lush mosses, ferns, as well as various species including blind albino crabs, bats, venomous snakes, and birds.
Langun-Gobingob Cave Preparation
I am not an experienced caver, so when I got the news that I would be joining the 15th Spelunking Adventure to Langun-Gobingob cave, I had to do some preparations. I had to make sure that I plan ahead and prepare both physically and mentally.
Langun-Gobingob Cave is not for the faint-hearted. You will have to embark on long hours of trekking on dark and treacherous trails, going down vertical drops, and crawling through tight holes. You may also need to mentally prepare if you have a fear of enclosed spaces and terrifying creatures.
Into the Abyss: Traversing the arduous trail to the ‘Football Field’
There were eight of us on this trip, excluding the guides and porters. Upon our arrival at the jump-off at Brgy. Panayuran in Calbiga, we trekked for about an hour to reach the viewing deck of the Langun-Gobingob cave. Seeing the massive limestone cliff entrance of Gobingob Cave made me remember my underground river experience in Palawan. The towering karst formation of the cave’s entrance is impressive. I couldn’t believe I was just 30 minutes away from the entrance of the cave!
When we arrived at the entrance, Kuya Lando, our lead guide, gave us a detailed orientation before we proceeded to prepare our caving equipment and eventually started trekking toward the cave. As we started descending the dark interior of Gobingob cave, I couldn’t help but savor the last few seconds of sunlight and mentally said, “See you in three days, Mr. Sun.”
In less than 10 minutes, we were engulfed by complete darkness. The trail toward the Gobingob chamber was arduous enough and it took me a while to adjust my vision to the darkness. We passed by gigantic stalagmites and stalactites and eventually reached this spot called ‘The Stage’ where a giant flowstone formation is located. It was glittering majestically. We were careful not to touch this beauty to avoid brushing off those glittering crystals. The slightest touch of our hands can cause permanent damage.
It was great to see life inside the abyss.
About 30 minutes from The Stage, we arrived at the campsite which is called the Gobingob football field. We set up our camp, cooked dinner, and rested for a while before exploring the upper Gobingob chamber.
Journey to the Upper Gobingob Chamber
It was a relief to leave our heavy backpacks at the campsite. I only brought my Modern Nomad drawstring bag to stuff my phone, trail snacks, and water. We went straight ahead all the way deeper to the upper Gobingob chamber.
I did not expect the seemingly endless ascent. As we went farther, I noticed that the ground and the walls were becoming even whiter which means that these crystalline formations are still untouched. They certainly looked like glittering snowflakes!
There were also strange rock formations that really caught my interest. Climbing through loose and spiky rocks, I couldn't help but wonder how I managed to pass through those treacherous trails. It was also difficult to take pictures. With the limited amount of light provided by our headlamps, I didn't bother to seriously capture what was inside the cave. I just made sure to enjoy everything that I had seen with my own eyes. After all, the actual experience is more important.
Goodbye Gobingob, Hello Langun!
The next morning, we left the football field and headed to the entrance of Langun Cave. Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the spot I had been looking forward to – the Langun vertical area. It is a 40-meter vertical drop to the deeper part of Langun cave. To abseil down, our lead guide, Kuya Lando, set up a safety harness rope around three dead stalagmites located right next to the descent point.
One by one we descended into the pitch-black darkness. I was in awe to see the height of the cliff when I reached the bottom and looked up to see the others who had not abseiled yet. The tiny illumination of our headlamps in that dark chamber made me feel smaller than I already was.
A tiny speck of dust in the universe.
After an hour or so of trekking, we reached the bat guano area. To me, it was probably the most challenging part of the whole trek. We were literally wading our way through a thick pool of sticky brown feces!
At one point, I lost my balance and found my right foot got stuck in the pool of bat guano. When I moved, it went all the way up to my knees. I could not move at all. It was terrifying and funny at the same time.
The putrid smell, the laborious trek, the dirty clothes… it was as if I was in The Walking Dead series! When we finally reached the Langun campsite, I laughed at how dirty my clothes were. I looked like I survived a zombie apocalypse.
Langun Campsite, Bats, Snakes, and Waterfalls
The sight of the cave opening and verdant vegetation at the Langun campsite was a sight to behold.
After we had lunch, we waited for several hours to witness birds and bats getting out of the Langun exit. It was a great privilege to see the jaw-dropping scene of thousands of bats flying around in circles.
Finally, we cooked dinner and made preparations to explore the lower Langun cave. It was time to descend to the deepest part of the cave. We rappeled 3 meters towards the snake room. It’s literally called the snake room because it is where the snakes in the area live. And to get through, you have to crawl this super tiny hole.
We walked past water terraces, saw albino fish and crabs, and trekked through the thick mud until we reached the Langun underground river. We trekked along the river for several minutes until we reached the underground waterfalls. It was truly spectacular - a waterfall 600 meters below the ground!
We continued trekking for about an hour to reach the dead end of the lower Langun cave.
On our way back, we stopped by the water terraces for a while to wash the mud off our bodies. However, we got dirty again afterward because we still had to crawl all the way back to the snake room and then rappel up to return to the campsite.
I slept well that night. Even though poisonous snakes were moving around our camp, I just tucked myself inside my sleeping bag and set off to dreamland.
Hello, Mr. Sun
We said goodbye to Langun-Gobingob Cave on the third day. Climbing all the way up the mountain was backbreaking and exhausting. The trek through the jungle was long, taking about three hours to complete. Suffice it to say, this three-day adventure included spelunking, mountain climbing, river trekking, and rock climbing all in one!
If you want to experience the Langun-Gobingob Cave adventure, please visit the official website of Trexplore The Adventures or check out updates on their Facebook page.
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