Calbiga Cave

The Langun-Gobingob complex at Calbiga is the headline of Samar's karst - a system of twelve major linked caves over some 2,968 hectares inside the Samar Island Natural Park, counted as the largest cave system in the country, with chambers big enough that headlamps do not reach the far walls. Exploration here has been carried out by Filipino and Italian caving expeditions since the 1980s and the system is still not fully mapped. Visits are guided expeditions rather than tours: helmets, lamps and ropes, a hot approach walk of an hour or more through forest and farmland, then descents, climbs and traverses through chambers, formations and river passages, with the standard trip taking a full day and longer routes requiring an overnight. Permits and accredited guides are mandatory, arranged through Calbiga's local government, and the karst around it forms one of the largest limestone landscapes in the country.

Highlights

• The great chamber - a hall too large for headlamps to cross.
• The formations - columns and flowstone through the system.
• The approach walk - forest and farmland to the entrance.
• The river passages - water routes through the lower caves.

When to go

February to May, the drier months - cave rivers rise fast after rain and passages flood. Trips are cancelled outright in wet weather.

Practical notes

This is caving, not sightseeing: scrambling, mud, tight sections and total darkness, with a hot approach hike. Accredited guides and permits are compulsory. Fitness and a head for enclosed spaces are genuine requirements.

Nearby

Sohoton Caves and the natural bridge are at Basey; Catbalogan is the base for Samar's other caving and canyoneering.

Key facts