Calbiga Caves
Calbiga Caves
5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
9 reviews
Excellent
8
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
DirkDUS
New Smyrna Beach, FL126 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
It was the biggest adventure in my life, and so far, I did many adventurers things.
I did the two days tour together with a friend. Joni and his team were fantastic. Very well organized, very professional yet very calm and relaxed. He tried to fulfill all our wishes. We could stop whenever we wanted to take pictures.
It was amazing, very adventurous. There are probably many videos on YouTube which show pretty accurately what to expect. I didn’t watch them before the tour so everythin was more surprising for me.
I definitely can recommend this tour. Your physical conditioning should be ok. I wouldn’t suggest the tour to kids, even though Joni did the tour already with his 6 year old son.
Thank you very much Joni for this great experience!!!
I did the two days tour together with a friend. Joni and his team were fantastic. Very well organized, very professional yet very calm and relaxed. He tried to fulfill all our wishes. We could stop whenever we wanted to take pictures.
It was amazing, very adventurous. There are probably many videos on YouTube which show pretty accurately what to expect. I didn’t watch them before the tour so everythin was more surprising for me.
I definitely can recommend this tour. Your physical conditioning should be ok. I wouldn’t suggest the tour to kids, even though Joni did the tour already with his 6 year old son.
Thank you very much Joni for this great experience!!!
Written June 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nov 2011 • Friends
We explored the cave with Joni Bonifacio from Trexplore. The caves were only a short drive from Catbalogan. It took a full hour of walking to the cave and then we were ready to enter. Because of the high water level, we did only the upper part. And that's still quite impressive and requires a lot of climbing and swimming. But the temperature of the water is pleasant. As we spent 4 hours inside, we had our traditional lunch inside, with candle light. Sometimes, it was a bit risky with the sharp rocks under the water surface and the slippery and steep clay areas. And at the end, we had to search yourself a way through the guano or bat excrements. Believe me, after floundering a few hours through the cave, you don't mind at all. But it was still not finished. We had to trek two more hours to reach our motorbikes. That was really tough, as we were getting exhausted, and every step needed a lot of concentration as the path was quite stony. Most of the dirt, we washed away in the river and in the evening we were back in Catbalogan.
Two very positive points:
Local food in the cave, not Jollybee stuff as we had it with more commercial tour guides in the Philippines.
Use of local and public transport. It's cheap and efficient.
Thumbs up for Joni Bonifacio. He's also the one who makes all the pictures while you are in the cave. Bringing your camera with you would be very silly, because you need to swim a lot, and you have to focus on keeping right while hiking the cave.
Two very positive points:
Local food in the cave, not Jollybee stuff as we had it with more commercial tour guides in the Philippines.
Use of local and public transport. It's cheap and efficient.
Thumbs up for Joni Bonifacio. He's also the one who makes all the pictures while you are in the cave. Bringing your camera with you would be very silly, because you need to swim a lot, and you have to focus on keeping right while hiking the cave.
Written March 5, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eltravs
Ormoc, Philippines63 contributions
Aug 2016 • Solo
The biggest cave I've ever explored with a small entrance to get inside. There are lots of stalactites and stalagmites so that you have to be careful in climbing up and down as we explore the whole cave. I saw a podium like formation of a rock and the area was so wide it's like floor stadium. I saw a small river at the end corner of the cave. The adventure was an advantage for me because in climbing up and down the cave i sweat a lot its like exercise to me.
Written August 22, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
iambreathinglife
Cebu City, Philippines12 contributions
Oct 2015
3days and 2 nights is not enough to explore this huge cave. It was full of surprises, and all are unexpectedly good. It's like putting all adventures into one place. Trekking, mountain climbing, rock climbing, bouldering, swimming, mud sliding, etc. The guide and his team are very thorough and organized. You know that this is an advance adventure, and yet, everything was safely done. Trexplorers, especially Boss Joni made it all look so easy. Thank You!!
Written October 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nathzniel
Cebu City, Philippines569 contributions
Mar 2014 • Couples
I've been into this cave more than a year ago and was quite impressed by its structure. It's so big like a football field with lots of amazing structure like rivers or falls, forest stalagmites, big stalactites. The cave is the Gobingob-Langun Cave - two caves connecting each other...and possibly connecting to another via the sump.
We enter via Gobingob and exit via Langun. Both Gobingob and Langun has upper and lower chambers. Lots to see and experience in the Langun e.g. snake pit with lot of harmless snakes, blind fish & crabs, terraces, river, mountain mud, hidden lakes, etc. In Gobingob, you can find snakes, huge flowstones, forest stalagmites, boulders, bats, etc. The exciting part is when you rappel the connection of Gobingob to upper Langun by more or less 20 meters. The exciting part in Langun is when you connect from upper to lower via the snake pit and snake room. You shared the same passage with the snake. Well, the snake is harmless as long as you don't harm them. Then, in the Langun camping site, snakes are sometimes your guard resting in the huge stalactites above.
This is one of my treasured experience in my life as spelunker.
We enter via Gobingob and exit via Langun. Both Gobingob and Langun has upper and lower chambers. Lots to see and experience in the Langun e.g. snake pit with lot of harmless snakes, blind fish & crabs, terraces, river, mountain mud, hidden lakes, etc. In Gobingob, you can find snakes, huge flowstones, forest stalagmites, boulders, bats, etc. The exciting part is when you rappel the connection of Gobingob to upper Langun by more or less 20 meters. The exciting part in Langun is when you connect from upper to lower via the snake pit and snake room. You shared the same passage with the snake. Well, the snake is harmless as long as you don't harm them. Then, in the Langun camping site, snakes are sometimes your guard resting in the huge stalactites above.
This is one of my treasured experience in my life as spelunker.
Written February 10, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah F
3 contributions
May 2014 • Friends
I recently went to Langun-Gobingob Cave in Calbiga as part of Trexplore's 10th Extreme Caving expedition. it's my second time going to that cave because I like it so much.
Langun-Gobingob Cave is the biggest cave in the Philippines, and it's got a whole range of things to so and see as part of the adventure, including beautiful formations, wading through guano, climbing down rocky cliffs, squeezing through a tight horizontal passage, swimming in a river, going down a mud slide etc. you can go for just one day, or for up to three days with two nights camping in the cave. the longer you stay, the more you see. it's best to go March-May, but you can see the dry chambers at any time of year.
the cave is big and long, about 6km. some parts are difficult but anyone with medium level fitness (or time to go very slowly) and determination can do it.
the Langun exit particularly is absolutely spectacular, and I also love Mud Mountain in the Langun lower chamber.
I went with Joni Bonifacio from Trexplore, and he was an awesome guide. he's always singing and making jokes, and is a great companion on a trip like this. he's been caving in Samar for 21 years so knows the cave very well.
i'd recommend this trip to anyone interested in caving and adventures!
Langun-Gobingob Cave is the biggest cave in the Philippines, and it's got a whole range of things to so and see as part of the adventure, including beautiful formations, wading through guano, climbing down rocky cliffs, squeezing through a tight horizontal passage, swimming in a river, going down a mud slide etc. you can go for just one day, or for up to three days with two nights camping in the cave. the longer you stay, the more you see. it's best to go March-May, but you can see the dry chambers at any time of year.
the cave is big and long, about 6km. some parts are difficult but anyone with medium level fitness (or time to go very slowly) and determination can do it.
the Langun exit particularly is absolutely spectacular, and I also love Mud Mountain in the Langun lower chamber.
I went with Joni Bonifacio from Trexplore, and he was an awesome guide. he's always singing and making jokes, and is a great companion on a trip like this. he's been caving in Samar for 21 years so knows the cave very well.
i'd recommend this trip to anyone interested in caving and adventures!
Written June 30, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christy A
105 contributions
Sep 2017 • Friends
It was an incredible experience being able to see the Calbiga Cave. It is very huge that it took time to fully explore countless mazes inside the cave. It is also home of different kinds of species but perhaps one thing that attracts most tourists is the sea of bats in the sky before nightfalls. Unbelievable experience!
Written September 2, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Viclogic
Tacloban, Philippines24 contributions
Sep 2016 • Friends
If you’re looking for a once-in-a-life-time adventure, trekking and spelunking at Langun Gobingob Caves or popularly known as Calbiga Cave is one of the activities that you should never miss in your lifetime. The island of Samar is considered as the caving capital of the Philippines because of its hundreds of huge, pristine and amazing caves. Langun Gobingob Caving system in Samar is the biggest of them, not only in the island, but in the Philippines.
I joined Joni Bonifacio of Trexplore in September 2016 on a 1 day caving adventure at Langun Gobingob. The whole day activity lasted for about 9 hours which included riding a traditional habal-habal, long hours of trekking and of course exploring the inside of the biggest cave in the country.
Joni of Trexplore is an speleologist and expert in caving from Catbalogan, Samar. I think he’s the most active caver in Samar and probably the one who’s most familiar with Calbiga Caves, as foreign speleologists who want to explore the caves always seek his guide.
Calbiga caving will challenge your stamina and adrenaline as the journey involves hiking and trekking going to and inside the cave, as well as returning to the town. But thanks to Joni, he assured that our exploration was safe, fun and wonderful. We had our lunch inside the cave. Joni also brought his camera and action cam to make sure that we had stunning souvenirs.
Langun Gobingob is huge. You will be climbing and rappelling on rock mountains inside the cave. It’s the largest cave in the Philippines, and having it conquered is one of the most wonderful moment I had in my life.
Tips:
1. Wear trekking shoes not sandals as the rocks along the way were sharp and can hurt your feet and toes.
2. Bring an action camera instead of a bulky DSLR camera.
3. Reserve your energy as going back to the town is every exhausting.
4. Always listen to your tour guide.
5. Make sure you are in full gears to protect your hands, legs and head.
I joined Joni Bonifacio of Trexplore in September 2016 on a 1 day caving adventure at Langun Gobingob. The whole day activity lasted for about 9 hours which included riding a traditional habal-habal, long hours of trekking and of course exploring the inside of the biggest cave in the country.
Joni of Trexplore is an speleologist and expert in caving from Catbalogan, Samar. I think he’s the most active caver in Samar and probably the one who’s most familiar with Calbiga Caves, as foreign speleologists who want to explore the caves always seek his guide.
Calbiga caving will challenge your stamina and adrenaline as the journey involves hiking and trekking going to and inside the cave, as well as returning to the town. But thanks to Joni, he assured that our exploration was safe, fun and wonderful. We had our lunch inside the cave. Joni also brought his camera and action cam to make sure that we had stunning souvenirs.
Langun Gobingob is huge. You will be climbing and rappelling on rock mountains inside the cave. It’s the largest cave in the Philippines, and having it conquered is one of the most wonderful moment I had in my life.
Tips:
1. Wear trekking shoes not sandals as the rocks along the way were sharp and can hurt your feet and toes.
2. Bring an action camera instead of a bulky DSLR camera.
3. Reserve your energy as going back to the town is every exhausting.
4. Always listen to your tour guide.
5. Make sure you are in full gears to protect your hands, legs and head.
Written November 13, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MES032015
Sydney, Australia4 contributions
Jan 2017 • Friends
Joni Bonifacio from Trexplore led this expedition into two of the largest caves in the Calbinga cave system. Joni's attention to detail and safety were excellent. The porters did all the hard work of carrying the equipment in, we just enjoyed the experience. This is a trip suitable to those new to caving and also experienced cavers.
Written January 28, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, are tourists able to visit the cave independently without a tour company?
Cheers
Written August 30, 2018
That would not be a good idea. Even advanced spelunkers seek the guidance of the local spelunker. That's standard operating procedure.
Written January 24, 2019
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