Crawling through the Splendiferous Agapang Cave in Abra
Agapang Cave in Abra boasts underground adventure, beautiful rock formations, and an underground river.
Contents
Location
- Subagan, Licuan-Baay, Abra, Philippines
DENR Cave Classification
Class III (DENR Memorandum Circular No. 2016-05). Caves generally safe to inexperienced visitors with no known threatened species and archeological, geological, natural history, cultural and historical values. These caves may also be utilized for economic purposes such as guano extraction and edible birds nest collection.
Spelunking in Agapang Cave
The natural resources-rich Province of Abra is also blessed with underground wonders. It has more than 20 caves and most are not yet known to the public. Of the few explored caves, Agapang Cave boasts beautiful rock formations as well as underground river.
The following embedded Facebook posts depict how beautiful the cave is.
The cave is known to the locals but not much to tourist outside of the municipality. This cave be a great alternative tourist destination from Kaparkan Cave during non-rainy season.
By 2016, the Agapang Cave was officially declared as a Class III (Polonio, 2016) after site inspection was conducted by DENR. A consultation meeting was also done between the local government of Licuaan-Bay and Daguioman regarding the management plan of Agapang Cave (DENR CENRO Lagangilang Abra, 2017).
Contact Person/Group
- ABRAmazing Tours
- Dyane Kathleen Molina (ABRAmazing Tour Operator)
- George Anthony Lalin (Tourism Consultant-Office of Con JB Bernos)
Registration/Guide Fees
Will be updated once data is available. Once again, contact first the above persons/group before planning your itinerary.
How to Get to to Agapang Cave
- Get to Bangued, Abra
- From Manila: Partas Bus (fare and schedule here) or Dominion Transit Bus bound to Bangued. Approx. trip duration: about 9 hours.
- From Baguio City: Take a Partas Bus or a mini bus bound to Bangued. Approx. trip duration: about 6 hours.
- Private vehicles: Directions can be easily asked from the friendly Abra locals.
- From Bangued to Licuaan-Baay
- Take a tricycle from the bus station and tell the driver to drop you at the Licuaan-Baay jeep station. Contact the LGU in advance regarding jeep trips.
- If you know someone, you can hire a mountain bike to bring you there.
Nearby Notable Caves/Underground Rivers
Reminders
- Always practice leave-no-trace principle. I have to highlight to please not leave anything inside, do not vandalize, and do not take any physical memento from the cave. Always treat nature with respect.
- The activity is arduous, thus bring enough water to quench your thirst.
- It is highly advisable to check if the road is closed or if the cave is temporarily closed. This is common during rainy season or after days of heavy rain.
- Wear a comfortable non-slip rubber foot wear.
- Get a complete extra set of clothes to change to after the activity.
- If there are different levels of route, do not change your chosen route on site from easy to difficult. This will take toll on the guides. Taking the difficult route will require lesser number of participants per guide. It entails closer supervision due to increased risks.
References
DENR CENRO Lagangilang Abra. (2017 March 17). Consultation meeting with LGU Licuan-Baay and Daguioman re: Cave Management Plan of Agapang Cave [Facebook status update]. Retrieved on 2019 Jan 02 from https://www.facebook.com/denrcenro.lagangilang/posts/267698013670593
DENR Memorandum Circular No. 2016-05. Additional list of classified caves [pdf file]. Retrieved on 2019 Jan 02 from https://server2.denr.gov.ph/uploads/rmdd/dmc-2016-05.pdf
Polonio, J. M. (2016 June 15). 8 caves in CAR set for assessment. Retrieved on 2019 Jan 02 from https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/80367
Header Image
George Anthony Lalin. (2019 March 29).
Spelunking tomorrow anyone? Agapang Cave Somewhere near Abra-Kalinga Road #abramazing #congjbtourism [Facebook status update]. Retrieved on 2019 Jan 02 from https://www.facebook.com/georgeanthony.lalin/posts/2119758434768682
Disclaimer: As much as we want to give the most accurate information for the readers, change will always occur (e.g., contact number, transportation, fees, etc.). With this, please do comment below any updates as well as corrections on the content, anything amiss, or any information that you think is crucial to the readers. Iyaman!
