Bagyuna Cave: Into a Subterranean Wonder in Asipulo, Ifugao
Bagyuna Cave in Pula, Asipulo is famous among locals because of its abundant and colorful speleothems. It has great potential because it is located within the famous Pula-Cambulo-Batad hiking route and near the famous rice terraces.
Contents
Location of Bagyuna Cave
Address: Pula, Asipulo, Igugao, Philippines
Coordinates: 16.6853, 121.0980
Google Map:
DENR Cave Classification
Not yet classified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Bagyuna Cave Characteristics
- Length: Unknown; no official data
- Spelunking duration: Unknown; no official data
- Mineral deposit formations: Abundant
- Is underground river present?: No
- Bat population: Few
- Multichamber: Yes
- Human artefacts: None
- Cave floor fill: Mud, stones, guano
Spelunking in Bagyuna Cave
A speleothem-rich subterranean ecosystem, Bagyuna Cave, located in Asipulo, Ifugao, was briefly enjoyed by the town’s [and neighboring] locals before being temporary closed.
Bagyuna Cave is situated in a nature-blessed Province of Ifugao where the famed rice terraces is found. Up close, it is within the vicinity of Barangay Pula in the Municipality of Asipulo, a recently formalized municipality as it was only created in 1992 [1]. The municipality is mostly mountainous and traversed by rivers and brooks. Kalanguya, Ayangan, Tuwali, Kele-i, Yuttaka, and Hanglulu are the common dialects [2]. Further, Barangay Pula has a young population and with a small total population of 1410 according to 2015 population census [3].
Bagyuna can be reached after a 2-3 hours walk through bodies of water and lovely countryside view. So, if you are the type of tourist who does not want physical exertion, Bagyuna Cave–or any cave– might not be for your liking.
Accordingly, the entrance is quite small, like in Paterno Cave in Ambongdolan, Tublay. Moreover, Bagyuna Cave has muddy floor on most part of the allowed spelunking route. This is common in some cave especially if there is a subterranean river or pools inside it. On a positive note, it is not knee-deep unlike San Carlos Cave in Cagayan. The whole stretch of cave is not yet fully explored.
To date, the magnificent Bagyuna Cave is not yet formally classified by the DENR and is now temporarily closed by the local government for its preservation. Looking at the images posted in social media, a lot of those who went inside are unknowingly touching, holding unto, climbing, or stepping over the ‘live’ speleothems. A lot of comments have also noted this. Some even commented that the cave is now not as beautiful as before because of irresponsible amateur cavers. The closure imposed by the local government might have salvaged the cave from total destruction.
Apparently, the cave have been known to the locals of Pula for a long time but not documented. I sifted through social media and I found the earliest posting was on 2015. Since posting in Facebook, the cave has paved its way to local spelunking enthusiasts as it is not a difficult cave to enter. As of June 2020, the local government has temporarily closed the cave for its preservation.
To those who have not seen the underground beauty of Bagyuna Cave, the following are images taken by a local guide [posted with permission].
Above: Stalactites are numerous inside. As seen from above image, this part of the cave only had decades to a millennium to develop these small speleothems.
Check this article to know the difference of a stalactite and stalagmite
Stalactites vs Stalagmites? I’m Confused!
As mentioned earlier, there is no documention of previous exploration of the cave. The following embeds are Facebook posts since 2015 until its closure in June 2020.
There you have it! The Bagyuna Cave, a colorful secret of Pula, Asipulo, Ifugao in the past decades. It has a great potential for local and outside region tourists as it is within the vicinity of the famous Pula-Cambulo-Batad hiking route and near the famous rice terraces. It has its fame for a few years and now closed temporarily for its preservation. In time… when it opens, you’ll be amazed of its subterranean beauty.
Contact Person/Group
Registration/Guide Fees
- For the mean time, the cave is temporarily closed. Once opened, this section will be updated; otherwise,kindly contact Asipulo Tourism Information and Assistance Center for fees and facilities.
How to Get to Bagyuna Cave
By land:
- From Manila to Lagawe: Take a bus (Ohayami, Dangwa, or CODA Lines). Travel time usually takes around 8 hours. From Lagawe, take a one-hour jeepney trip bound to Asipulo.
- From Baguio to Lagawe: Take a bus (Ohayami or CODA Lines). Travel time usually takes 7 hours. From Lagawe, take a one-hour jeepney trip bound to Asipulo.
By air:
- Cauayan Airport is the nearest if you plan to travel by air.
Nearby Notable Caves/Underground
- Pangagawan Cave
- Nah-toban Cave
- Bintakan Cave
- Capisaan Cave
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. Whether it is under the protection of the DENR or not, treat nature with respect.
- The weather is hot, thus bring enough water to quench your thirst on the way to the cave and during the spelunking activity.
- It is highly advisable to contact your guide a day before and arrange transportation in advance.
- Wear a comfortable dark-colored, non-slip, close-toed rubber shoes for the hike and halfway through the cave.
- It is muddy inside. If you have a delicate foot, do not remove your socks [remove only your shoes or sandals] when you reach the muddy passageways because there are sharp-edged stones and pebbles at the bottom of the mud [THANK ME LATER IF YOU HEED MY ADVISE]. Thus, it is advisable to wear thick ones to protect your toes and feet if needed. Otherwise, just walk barefoot if you’ve been used to wading through mud.
- Get a complete extra set of clothes to change to after you get out of the cave.
- Continuous dripping of water is common inside, bring zip bags for your gadgets.
- Also, consider re-scheduling your activity if there had been a continuous heavy rain in the area.
Acknowledgement
The images uploaded [non-embed] from the help of Mr. Alfredo Lobyoc, Jr., a local Pula resident and guide across Ifugao tourism frontier. You can contact him here.
References
[1] McKay, D., 2012. Global Filipinos: Migrants’ Lives In The Virtual Village. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, p.23.
[2] DILG-CAR, n.d. Municipality Of Asipulo. [online] Dilgcar.com. Available at: <https://www.dilgcar.com/index.php/2015-07-10-09-25-49/municipality-of-asipulo> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
[3] PhilAtlas, n.d. Pula, Asipulo, Ifugao Profile – Philatlas. [online] Philatlas.com. Available at: <https://www.philatlas.com/luzon/car/ifugao/asipulo/pula.html> [Accessed 13 June 2020].
[4] White, W., 2012. Speleothems: General Overview. In W. White and D. Culver (Editors), Encyclopedia of Caves (2nd Ed.), (pp. 777). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-383832-2.00113-4.
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!
