Dinugdugan Cave: Balbalan’s Goddess of All Caves

Dinugdugan Cave is one of the best subterranean wonders in Tawang, Balbalan, Kalinga because of its massive caverns, incomparable speleothem formations, and it also offers an underground river.

CAUTION: Dinugdugan Cave is not yet open to the public. Contact the LGU or local tourism office if you plan to go there. This page will be updated [or update us] once the cave is open for tourism.

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Location of Dinugdugan Cave

Address: Tawang, Balbalan, Kalinga, Philippines

Coordinates: 17°38’53.000″N 121°17’6.000″E ^[1]

Google Map:

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DENR Cave Classification

Assessed but not yet officially classified.

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Dinugdugan Cave Characteristics

• Length: 925 mters ^[1] or may be even longer
• Spelunking duration: More or less 2 hours
• Mineral deposit formations: Highly abundant
• Is underground river present?: Yes
• Bat population: Numerous
• Multichamber: Yes
• Human artefacts: None discovered yet
• Cave floor fill: Water, stones, mud, soil, guano

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Spelunking in Dinugdugan Cave

Dinugdugan Cave is one of the best subterranean wonders in Tawang, Balbalan, Kalinga because of its massive caverns, incomparable speleothem formations, and it also offers an underground river.

Dinugdugan Cave is located in Sitio Proper, Barangay Tawang. The population of this barangay where the cave is located is small that it only comprises 7% of the total Municipality of Balbalan’s population of 12,195 as seen in 2015 Philippine Statistics Authority data ^[2]. Historically, Balabalan was under the Province of Kalinga-Apayao. Later, Kalinga became a separate province by virtue of RA 7878 in 1992 ^[3].

The formation of Dinugdugan Cave is not far from possible as it is found in a municipality with karst topograpy. Barangay Tawang, where the cave is found, is a landscape of sinkholes, sinking streams, caves, and springs. This topography is usually a result from the excavating effects of underground water on massive soluble limestone ^[4].

Because of the incomparable beauty of the cave within the municipality, some locals are hopeful that this will become the ‘goddess of all caves’ in Balbalan. Unfortunately, the local government and DENR had it closed to tourism traffic yet. This will remain so until the cave is safe for tourism [well, also until preparations are good enough to safeguard the cave from tourists].

Unlike other caves with small entrances, Dinugdugan Cave has a dome high entrance. It is wide that it could fit a bus terminal. The cave also has an active subterranean river snaking through its passages; it has a variable depth of around 5 feet and changes between seasons and rainfall ^[5]. Possibly, the water drains to Timod River near the cave.

Speleothem formations are highly abundant inside the cave. This is the reason why it could be the most beautiful among Balbalan Caves. Like any other caves, speleothems in the form of flow stones, columns, canopies, shields, draperies, stalactites, stalagmites, among others are everywhere. As the location of the cave is at the headwater of Timog River, the continuous trickles on its upper surfaces will continue to change the sizes of speleothems inside.

The actual length of the cave is not yet really known as some passages are fully submerged in water. Locals said it may run to as long as a kilometer. It was first surveyed by a local exploration team in cooperation with an international group sometime in 2013. On 2018, Dinugdugan Cave was assessed by the DENR, though no cave classification was published yet.

The following embedded images are from social media posts:

In conclusion, Dinugdugan Cave is possibly the best cave in the municipality because of the exciting and abundant speleothems it offer as well as its enticing, clean, clear subterranean river. This is highly recommended for adventure lovers once it is formally opened.

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Contact Person/Group

• Social Media (Balbalan Tourism Facebook Page)

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Registration/Guide Fees

• Not yet open for tourism traffic.

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How to Get to Dinugdugan Cave

By land:

• Get to Tabuk, Kalinga
  • From Manila (approx 12 hours travel time): Take a bus bound to Tabuk, Kalinga. Victory Liner has a direct route from Sampaloc to Tabuk; or take their bus from Pasay to Tuguegarao, then take a PUJ to Tabuk. Florida Bus also has a Sampaloc to Tabuk and Cagayan route.
  • From Baguio City (approx 9 hours travel time): Dangwa Bus, Auto Bus, and GL lines have buses to Tabuk.
  • From Bontoc (approx 6 hour travel time): PUJs and buses are available to Tabuk via Kalinga Highway and Tinglayan. First trip is at 7 AM and last trip at 11AM.
• Tabuk to Balbalan
  • There are PUJs from Tabuk to Poblacion, Balbalan; their terminal is located at Block 3, Purok 5, Bulanao, Tabuk. Schedule of trips are 7am, 10am and 1pm. fare is around Php180.00

• There is also a faster route to Dinugdugan. Instead of going to Balbalan, traverse via the Municipality of Pinukpuk.

By air:

• Get to Tabuk, Kalinga by air
  • From Manila, there are Philippine Airline flights direct to Tuguegarao. From Tuguegarao, take a PUJ to Tabuk.
• Tabuk to Balbalan
  • There are PUJs from Tabuk to Poblacion, Balbalan; their terminal is located at Block 3, Purok 5, Bulanao, Tabuk. Schedule of trips are 7am, 10am and 1pm. fare is around Php180.00

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Nearby Notable Caves/Underground

• Uguid Underground River, Maling
• Maanus Cave, Tawang
• Banig Cave, Tawang
• Maaya-Ayas Cave, Buaya
• Uta Cave, Gawaan
• Magangab Cave, Tawang

Non-cave places of interest:

• Banao Protected Landscape
• Balbalasang National Park
• Waterfalls: Tawang Waterfalls, Bagawat Waterfalls, Lultoan Waterfalls, Ligayan Waterfalls
• Giant Bathtub Pool of Ligayan Waterfall (Battong Allan”)
• Palit Lake
• Bolo-Nawoy rice terraces
• Giant Serpent, Gawaan

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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.
• If you plan to go there during dry season, please 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 if you are not commuting or using private car.
• Wear a comfortable non-slip, close-toed rubber shoes for the hike to the cave.
• Get a complete extra set of clothes to change to after you get out of the cave.
• Since there is a subterranean river inside, bring zip bags for your gadgets. Also, consider re-scheduling your activity if there had been a continuous heavy rain in the area.

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References

[1] Camargo, R. & Cordeiro, L. 2015. Expedição espeleológica internacional à região norte de Luzon, Filipinas. [online] Available at <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309286334_Expedicao_espeleologica_internacional_a_regiao_norte_de_Luzon_Filipinas_2015> [Accessed 27 August 2020].

[2] Philippine Statistics Authority-Cordillera Administrative Region. 2020. 2019 Registered Births Marriages And Deaths In Kalinga. [online] Available at: <http://rssocar.psa.gov.ph/Kalinga/releases/2019%20Registered%20Births%20Marriages%20and%20Deaths%20in%20Kalinga> [Accessed 27 July 2020].

[3] Donqui-is, J., n.d. The Kalinga – National Commission For Culture And The Arts. [online] National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Available at: <https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-communities-and-traditional-arts-sccta/northern-cultural-communities/the-kalinga/> [Accessed 27 July 2020].

[4] The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d. Karst. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/science/karst-geology> [Accessed 24 August 2020].

[5] Balbalanlink.blogspot.com. 2019. The Dinugdugan Cave Of Tawang, Balbalan. [online] Available at: <https://balbalanlink.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-dinugdugan-cave-of-tawang-balbalan.html> [Accessed 24 August 2020].

Header Image

Balbalan Tourism. 2017. Dearest “DEXTER”, your name is a “photo bomber” to this beautiful rock formation… [Facebook Page status update] [Online]. Available at <https://www.facebook.com/balbalantourism/photos/pcb.467351210331723/467351170331727/?type=3&theater> [Accessed 27 August 2020].

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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!