One random weekend, me and my friends spontaneously planned to go to a trip to Tanay, a city in the province of Rizal in the Philippines.
Tanay is an hour and a half travel from the Philippine capital of Manila making it exceptionally accessible for our unplanned outdoor trip! Since the location is very close to the city, a lot of tourists have overlooked the beauty of the place. Unknown to many, Tanay is the sanctuary for many outdoor aficionados – it is the home of many waterfalls, caves and rock formations.
Our first destination is the Calinawan Cave found in the small village of Tandang. I suggest that before you go here you must study your route or turn on your GPS if you don’t have locals around to avoid delays and to have a safe trip. The entrance fee is at 20 PHP (1.5 AED) and an expert guide can be hired for only 100 PHP (8 AED). Before entering the cave we were briefed about dos and don’ts inside the cave for the protection of both parties and we were reminded of the golden rule of every traveller: “Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill nothing but time”.
Calinawan Cave is not just a natural wonder; it also has a strong historical background. It was named after the historical event when the Filipino revolutionaries resolved their disagreement with the Spanish colonisers at the time. Linaw is a Filipino word which means “clearness or clarity”, hence the name Calinawan. Because they finally reached clarity. Other than that, our tour guide also shared with us that the cave served as the hideout of Japanese soldiers during the Second World War.
As we entered the cave, we were greeted by beautiful and shining rock formations such as stalagmites and stalactites. No wonder a lot of film makers decide to shoot here especially fantasy-themed ones. Some part of the cave has some beautiful and well-placed crevices around the ceiling so the light seeps in magnificently throughout the cave. Beware because there are also narrow paths in the cave so teamwork is needed to assist each other! This amount of team effort to fit in through the narrow spaces made our experience more exciting as we tried – one by one to fit through! Our tour guide humorously remarked that they call the narrow paths the “sexy way” because you have to walk sideways and breathe in so that you are thinner.
As we continued of exploring of the cave, there was a point wherein we had to drop and crawl because the ceiling as becoming lower. There are five layers in the cave – one and two are the easiest levels, three to five are the difficult grades. Despite this, we still had to crawl at levels one and two! Definitely a great memory that I will always keep. We decided not to pursue levels three to five because we are not sure how difficult it is but if you are really yearning for adventure you can definitely take the challenge of Calinawan on. The 1.5 AED fee is extremely affordable for the beauty and the experience the cave offered us. Also, the 8 AED fee for the tour guide is very reasonable considering their expertise and stories about the cave; we were both safe and entertained at the same time. As we reached the end of the cave, we rinsed our mud-filled shoes and sandals immediately and headed to our next destination – Daranak Falls!
Daranak Falls is as 5-10 minute ride from Calinawan Cave. There are various modes of transportation near the premises of the cave if one prefers to get there faster. The waterfalls are breathtaking. It really puts mother nature into perspective and it made us more relaxed and calm after our adrenaline-filled spelunking at the caves. The area is well maintained by the local government. Visitors of the nature reserve can expect a 50 PHP (4 AED) and the roofed picnic areas are 300 PHP (24 AED); you can also rent life buoy for only 60 PHP (5 AED) if you would like to take a dip in the pristine waters. It is absolutely tremendous to watch as the water streams down in a rapid, yet gentle way. We immediately soaked in the falls. The spectacular, azure-tinted water of the falls running down on us is exactly what we needed — it so cold and refreshing.
It is a wonderful destination to visit, just avoid peak season of summer (April-May) to avoid crowds so you could fully savour the place. I think it is the perfect place to meditate and to find harmony and tranquillity. Visiting places such as the Calinawan Cave and Daranak Falls for me is not just an escape from the everyday routine of city life but it also helped me to put everything in perspective – that there are beautiful places in our world waiting to be unravelled and explored. The world is such a spectacular place and we should all explore it with mindfulness and respect so the future generations can still experience the beauty of nature that we have now.
Mary Rose Torres is an adventurer and blogger currently based in the Philippines. She documents her wanderings in her blog where she shares her travels to people and inspires them to head out on their own adventures in beautiful, unfamiliar places. Read about her adventures at www.whereisrosie.me or find Where is Rosie on Facebook.
Words By: Mary Rose Torres
Photos By: Mary Rose Torres and Darlene San Agustin
