spelunking

Perak, Malaysia: Caving Challenge at Gua Kandu (Kandu Cave) with Nomad Adventure

Posted on May 2, 2016

I’ve visited Gopeng before, a sleepy historic settlement that was once a mining boomtown. Little did I know that the place had more exciting things to offer in its hinterlands through a second familiarization tour. Through the professional tour company Nomad Adventure – one of the best in Malaysia established in 1994 – we got to take on a challenging caving experience through Gua Kandu (Kandu Cave). Located inside one of the many karst outcrops across the Kinta Valley, Gua Kandu is aRead More→

Ilagan Sanctuary: An Easy Nature Escape in Ilagan City, Isabela

Posted on February 6, 2014

Part of the 819-hectare Fuyot Springs National Park, bordering the town of Tumauini, Ilagan Sanctuary is a nature park located in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain range in Barangay Santa Victoria, Ilagan City in the province of Isabela. This accessible reserve makes for a quick nature escape, if you happen to pass by Ilagan City on a roadtrip to or from Tuguegarao, for example. Among the natural attractions are limestone caves, waterfall hikes, and viewing endemic and exotic animalsRead More→

Quezon, Palawan: Ramble Across Philippine Prehistory at Tabon Caves Complex

Posted on August 27, 2013

More than 200 caves are honeycombed within the limestone karts of Lipuun Point, Quezon, Palawan It’s always awe-inspiring to see your history books come to life! After spotting the rare Philippine cockatoos of Rasa Island in Narra, I arrived in Quezon to explore at the Tabon Caves Complex.  Over 200 caves are honeycombed into Lipuun Point, a towering limestone promontory in southern Palawan. Upon reaching the western face of the promontory, one is great by towering limestone cliffs draped in greeneryRead More→

Race Across The Terrace: Sagada (Part Three)

Posted on February 28, 2012

The Applai people of Sagada entombed their dead in hanging coffins propped along limestone cliffs  I never knew walking amidst the dead could be a pleasing experience. After all, Sagada is indeed the gateway to paradise.To get to this highland Shangri-la rediscovered by European backpackers in the 1960s, the route departing Banaue surmounted rougher terrain where pine trees soon replaced tree ferns, as it ascended higher into the Cordilleran interior. Not surprisingly, a gazillion more terraces flanked the way, butRead More→

Iloilo’s Underworld: Bulabog Puti-an National Park

Posted on November 15, 2011

Philippine Orange Tarantula (Selenobrachys philippinus), endemic to Panay & Negros Covering an area of 854 hectares, the Bulabog Puti-an National Park in Dingle, Iloilo, Philippines is a nature reserve with limestone outcrops and 34 caves. It is home to monkeys, wild chickens, 18 bat species, endemic snails, and native orchids. Because of a strong, sudden downpour, I spent a night in this park en route to Roxas City. The forest ranger offered me to stay at one the huts atRead More→