Category Archives: Spelunking

Baquitan Cave, Carles, Cave, Iloilo, Isla Gigantes, Islas de Gigantes, Spelunking, Yamashita treasures

Spelunking in Baquitan Cave, Islas de Gigantes

Leave a comment
Our last itinerary on our second day in Islas de Gigantes was spelunking at Baquitan Cave. After our exhilarating island hopping activities, we went back to the base camp at a little past 3:00 pm, as Joefer Decano instructed. We just had coffee at the base camp, dressed up and off we went to Baquitan Cave.
From Gigantes Hideaway Tourist Inn, we had to walk for about 15 minutes until we reached the start of a steep slope which served as our entry point to the cave. Since it was raining that morning, the path is muddy so we had a hard time going up. We were also wearing our ever reliable flipflops (at least we thought so until we figured out it’s not suitable for trekking after all, hehe). Three out of five of us gave up and went down the slope. Thing is, it was harder to go down as it was so slippery and there was no rope whatsoever on the trail. The slope is about six to seven feet high at an angle of about 45 degrees, but it took us so long and tons of courage to go down. Add to that the several twigs on the ground that eventually marked a long wound on my thigh before I was finally able to go back to ground zero.
So, lo and behold, our friends Uly and Bhey continued the trek and was able to explore Baquitan Cave. All the photos from this post are from them. Salamat Uly & Bhey!

According to them, the cave is so beautiful with stalagmites and stalactites just starting to form. The formation inside the cave is quite impressive but they feel it needs a lot of work in terms of preservation.
During their spelunking activity, there were parts were they don’t even know where to step on or cling on to get to the next chamber. So, they had to do it a la Tarzan and Jane and made use of the old vines.
Our friends also saw these human bones inside the cave. Again, we believe that there’s so much to discover at Islas de Gigantes in terms of archaeology and history. It is believed that this cave served as a chamber for soldiers during the World War II. There are also stories about Yamashita treasures that are belived to be buried all around the island, thus, the influx of treasure hunters in Islas de Gigantes at some point in history.
If you’re up to some adventure, spelunking at Islas de Gigantes is perfect for you. It has around 50 caves on the island alone, with varying levels of difficulty. There are five caves that are open for tourists as of the moment. The rest can be explored but with utmost precaution. 
Our friends had to crawl to this opening to get into the next chamber. 
Amazing stalagmites and stalactites can be seen inside the cave. 
This formation looks like a glistening piece of crystal! 
We envied our friends when they had shown us their photos. How we wish we were able to go there, too! So, we promised ourselves that the next time we go to Islas de Gigantes, we’ll go there in summer, bring trekking shoes or sandals and appropriate clothing for this adventure. 
When you go spelunking, your tour guide will be Kojack from Joel Decano’s team. You may reach Joel at 09184685006. Tour guide rate for spelunking is Php 200 per pax.
Ou friends Uly and Bhey crawling out of a small opening inside Baquitan Cave.
When they finally went back to the base camp, the two were enveloped in mud and exhausted but they said that’s one experience they would never forget. You survived, Uly and Bhey! Kudos!

Related Posts:
How to go to Islas de Gigantes?
Where to stay at Islas de Gigantes?
The Parola at Islas de Gigantes
Island Hopping  at  Islas de Gigantes
Snorkeling, Spelunking and Beach Bumming at Islas de Gigantes
Antonia Beach, Caving, Diving, Iloilo, Isla Gigantes, Islas de Gigantes, Panay, Snorkeling, Spelunking, Visayan Sea

Antonia Beach, Islas de Gigantes, Iloilo

Leave a comment
Antonia beach at a glance
In my previous post (here), I wrote about the highlights of our island hopping activities at Islas de Gigantes. I focused more on the challenging, leg-breaking stunts we had to do to go inside the saltwater lagoon, climbing the rocks at Cabugao Gamay and doing jump shots at Bantigue sandbar. I promised to write about Antonia beach on a separate note because I feel there is so much to say about this island, so here it goes.
If you’ll ask me which of the islands provide a bird eye’s view of the entire Islas de Gigantes group of islands, my answer is – Antonia beach. The reason for being is that it has a lot to offer besides its pristine white sand and azure waters. No wonder it is where tourists are brought to have picnic lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon before heading back to the base camp.
A view of the nearby islands from Antonia beach
So, what are the things that you can do in Antonia beach? Though it is ideal for beach bumming (the sand here is finer than in Cabugao Gamay), guests can also enjoy lounging under the coconut trees while reading a book or having picnic lunch by the seaside. Its marine biodiversity is also very rich and surreal. Plus, you can go up to a small cave where you can have a nice view of the entire island.
Stunning rock formation
The other side of the beach
 As suggested by our boatmen and tour guide, we had our lunch by the seaside. Our food was prepared by Ate Anggay, the cook at Gigantes Hideaway Tourist Inn, and was composed of grilled fish and porkchop. Don’t worry about the tour guide and the boatmen, they also have their food and its part of the budget.
Ate Anggay’s Grilled Fish
Grilled Porkchop
 The packed lunch also includes softdrinks and mineral water. The breeze at Antonia beach will definitely lure you to sleep after a sumptuous feast. But please, try to resist it as there’s so much to explore in the island!
Scallop shells in the scallop capital
Again, we noticed mountains of scallop shells on the island. Joefer Decano, our tour guide said this is because the owner of the island is a scallop supplier. We really feel that these shells can be put into better use. I just came from the CITEM event earlier at SMX and saw a lot of world-class accessories made of shells of different kinds on exhibit. Some are even for sale and/or for export. Why not use these shells as a material to create things like that? 
Islas de Gigantes has a very rich marine biodiversity, because it lies at the epicenter of marine biodiversity in the WORLD! Yes, the Visayan Sea has such title so make sure when you visit Islas de Gigantes, you go way, way under just like what we did!
Corals in Antonia beach
 According to Joel Decano (Tourism Officer of Carles, Iloilo – 09184685006), they have identified seven diving sites around Islas de Gigantes, not to mention one site ideal for drift diving. There are no dive shops yet in Islas de Gigantes but for your diving needs, you may get in touch with Joel, as he, himself is a PADI-certified diver and  can accompany you on a diving safari.
The corals at Islas de Gigantes, both in Antonia beach and in Cabugao Gamay, are alive and humongous! Although, more varieties can be seen in Antonia beach. Please be weary though that in some seasons (like when we were there), we saw some tiny jellyfish swimming with us, so the water is a bit stingy. Otherwise, Antonia beach is a perfect spot to snorkel. So sorry to say this, but walang sinabi ang snorkeling site sa Boracay dito! Again, I intended to write that in the vernacular. 
We had brought some bread for fish feeding, and we noticed that the fishes here are not yet accustomed to being “fed” with crumbles of bread. Although, it took only awhile before they got used to it. 
If you’re tired of the underwater scene, you can go to the other side of the island where a small cave is located. You have to climb a bamboo ladder suspended on giant rocks. Again, my fear of heights forbade me go all the way up, but my friends did, so I just took their photo. 
There are more than 50 caves in Islas de Gigantes ready to be explored, but there are five caves highly-recommended for tourists. So, if spelunking is your thing, Islas de Gigantes is heaven for you! 
The cave at Antonia beach is just like a teaser for the yet another challenging activity that we were about to do later that afternoon. 
Meet Joefer Decano, Joel’s brother who served as our tour guide for oue entire stay at Islas de Gigantes.
From the cave at Antonia beach, you will see a nice panoramic view of Islas de Gigantes.
If going up the cave is challenging, going down is more difficult! But, as my friends came down the bamboo ladder, I envy them so much that I promised myself, on my next trip to Islas de Gigantes, I’ll go take the challenge,  so help me God!