Hinagdanan Cave In Dauis, Panglao Island Bohol Philippines

Besides from the famous Chocolate Hills, the white beaches, dive sites and the tarsier, Bohol is known for many caves, some historical like the Dagohoy cave yet the most popular of them and the most accessible is the underground Hinagdanan Cave located in Panglao. It is a naturally lighted large cave with a deep pool and many large stalactites and stalagmites.

The cave is lit by sunlight, which filters through holes in the ceiling. The underground pool is a favoured swimming spot, but it has been known to test for high levels of different contaminants, since it is fed by ground overflow.

The opening of the cave is narrow and stiff and only one person at a time can enter. However, the stairs have improved. The once wooden shaky handle of the stairs have been replaced with rounded steel bars, and the stairs are wider. It is easier to go down them but one have to be cautious as the steps are slippery due to the humidity of the cave and the wet kids running up and down the stairs in a swimming fling.

Going in the cave, one has to wink twice in order to adapt your eyes to the dark. It is not that dark inside anymore for a light has been added near the stairs and two holes aboveground gives a streak of light towards the upper left side of the cave. Initially, though, one feels blinded by the dark when coming directly from outside.

The large underground cave has a lagoon, glancing dark yet appealing. As far as I remember, the lagoon is deep and the water icy cool and fresh.

However, the water near its outlet is a bit salty, especially during high tide when sea water comes in. Looking around the cave one can see stalactites hanging from the ceiling and protruding stalagmites on the ground. You can hear bats squealing above although I can hardly see one because of the dark. The smell inside is also musty and may be due to the bat’s excretions. After taking pictures of the walls, one discovers drawings on it.

Hinagdanan Cave History

The barrio of Bingag was once shrouded by thick untilled plants. In the 16th century, people little by little came to settle in the neighboring area and cleared most portions for tilling.

One day, while the owner of this land was clearing the area for a farm, he uncovered two holes on the ground, next to each other. The holes were found after decomposing trunks of trees were taken off from the ground.

To determine the depth of the hole, he threw a stone down the hole and was astonished to hear a splash. Puzzled, he further investigated the inside of the caves and found to his delight a beautiful sight of stone formations hanging from the ceiling and some standing out from the ground.

A lagoon is in the center of the cave. The cave is full of bats and smells bad. The news of the discovery spread. Adventurous people came in and splashed around in the pond. It finally became a swimming pool for the local common people.

Eventually, a ladder was improvised down a small hole at the side of the cave. In the local dialect, “hagdan” means a ladder so the cave became known as Hinagdanan Cave.

Intrance Of Hinagdanan Cave

Location of the Cave

The cave lies 2.5 kilometers from the center of Dauis town and 15 kilometers west of Tagbilaran City. It is located at Bingag, Dauis, Panglao Island, Bohol, Philippines. It is a karst cave, being made of limestone.