Ubong Caves

Useful Information

Location:	Hinoba-an, 202 km from Bacolod City. Negros Occidental.
Open:	no restrictions. [2008]
Fee:	free. [2008]
Classification:	Karst cave sea cave
Light:	none, bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Ubong Caves.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Ubong Caves are actually three different caves. Two of the caves have a dry entrance, while one is accessible only from the sea. The caves with dry entrances are eas to visit. There are no restrictions, the caves have mostly flat floor and they are rather small with many daylights. Nevetheless a torch might be a good idea. Unfortunately the easy access resulted in several damages and vandalizations, so officials started to appeal to the visitors to protect the caves.

The third cave, which is accessible from the sea is a little different. The entrance of the karst cave is widened by the sea and forms a huge and impressive portal. The cave behind is accessible only with small fishing boats or by swimming, but swimming is not recommended as the sharp rocks and the waves often cause bad injuries. Because of its inaccessibility this cave and its speleothems are in the best state of all three caves.

The caves played a role during World War II, when the Phillipines were occupied by the Japanese. The American Forces landed near Hinoba-an and used the town as their island headquarters. The submarine USS Gledgeon landed at Ubong Point and occupied Ubong Cave as command post. The cave was used to supply guerillas with food and arms.

The caves are named after their location, Ubong Point, which is a peninsula on the west coast of the island near the former timber town Hinoba-an. There are even more caves, or at least cave ruins, like Salvacion, which forms an underground swimming pool. Most caves are easily accessible, but very secluded, so it is best to join a party or take a guide to find them. The location is developed for tourists and has several resorts, it is easily reached from Iloilo City by Oceanjet, Seajet, Weesam ferries and RoRo. Several resorts offer trips to the caves.