Callao Caves Tourist Zone

Callao Cave Eco-Tourism Zone


Callao Caves Tourist Zone is a caving and mountaineering paradise in Penablanca Town, Province of Cagayan. More than 300 caves are known in this area, a few of them are used for cave trekking adventures of various degrees of difficulty. There are archaeological, recreational and highly technical caves, both wet and dry. The caves are visited on day trips from Tuguegarao City.

75 of the caves have been documented by the National Museum since 1977. The Provincial Tourism Office of Cagayan has tied up with several Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) such the Sierra Madre Outdoor Club (SMOC) and the Cagayan visitors bureau. The SMOC and other operators offer recreational activities like cave trekking, mountain climbing, trekking, kayaking and rappelling.

The probably most difficult tours are not listed on showcaves.com. The Odessa-Tumbali Cave System, called Abbenditan Cave by the locals, is one of the longest cave system in the Philippines. It is rated by cavers as difficult for its narrow and flood-prone passages. While there are tours offered, we cannot recommend them. This cave is extremely demanding and dangerous, and just to get there requires a 7 hours hike. The entrance is at the bottom of a sinkhole and is reached by a 30 m abseil. We are not sure why those tours are actually offered.