Exploring Benguet

Benguet in Northern Luzon, Philippines has always been an ideal place to seek adventure. With its cool climate and vast tracts of unspoiled mountain ranges, there is no other place like it in the country. Benguet is beautiful but it can also be a hard place for the unprepared and the unskilled, it is a place where distance is measured in hours and days, and it is always better to know exactly where you are going even if your plan is just to get lost for a little while.

The sun rises over the mountains of Northern Luzon in the Philippines.

 Clouds slowly melt away from the pine trees and grass covered hills.
An old chapel built by a mining company that operates in the area.
 The road to the caves is a challenge even for all-terrain vehicles.
Deep mud in some places along the way, even in good weather.
 You’ll need a guide, otherwise the caves are impossible to find.
 The trail going to the caves leads up a steep limestone cliff.
The path leads to a small depression filled with large “Pandan-like” trees.
The cave opening is large enough but hidden from view by thick vegetation.

The trail drops down the moment you step into the cave.

Light quickly disappears after you turn the first corner into the main cavern.

The main corridor looks nicer with the light from the camera flash.

Water on the cave floor made walking a bit of a chore just trying to stay upright.

Here comes the squeeze.

Getting up close and personal with the narrow cave walls.

Getting ready to take a look under the hood, so to speak.

Just enough space for another picture before the crawl.

My Sandugo Helikon hanging in the darkness before a 15-foot drop.

One of the larger caverns, big enough for at least 30 tents and then some.

Coming out of a crawl space with the help of some vines.

A little dramatic lighting with my point and shoot camera.

Light streaming in from a hole 150 feet above.

Me, mike the guide, and the resident spider with an attitude.

Heavy downpour washed away the grime at the end of the adventure.