After a night at the Tabon Village Resortand my 50 Peso Breakfast at the transport terminal of Quezon, Palawan I find myself back in the National Museum Branch waiting for friends to arrive from their trip at Narra, Palawan.
They arrived on their motorcycles, registered to get the permit to the Tabon Caves Complex, went inside the museum and after a while we were on our way to the Public Market to buy drinks and snacks for the hiking tour. The snacks and drinks was heavily advised to us by the security guard at the National Museum Branch.
Next stop is the Coast Guard Office at the pier to register our names and check that we have the permit. The security guard also advised us to not forget to get the permit from the Coast Guard as we will be needing it when we arrive at the Tabon Caves.
It was then a 30 minutes wait for our boat as he was not in the pier yet, so we decided to walk the whole length of the port up to the other end. At the end were a pile of rockes which was a challenge to go to but I was determined to get to the end and take a picture of the fishing boats that reminds me of spiders.
We were in luck when we rode our boat as the sea was calm. After a while, I realized that my inspiration to get to the end of the port was a bit futile as we approached the fishing-spider boat giving me a better perspective.
Then the entrance to the Tabon Caves appeared. Way better than I imagined. (Good thing my expectation was way too low). The entrance was a beach almost inside a cave!
Adventure began when we stepped out of the boat as we needed to walk on the knee deep clear sea water because the boat could no loget get us closer.
We showed the people guarding the caves our permit, we were given a guide (sorry, I forgot his name) and after a few minutes of rest we were climbing on our first set of stairs.
It was a surprise that the Tabon Caves Complex was actually a Site Museum Reservation. They preserve the flora and fauna that are located in the 138 hectare reservation area as maintaining the flora and fauna outside will help maintain the flora and fauna inside the caves.
I’ll stop writing here and show you the pictures with descriptions.

Tabon Cave, according to archaeologist the earliest man in the Philippines was found here. This is also the cave that I know from my elementary and high school days.
We then went to Diwata Cave, one of the smallest caves in the complex and was used as a burial area. Sorry, I didn’t get a picture there.

Igang Cave – The strong smell of bat poop was experienced outside but when we entered the cave the smell was gone and a big chamber can be found inside.
Sarang Cave was not on the concrete trail but my favorite among all the caves. It had a really huge chamber where daylight holes can be located. I’m not sure about the name but this is what I remember our guide said.

Standing 5 feet and 11 inches I was somehow having a hard time
We then passed through Tawa-tawa Cave which I also was unfortunate not to take a picture.

Fallen trunks at the concrete trail
The hiking tour is a traverse so we went out on a different route from the route we passed thru. There were places that I wanted to take a picture of but I thought that since we were going back on the same route I decided not to take a picture of it. Unfortunately for me.
As we were on the beach rain fell, luckily the sea has etched a roof for us on the side of the limestone cliffs. And after the rain we walked on the sandbar that the lowtide created to get to our boat.
Overall, the Tabon Caves Complex is a must-visit site when going to Palawan. I loved the huge caves and the daylight holes that were in it. It was magnificent and enchanting, especially Sarang Cave. And since the Tabon Cave Complex does not require body twisting like the Sumaguing Cave Connection in Sagada, Mountain Province anyone can easily go through the caves if and only if one has a good physical strength and endurance to battle Kung Fu Pandas arch enemy, stairs.
Seriously, don’t leave Palawan when you have not visited the Tabon Caves Complex.
To know the details on how you could do the Hiking Tour of the Tabon Caves Complex visit my travel guide in my post “How to get to the Tabon Caves of Quezon, Palawan“.
P.S. My brother told me that my posts recently lacked photos so I decided to bombard this post with pictures. 🙂
Follow my Tabon Caves Complex Series
- How much did I spend on my trip to the Tabon Caves of Quezon, Palawan
- Daytrip Do-It-Yourself Itinerary to the Tabon Caves of Quezon, Palawan (Helpful)
- Hiking Tour in the Tabon Caves Complex in Lipuun Point, Quezon, Palawan (Pictures)
- How to get to the Tabon Caves of Quezon, Palawan (Helpful)
- Tabon Village Resort in Quezon, Palawan (Lodging)
- National Museum Quezon, Palawan Branch
- How to get to Quezon, Palawan
sana makaabot din ako dito…
Abot yan! 😀
Hi there! Is there a less strenuous option for someone with a child (who’s 8 years old)?
Nope. There is none, but I think an 8 year old could handle this activity as long as your child is active in sports.