Northern Luzon - The Rough Guide to the Philippines - page 152

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TUGUEGARAO

By plane Tuguegarao airport lies 2km south of the city
centre along the National Highway, easily reached by tricycle
(15min; P50). Cebu Pacific flies to Manila (2 weekly; 1hr), as
does PAL (1 daily; 1hr). Sky Pasada has flights to Basco (for
Batanes Islands; 3 weekly; 1hr; P5225) and Maconacan (for
the Northern Sierra Madre National Park; 2 weekly; 30min;
P2200). North Sky Air also serves Basco (3 weekly; 1hr;
P5100) and Maconacan (2 weekly; 30min; P2100).
By bus Victory Liner buses from Manila stop on the

National Highway, while Dangwa and Dalin buses arrive at
Don Domingo St.
Destinations Baguio (Dangwa: daily 5pm; 11-12hr; Dalin:
daily 3.30pm & 4.30pm; 10-11hr); Manila (Victory Liner:
every 1-2hr; 10-12hr).
By van Vans for Santiago (every 30min; 3hr; P160), Santa
Ana (every 40min; 3hr; P180) and Tabuk (hourly; 1hr
30min; P80) leave from the Central terminal on the
National Highway.

INFORMATION AND ACTIVITIES
Tourist information The regional tourist o ce (Mon-Fri
8am-5pm; T 078 844 1621, W dotregion2.com.ph) is in
the Regional Government Centre on Pav-Vurulun St, about
500m from the airport. You can ask here about permits
and guides for the Peñablanca caves, or book trips in
other parts of northeast Luzon including the Northern
Sierra Madre Natural Park (see opposite). The provincial
tourist o ce (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; T 078 846 7576,

E [e-mail]) is at Capitol Hills by the
Cagayan Provincial Museum.
Activities For reliable first-hand information about
caving, trekking, abseiling and climbing, contact the Sierra
Madre Outdoor Club ( T 0917 272 6494). You can also
contact Anton Carag at Adventure and Expeditions
Philippines ( T 0917 532 7480), who heads kayaking and
rafting trips locally and in Kalinga province.

3

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
AdriNel's 29 Rizal St T 078 844 1305. One of the city's
few non-fast-food restaurants, offering a popular all-you-
can-eat Filipino lunch (11am-2pm; P200). Other choices
include the large family platter familia sentenyal (P750)
that includes grilled and barbecued pork, veg, shrimp, crab
and grilled fish. Daily 8am-8pm.
Hotel Roma Bonifacio St at Luna St T 078 844 2222,
E [e-mail]. The city's largest hotel
offers comfortable enough private rooms, although furniture

is a bit drab and dated; a number of them give onto the
interior patio and are qui te dark. Wi-fi throughout, and a
popular restaurant. P1600
Mango Suites Rizal St at Balzain St T 078 304 1302.
A good central option with modern, comfortable rooms,
wi-fi throughout and free airport transfers. A pleasant
café-restaurant serves Filipino food and a smattering of
Western dishes. P1200

Peñablanca caves
The major tourist attraction around Tuguegarao is the marvellous cave system at
Peñablanca, 24km to the east. Peñablanca, o cially known as the Peñablanca
Protected Landscape and Seascape , is riddled with more than three hundred caves,
many of them deep and dangerous, and a good number still largely unexplored.
Most of the caves are protected, but it's possible to visit three - Callao , Musang and
Lattu-Lattuc - without permission; all three can be done in a single day. Several
other caves - including Jackpot, Odessa-Tumbali and San Carlos - can be visited
with permission from the Sierra Madre Outdoor Club in Tuguegarao (see above).
Note that typhoons between August and November can flood the caves and make
them impossible to visit.

Callao Cave
P20 (plus compulsory guide; donation P100) • Return boat trips to the bat cave cost P500, including waiting, from the pier close to the
cave entrance; kayaks (in season) cost P200/hr
The easiest of the Peñablanca caves to visit is Callao Cave , which has seven immense
chambers - previously nine but an earthquake in the 1980s cut off the last two. The main
chamber has a natural skylight and a chapel inside where Mass is celebrated on special
occasions. You'll need a guide - there are plenty at the entrance. Note that there are 184
steps to climb before you reach the entrance of the cave, and inside the rocks can be
slippery during the wet season. It's also possible to rent kayaks - ask at the cave entrance.