How would you know that a cave is big? A river runs through it.

     Cebu boasts of a town where one can go trekking on a mountain, spelunking in a huge wet cave and swimming under a waterfall secluded by gigantic stone formations, all in less than a day.

     The estimated budget for this weekend or day-off getaway? About P400 to P600 for each adventurer, depending on the number of your peers.

     But this is not for the faint-hearted.

     Dubbed as “Balay sa Agta”, Cebu’s largest cave in the town of Argao does not, despite its name, host some giant black-skinned monsters or agta. Neither does the cave’s name apply to the 50 or so visitors who come every month.

     Like any other cave, the Balay sa Agta showcases a long stretch of stalagmites and stalactites, stones and crystals shining like stars in the sky, and hundreds of fruit bats hanging from the ceiling, dropping waste on your helmet and shoulders.

     A shallow river runs under the stones your sandals or shoes step on as you walk, and a deeper river parts in some of the cave’s seven chambers.

‘Balay sa Agta’

     A day’s trip in Argao, some 66 kilometers away from Cebu City, will not be that satiating if one will not pass through the cave in the mountain barangay of Conalum, a 30-minute motorcycle ride from the poblacion.

     The river-embedded cave is the gateway for one to witness the heart of Mt. Lanoy: Bugasok Falls.

     The waterfall, sheltered by heart-shaped stone formations, becomes a relaxing complement of the more-than-an-hour trek on the way to the Balay sa Agta and another two hours of walking inside the cave itself.

     “Kalami sa tubig, grabe (Wow, the water is wonderful)!” 21-year-old Juffer Denn Bornales, one of the tourists, shrieked while splashing water when she rose from the Bugasok river after a dive.

     The bland taste of the crystal-clear water contrasts with the taste of the sweat dripping from Bornales’s forehead while she took her journey from the mountain’s base, through the cave, to the falls.

     Along with her nine friends, she swam in the river under the falls, sometimes having to work hard in order not to drift with its strong water current, which goes to the cave below.

     The place is remote, with no residential structure built around a hundred feet from it, so the group felt the isolation while
enjoying the waters alone.

     Jotham Saragena, the town’s tourism officer, urges divers and swimmers not to go to the exact spot where the water falls in Bugasok, as their bodies cannot stand the strongest water current there. The farther from it, the safer, he said. Saragena said it would be hard to fight back when you’re battling against the Bugasok water.

     Summertime may not be that good to visit the waterfall, according to Saragena, because the river is shallower.

     For a safe adventure, tourists may also visit the town’s tourism office, which is a five-minute walk from the bus stop on San Miguel St., so their names will be recorded and a free brief orientation will be given to them.

     No one has been reported killed or lost there, though, with Conalum residents offering themselves as tour guides (or guardians).

Off the grid

     Some residents would insist, saying the tourists are not only guided but guarded from peril.

     Government-priced packages that include food with the town’s famous Torta de Argao and a cup of hot chocolate, two tour guides, motorcycle rides from the town’s center to Conalum and back, and spelunking gear are also available in the tourism office.

     The office is open from Monday until Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It can also be reached through its phone numbers 485-8063 or 09198099291.

     However, one cannot expect a mobile phone signal near the Bugasok or Balay sa Agta. Only a portion of the mountain can be reached by telecommunication signals.

     To reach Argao from Cebu City through public transportation, one may board a bus at the Cebu South Bus Terminal. The fare is around P83.

     The motorcycle fare from the bus stop to Conalum is P70, a payment that brings food to the table of the town’s habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) drivers’ families.

     For those who want to spend the night near the waterfalls, the place is still undeveloped, but they may bring their own tents and other camping needs.

     Here’s some trivia from the old folks: the place was known to be the abode of Maria Cacao, a goddess in the town’s folklore, so leave the cave and waterfalls undamaged.

     You never know how one of nature’s goddesses might take her revenge. (BY DARYL T. JABIL)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on January 11, 2016.