Our last day was planned by yours truly because of all the wonderful things I read about in the net about that province. As a novice hiker, I like wandering around
mountains, forests and stuff like that. Unfortunately, with our limited schedule, I was only able to go to Hinagdanan cave.
Located in Dauis, Bohol, its a good 10 to 15 minutes away from the sprawling beaches of Panglao.
If you're planning to visit this place, you might want to charter your transportation before hand, there are only a few instances when a taxi is available.
The only way to get around is by tricycles or chartered jeeps.
It is said that this is the most accessible natural geological formation to go to, where you don't need any special rappelling gear or training (although I could have given it a shot with my rappelling days with the Scout Rangers back in high school) .
You just have to be careful since the place is very wet and slippery. Although there is a concrete stair added back in the 80's, you still stand a risk of slipping and directly diving into the stagnant lake which is not filled with insects, bird and bat droppings.
There is also a constantly dripping liquid from the cave ceiling. The guide said, 'if it smells nothing, its just water from the forest floor above. but if it smells, its probably bat droppings'. Its also hot there, even though the environment feels cold, we sweated a great deal whether we were walking on the paved path or hoping above rock outcrops.
The low lighting conditions of the place makes it ideal for high ISO or f-ratio cameras like DSLRs.
With some creative flash work, you can capture the cave in an almost natural setting. Regular point and shoot cameras can only get you so far, so be prepared.
It still was a good experience but I would go back there. As one blogger once said, this cave is fine for novice hikers or those who haven't experience entering a cave before, but it would bore even the novice spelunker. The small scale and limited place you could go around here can really cut your trip, which I gave a good 1 hour, to just 25 minutes.
