Quick Trip to Biak na Bato | San Miguel, Bulacan
New year, new adventures and places to discover - that's one of my goal for this year. Since me and my best friend was invited by our friend to visit their province at San Miguel Bulacan, she told us that she will take us to Biak na Bato National Park and right away we agreed to her. I already heard this place when I was in college because some of my classmates visited Biak na Bato for our project. All I was thinking is that it's just a place full of huge rocks and caves but then at the end of our trip, I knew that there's a historic stories behind it's every corner.
A trip to Biak-na-Bato takes you back to the era when Filipinos and Katipuneros took their plan of revolt against the Spanish conquerors. It offers a track back in history when the revolutionaries took refuge in hidden caves along the mountainous landscape of San Miguel to cure wounded revolutionaries, gather armors and hold secret meetings. They built their hide outs and headquarters through the several cave systems present in the area.
Upon arrival at the National Park, it is required to have a tour guide and it costs Php 500 (good for 3-5 persons) and an entrance fee of Php 30.00 for adults and Php 20.00 for student (just bring your ID). We had a brief introduction by our guide at the jump off point. Then after that, we started the hike but before we reached the first destination, we had photo ops first at the hanging bridge.
Less than five minutes from the hanging bridge we finally reached the first cave which is the Yungib Cave. According to our guide the National Park have lots of cave around the area (big and small ones) but others are being restricted now because it's already far and also not allowed to visit anymore for safety purposes, that's why our guide just introduced to us the nearest caves and the popular ones.
Water break. The park now is fully developed because as you can see, it already has a cemented pathways and it is clearly marked so nothing to worry to get lost.
Huge rock formation behind us. Hmm. It's kinda heavy huh? haha!
Next stop: Bahay Paniki Cave. This big cave catches my attention just from the name itself. From afar I already saw some bats flying and I expected that there are a lot of bats also inside the cave. Inside the cave there are rock formations which locals refer to as pillars, curtains, chandeliers etc. It is important to note to the guests not to touch any of the shiny rock formations as it would stop the rock minerals from growing. We also had a quick dip inside the cave and the water there is super cold and it's so relaxing.
To conclude the trip, we also had a refreshing walk crossing a river and enjoyed a relaxing plunge by the man-made waterfalls.
Before going back, we decided to visit also Banal na Bundok, it's just a 20-25 minute drive away from Biak na Bato National Park. We had a ice cream break there and a quick strolling around at the place. Thanks to our friend, Mara for a free ride and for bringing us at your province. Wish we can go back here again next time to visit the other places to discover.
xo, esca ♡