A few hours up river from the small town of Basey, on Samar, are the Sohoton Caves and Natural Bridge Natural Park. I recently took a trip there with some friends. It’s a lovely day trip and a great way to see something of the rural Philippines and get a glimpse of what the forests that once covered much of the country would once had looked like.
Our journey started in Tacloban where we caught a jeepney to the new bus terminal, and then another jeepney to Basey. It was Sunday morning, so there was a bit of a wait, and our jeepney had a few mechanical problems so it took about 90 minutes to reach Basey, where we headed to the Municipal Tourist Office to arrange a boat and a guide. Costs are complicated, and it depends on the number of people in the group. There were four of us and it worked out about 940 pesos each (about AUS $25).*
The 90 minute journey up the Cadacan River is beautiful. Palms and mangroves dominate near the mouth of the river, and fisherman were working the incoming tide.
As we headed up river, we passed many small communities along the banks with outriggers canoes and motorized pump boats carrying people up and down the river. At almost every village, children were leaping off the jetty into the water, laughing and shrieking and waving at us to take their photos. When our boat temporarily broke down, a group of kids kept us entertained by clambering up a coconut palm that bent out over the river and leaping into the water, showing off for us and trying to outdo each other with fancy moves and terrific splashes! Elegant it wasn’t, but it sure looked like fun!
As we motored further upriver, it began to narrow, and the villages thinned out as we approached the caves. Limestone cliffs rose up on either side, with a tangle of ferns and vines spilling down into the water. As it was high tide**, we were able to glide past the entrance to the caves and carefully navigate the shallows towards the Natural Bridge, finally hauling up at a sandbar in a beautiful sun-dappled pool of clear water, for the short walk to the arch.
The path led up from the river into the rainforest. It was just like being at home in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, with vines and epithytes, buttress roots and drip tips, strangler figs, ferns and mosses all around. The rocky path was slippery underfoot, but not too difficult, apart from a short section where a landslip involves s scramble with precarious foot holds.
And then we reached the Natural Bridge, an impressive 120m high arch of rock over the river. The viewing platform is in a state of disrepair, but somehow the ruins seemed to add to the atmosphere.
I lingered with my friend “L” on the way back, stopping to photograph leaves and mosses, snails and butterflies, a ruby red dragonfly perching on a stem.
Our boat returned us to the entrance of the caves and we stopped first at the visitor area for a picnic lunch. With some notice, it is possible to arrange lunch to be provided by the Tourist Office, but we brought our own.
After lunch, our guide, and some local children armed with LED flashlights, led us into one of two main caves it is possible to visit. He explained the simple rule to us – don’t touch anything that’s white, and pointed out various formations. It fascinates me how every time I visit a cave, the interpretation of formations reflects local culture. Being a predominantly Catholic country, many of the formations he pointed out had religious significance, and there was even a small shrine where people had left offerings to a cluster of stalagmites are believed to be a representation of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.
We saw at least two species of bats in the cave – microbats and a fruit bat, which sadly flew off before I got a good look at it. There were also a couple of shed snake skins, a Glossy Swiftlet nest, cave spiders, cockroaches and a frog. I’ve never seen a frog in a cave before. It wasn’t far from the entrance, so may have simply gotten lost, or been taking advantage of a cool damp place to hang out.
After the tour through the cave, we explored the rainforest around the entrance. Some of the trees were helpfully marked with their species names, and we also discovered a wealth of invertebrates. L made a remarkable find which we first thought was dead, but turned out to be very much alive when I accidentally touched it with my camera – a prickly stick insect! Although we have similar species in Australia, I’ve never seen one in the wild before, so watching it perform a threat display, curling its tail over to look like a large scorpion, was definitely a highlight!
Sadly, I didn’t see any birds apart from a Welcome Swallow and the Glossy Swiftlets, but I did hear plenty of birdlife high up in the canopy, and also heard a coucal calling on the path to the Natural Bridge.
The only dampener to an otherwise lovely day, was how incredibly loud the boat engine was, which destroyed the tranquil peace of the journey up and down the river. It was actually a relief the couple of times the engine ceased up on the way up river, and we got to hear the birds singing and children laughing. Luckily I discovered I had a pair of ear plugs with me, and this significantly improved the return journey! It seems that boat engines are normally very loud in the Philippines, so if you plan to travel by boat, I strongly recommend ear plugs – even locals tend to stuff cotton wool in their ears!
Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and highly recommended as a day trip if you’re staying in Tacloban or Catbalogon. I will probably return again and visit the other cave. There is a toilet block and covered picnic tables, so it would be great place to camp overnight, with a chance of seeing endemic mammals including tarsiers and flying lemurs. The trip is also a good example of ecotourism, employing local boats and guides with fees contributing to both the park*** and the local community.
For me, the best part of the experience was simply getting out and enjoying nature again after being stuck in cities and towns for the last month. I look forward to exploring more of Samar’s natural wonders and enjoying what’s left of the country’s original forest cover. For the first time since arriving in the Philippines, I felt really at home, and able to answer the question I was asked in Catarman with more conviction: yes, there is hope!
To arrange a trip, visit the Basey Tourism Office (on the waterfront, open 7 days) or call (055) 2761 4771 to make enquiries or book ahead (recommended on public holidays and during the wet season as the caves may be closed due to flooding, particularly in December and January).
—–
*including shared costs of 1,500 pesos boat hire (for up to 8 people, 2,500 for up to 12 people, 2,700 for up to 15 people), 350 pesos for the guide, 300 pesos for lighting, and per person costs of 200 pesos park entry fee, and 200 pesos municipal fee (which goes towards local community projects). The jeepney fare from the new bus terminal in Tacloban to Basey was 30 pesos pp. On the return, we managed to catch a minivan, a more comfortable and much quicker option (about 50 minutes) for only 10 pesos more.
** it may still be possible to reach the Natural Bridge even at low tide but it is apparently an hour’s roughish trek through the rainforest either way.
*** in the Philippines, 75% of park entry fees go back to the park (eventually), while 25% go into supporting general protected area costs.
over the hills 
I loked at these pix when you first posted them, but have just looked again – awesome!
I’m a bit behind with your posts but just read this one, and the one about your typical day, fantastic writing and amazing photographs.