Definitely Cebu #28: Bukilat Cave of Camotes Islands, Cebu

When we visited Camotes, we were already warned that there would be a lot of caves. I thought that it was okay because I love visiting those caves and it was also my first time being there, so I was so excited. But when the itinerary was to visit almost all of them in a day, I was already exhausted when we visited our third cave. Some caves have an expensive entrance fee, so I felt some of them are not worth it. Bukilat Cave was second to the last cave that we visited, so my expectations were not so high. After paying the entrance fee of Php 20.00 ($0.34) and waiting for that brief orientation to finish, we immediately headed to the cave.

The cave is not too deep. We just descended a few meters via concrete steps and the well-illuminated cave with pools greeted us. Because the cave is located near the sea, the pools are brackish and the level would rise and fall together with the tides.

Aside from the crystal clear pools where you can freely swim if you want, stalactites and stalagmites adorn the cave. While those features are common in a cave, what sets Bukilat Cave apart is that there are portions of the cave ceiling that collapsed. Those collapsed portions provide excellent lighting making the cave much more appealing.

While the center portion of the cave is too spacious to accommodate a lot of tourists, there are small passages that are too dark and not open to the public. I found those passages interesting because they might connect to a deeper cavern or might be connected to another entrance.

At the innermost part of the cave where tourists are allowed to explore, there's a small sort of stage that's properly illuminated from the outside. I think that's the money shot of the cave. When you look for images on social media, that's where most people who visited the cave took their photos. Because it's facing the biggest pool of the cave, the reflection from the crystal clear water, coupled with the natural lighting from above, standing on the platform near a stalagmite is just magical.

Aside from stalagmites, roots from the trees growing above the cave draped at the walls near the collapsed ceiling contributed to that amazing vibe inside the cave.

I didn't swim at the pools, but I dipped my feet after the mandatory photos were taken. The water was so cold! It was a soothing experience considering we already walked a lot. After a while, we decided to head back out because there were other groups of tourists entering the cave.

It is said that Bukilat Cave is one of the main reasons why the Camotes Islands became a famous tourist spot in Cebu. There were stories where the cave was used by the local priest as a venue for religious events. It's not just a tourist spot, it has a historical and religious value.

I guess that's all for this post! See you at the next one!

Kim Ybañez

_{Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.}

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