Hinagdanan cave is probably the most interesting place in Panglao Island. It’s a small grotto with beautiful rock formations. Stalactites and stalagmites surround a purest underground lake.

Read also about Panglao Island:

• Alona Beach – Panglao Island.
• Places to go from Alona Beach.

It’s pretty easy to go inside a cave. There is a stairs from the entrance, so you can go to the lake even in heels. However, a floor inside is slippery, so there are rope railings along walls.

The underground lake is very popular as a place for swimming. The temperature in the lake is about 25 °C, so a special strength of spirit is not required. However, you have to pay extra 100 pesos for this pleasure.

The surface of the lagoon seems to be greenish because of green limestone on the bottom.

There is a couple interesting features of the cave. Firstly, it has a natural light. The light gets inside through numerous holes, creating interesting optical effects. Secondly, the cave is a place of nesting swallows. They fly inside so swiftly that the entrance door with a mesh is closed for visitors’ safety.

Since we didn’t take swimsuits, we didn’t swim in the lake. But we went to explore the grotto around the lake. Frankly, the path wasn’t difficult, but there were some dangerous moments, when I had to go down from big slippery rocks without seeing anything below. My husband was able to do it quickly and deftly, but it was quite challenging for me.

There were nice bonuses on the other side. Firstly, we were the only persons there, because tour groups never do any kind of explore. Secondly, we found an unknown dinosaur skull in one of the numerous small lagoons of the grotto. Any doubts? Look at this photo!

At the moment Hinagdanan cave is not too popular. It’s not included in most standard tours that give visitors a rare opportunity to get maximum pleasure. Take your chance!

How to Get to Hinagdanan Cave?

There is no bus stop next to the cave. However, you can take off from a bus somewhere on the road and walk a little bit. For more convenient way I would recommend to use a rented motorbike or “habal-habal” transport like motorbikes or tricycles.

We took a motorbike on a crossroad of Alona Beach Road and Hontanosas road for 250 pesos round trip for two persons. It was the lowest price we could negotiate. Usually drivers ask for 400-500 pesos. I think tricycle from Tagbilaran costs at least 300-400 pesos.

General Information:

• Place: Hinagdanan Cave
• Location: Panglao Island, Bohol, Philippines
• Nearest town: Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines
• Ticket price: 50 pesos
• Time for visit: 30-60 minutes
• Date of the trip: 21 Dec, 2014

Bohol Island map