The CALLAO CAVES TOURIST ZONE of Peñablanca, Cagayan is 24 kilometers from Tuguegarao. The seven-chambered Callao Caves boast of massive limestone and other rock formations, skylights and a chapel. Other pristine and undisturbed caves with living rock formations in the area include Sierra Cave, Quibal Cave, Odessa-Tumbali Cave System, Jackpot Cave, Roc and San Carlos Caves, among others. These caves can be explored with guides from Sierra Madre Outdoor Club (SMOC), Adventures and Expedition Philippines, Inc. (AEPI) and North Adventuours . More than 300 caves dot the area, 75 of which have been documented by the National Museum since 1977. Within the area is the Pinacanauan River conducive for river rafting or boating, kayaking, fishing and swimming while the mountains are perfect for trekking and mountaineering. Daily Circadian Flight of bats from a bat cave occur at dusk. Passenger jeepneys leave Don Domingo Public Market in Tuguegarao City everyday for Peñablanca. The Callao Caves Resort is the only accommodation facility available at the Callao Caves Tourist Zone.
JACKPOT CAVE is located at Sitio Tumallo, Barangay Quibal in Peñablanca. At 115 meters, it is the SECOND DEEPEST cave in the Philippines. The cave has a walking size passage, shafts and drops of varying depths that provide for a lot of rope works. Meandering streams and gour pools of varying size abound inside the cave. A sump of undetermined depth backs up on wet season flooding the lower section of the cave to the roof as evidenced by large logs jammed in the roof of the cave.
ODESSA-TUMBALI CAVE SYSTEM, whose local name is Abbenditan Cave is located at Sitio Abbenditan, Barangay Quibal in Peñablanca. At 12.60 kilometers, it is currently the THIRD LONGEST cave in the Philippines. The cave is active, flood prone and provides excellent wet sport caving. It has superb formations and passage shapes, canals and lakes for swimming, photography and cave diving opportunities and varied fauna. Acknowledged to be a perfect cave system, it has five known entrances with potential to exceed its length to 15 kilometers.
SAN CARLOS CAVE is probably one of the toughest caves the Philippines could offer. When inside the cave, spelunkers will learn the art of cave crawling. A chamber called Ice Cream Parlor contains cluster of white stalagmites that resemble scooped ice cream. The John the Baptist chamber is a very deep underwater sump that one has to take a deep breath and swim to the other side of the chamber. Sharp and rough stones could scratch skin and tear clothing. San Carlos requires a lot of swimming because more than half of the cave is covered by cold running subterranean water.
SAN VICENTE, STA. ANA & THE PALAUI ISLAND is a destination for water and sports fishing enthusiasts. Sta. Ana is the Philippine Sailfish Capital famous worldwide for its abundant marine life and is site of national and international gamefishing competitions. The Cape Engaño Lighthouse in Palaui Island dates back to the Spanish Regime and is the only operational lighthouse in the northeastern coast. The island boasts of rich marine resources and uncontaminated environs and has been declared under Coastal Environmental Protection (CEP) by the DENR and is very ideal for ecotourism activities. The island is 30 minutes away from the mainland by lampitao and is very ideal for all types of water sports. Picnic areas also include Mavidad Islet and Mapurao Beach at the east of the mainland. Also in Sta. Ana is Port Irene which is being developed as an international port of call and location Cagayan Economic Zone Authority and Free Port (CEZA-FP). The town of Sta. Ana is about 158 kilometers from Tuguegarao City. Public utility buses and aircon vans leave Don Domingo Market in Tuguegarao City everyday for Sta. Ana. Fare is about P170.00. The nearby towns of Gonzaga, Buguey and Sta. Teresita have facilities for Homestay. See Annex for List of Homestay Accommodation Facilities.
WIDE EXPANSE OF BLACK AND FINE SAND BEACHES sprawling along the coastal towns of Sanchez Mira, Sta. Praxedes, Claveria, Buguey, Aparri, Ballesteros, Abulug and the islands of Palaui, Fuga and Island Municipality of Calayan. The towns of Sanchez Mira, Claveria and Sta. Praxedes have facilities for Homestay while Fuga Island is being developed as a world class recreation and tourism center. The airstrip at Claveria could be used as a jump-off point to Fuga Island. See Annex for List of Homestay Accommodation Facilities. Aircon vans from Don Domingo public market in Tuguegarao City are the available transport.
PORTABAGA FALLS in Sta. Paxedes is one of the tallest falls in the Province of Cagayan. Approximately fifteen meters in height, it has three drop off points and a big manmade catchbasin for swimming. Sta. Praxedes is 194 kilometers from Tuguegarao and the falls is about 100 meters from the highway.
THE CAGAYAN RIVER OR RIO GRANDE DE CAGAYAN is Philippines mightiest watercourse as the longest and widest river in the country. Small streams originating from Balete Pass, Cordillera, Caraballo and Sierra Madre Mountains meet other streams and rivers and flow to the Cagayan River. The famous lurung fish abound in these river during the rainy season when the river is murky and the fishes swim upstream from the delta of Aparri to spawn.
APARRI DELTA is an impressive expanse of land that is Aparri where one can see the Cagayan River meet with the China Sea. Walk into the jetty at the juncture of the river and the sea to find the awesome mouth of the vast Cagayan River. Stand, windblown, experience the beauty and power of the place. Aircon vans are available for transport from Tuguegarao City.
Manmade
THE BUNTUN BRIDGE is 2.5 kilometers from Tuguegarao town proper. Its length, 1.124 kilometers is the longest river bridge in the country and offers an unobstructed view of the Cagayan River. This is the first bridge to span the Cagayan River the other one is the Magapit Suspension Bridge in Lallo.
MAGAPIT SUSPENSION BRIDGE is the first of its kind in Asia. It spans the Cagayan River at Lallo and is 0.76 kilometers long. The hanging bridge links the first and second districts of Cagayan going towards the Ilocos Region via the scenic Patapat Road on the Ilocos Norte-Cagayan Inter-Provincial national highway. Travellers can have a good view of the hanging bridge on their way to Aparri. Barangay Magapit in the town of Lallo is about 74 kilometers from Tuguegarao City, one hour travel time on an aircon bus or van and fare is about P100.00
ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY was founded on May 10, 1907 by the sisters of St. Paul de Chartes, four French and one Chinese nun. The school now boasts of being the only university of St. Paul in the 39 St. Paul College in the country. The former names of the school were Colegio de San Pablo in 1907 starting with three classes only, then it was changed to Sagrado Corazon de Jesus. The last World War heavily damaged the buildings and equipment but the college trudge on bravely changing the name of the school to Sacred Heart of Jesus Institution and transferred to where it stands today, then to St. Paul College of Tuguegarao to St. Paul University in 1983. It is a co-educational institution.
CARSUMCO or the Cagayan Robina Sugar Milling corporation is built amidst thousands of hectares of sugarcane plantation. The building stands along the highway of Sto. Domingo, Piat which is about 30 kilometers from Tuguegarao on the way to the Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Piat.
HISTORICAL
LALLO, the home of the mestizas in northern Cagayan. The town whose former name was featured in the annals of Philippine history as Nueva Segovia was one of the first four cities in the Philippines; as the seat of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia; as the chosen capital of Cagayan Valley in the 16th century and as a capital of Cagayan Province until 1839.
CAGAYAN PROVINCIAL MUSEUM & HISTORICAL RESEARCH CENTER is for everyone. Located at the provincial capitol complex, it was conceived by the Provincial Board in 1971 and became operational on its inauguration on August 15, 1973 during the traditional Aggao nac Cagayan. It is a general Museum and houses an extensive collection of artifacts, antiques, ethnographics, tradewares, heirloom pieces and liturgical works of the province and fossils of animals that once roamed the valley. The center is only five kilometers from Tuguegarao City, within the Capitol Complex.
REV. FR. GERRY Z. FILLIPE HO, OFM MEMORIAL MUSEUM, Sta. Ana the place was constructed in loving memory of the late founder of the Franciscan Apostolate Sisters. The museum was put up for the purpose of perpetuating the memory of the late founder. Contents of the museum include all the personal belongings of Father Ho such as prayer books, vestments, missals and other items he used during his lifetime like his pictures, clothes, old shoes and slippers and his vehicle, a Land Rover 109 WB Station Wagon purchased August 18, 1970. This was the first vehicle used by the sisters in apostolating to the barrios. Consultant of the Museum is Rev. Fr. Ramon Balanay. A chapel dedicated to Padre Pio also exist in the premises of the museum. The museum is about 175 kms from Tuguegarao City. It is owned by the Franciscan Apostolate Sisters (FAS). Enrance Fee is Php 25.00 per person. Telephone numbers 0917 981-7752. Contact persons : Sr. Miluna Ruiz Cielo, FAS, and Mother Agnes H. Cabote, FAS.
THE BASILICA MINORE OF OUR LADY OF PIAT, the Lady of the Visitation was originally called the Lady of the Holy Rosary, perhaps because it was supposedly brought from Macao to the Philippines in 1604 by the devotees of the Rosary, the Dominican Friars. This almost four-centuries old image of Mary was first enshrined in Nueva Segovia of Lallo. It was brought to Piat supposedly to convert the Itawes People to Christianity and was entrusted in the care of Doña Ines Maguilabbun. On June 20, 1954, her Church was declared a National Shrine for Catholic Philippines by His Excellency Most Rev. Egidio Vagnozzi, then Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. The image is famous in the country and abroad as the Black Mary, thus making Piat the Pilgrimage center of the Northeast. Pilgrims are drawn to Her Shrine every year. The pilgrimage reaches its peak on Her Feast day on July 2. Public utility buses and jeepneys leave Tuguegarao City for Piat everyday which is about 35 kilometers away.
Note: Special Masses maybe scheduled upon arrangement with the rectory on CP # 09175780925. The schedule of regular masses are:
Sundays and Holidays: 5:30 am 6:45 am 8:00 am 9:15 am 10:30 am
Weekdays and Saturdays 5:30 am 7:00 am 8:00 am 5:00 pm (Saturday)
IGUIG CALVARY HILLS and the PARISH OF ST. JAMES THE GREATER (San Antonio de Galicia) are about 16 kilometers from Tuguegarao City. In the 11-hectare rolling hills are the larger than life-size concrete 14 Stations of the Cross depicting Jesus Christ's suffering before His death at Mount Calvary. The statues were completed in 1982. The place also features a three centuries old well, a Dominican convent ruins and the prosaic view of the Cagayan River which resembles that of the River Jordan. Built of concentric bricks, the church has buttresses, one of the very few left in the country.
ST. PETER AND PAUL METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL is the seat of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao. The church with belfry is the biggest Spanish-built church in Cagayan Valley constructed under the supervision of Fr. Antonio Lobato, OP on June17, 1761 to 1767(Cagayan Souvenir Program, 1968). The Cathedral suffered massive destruction in World War II and was rebuilt by Msgr. Bishop Constance Jurgens. The picture of the Cathedral appears at Rome Basilica and is considered as one the of the most beautiful works of art in the country and the world today.
ST. HYACINTH CHURCH OR SAN JACINTO CHAPEL is an elevated chapel whose construction dates back from 1604. It was reconstructed after the war and was dedicated on August 16, 1724. It was used as headquarters by American soldiers during the Filipino-American War in 1899. It is 100 years older than the St. Peter and Paul Cathedral.
ALCALA ST. PHILOMENE CHURCH was built in 1881. It is 90 meters long and 30 meters wide, making it the widest brick church in the province. It is located along the Maharlika Highway. It stands as a mute witness to the several regimes that have enriched the province's cultural heritage. Alcala town is also famous for its carabao milk candy.
THE OLDEST BELL IN THE FAR EAST is in Camalaniugan's San Jacinto de Polonia Parish. Forged in 1595, it was brought to Manila in 1937 as part of the attractions during the 33rd International Eucharistic Congress. The Quadricentenial Anniversary of the evangelization of Camalaniugan town was celebrated last June 15, 1996. Camalaniugan is 93.6 kilometers from Tuguegarao.
SPECIAL INTEREST
Scuba Diving, snorkeling and Game Fishing at Palaui Island in Sta. Ana Surfing at Claveria and Sanchez Mira Mountaineering & Trekking: a. Town of Peñablanca b. Palaui Island Spelunking at the Caves of Peñablanca and Baggao Bird Watching and Bonsai exploration at Peñablanca Whale Watching at Calayan Islands
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