CAPE BOLINAO LIGHTHOUSE, ENCHANTED CAVE and BALINGASAY RIVER: Awesome Bolinao Attractions All-In-One!

The Patar countryside is rich with awesome tourist sites such as an iconic lighthouse, long stretch of powdery, light-brown sand beaches, coastal rock formations, 3 subterranean caves, a marine sanctuary and a pristine river estuarine all together makes Bolinao a must-visit destination for an avid traveler and photographer.  With so many caves to visit, Enchanted Cave was our chosen hole to explore and this is our story.

After an afternoon swim and marveling at the rock formations from afar, we traced our way back to the hotel and passed by the Patar lighthouse. Cape Bolinao Lighthouse in Abac, Patar, is one of the famous lighthouses in the town of Bolinao, Pangasinan, the other being Port Bolinao Lighthouse in Guigui-wanen, Barangay Luciente I. 

It is the second tallest lighthouse in the Philippines after the Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, which is in Ilocos Norte. The lighthouse has a crucial role in preventing accidents at sea for over a hundred years in an international maritime corridor to Hongkong, Japan, USA and other countries.

We had a posterity groupie on the ledge of the lighthouse compound overlooking the West Philippine Sea.  Built on top of the rocky hill Punta Piedra Point, the lighthouse overlooks the West Philippine Sea. Also visible from the lighthouse are archeological sites where artifacts from the 14th to the 15th centuries have been uncovered, the 1,269 hectare Cape Bolinao Dendro Thermal Ipil-Ipil Plantation, vast white beaches, and coral reefs.  Cape Bolinao Lighthouse is about 351 feet above sea level. 

The land elevation, according the Bureau of Geodetic Surveys, is 250 feet, while the lighthouse structure itself is 101 feet high. It has a large revolving lens. A system of gears turned by pendulum weights held by a steel cable, much like a clock, causes the light apparatus to rotate. Visibility from the lighthouse reaches up to 20 miles midsea towards a lighthouse at Poro Point.  Cape Bolinao Lighthouse was constructed in 1905 by American, British, and Filipino engineers to guide ships and boats plying Cape Bolinao in order to prevent sea disasters.

Our next stop was the Enchanted Cave.  The cave is one of three geological caverns along the Patar coast.  The very same type of rock makes up the rock formations scattered across the Patar beach.  Close scrutiny reveals the igneous rock type suggesting the volcanic geology of the place.  Although there are no active volcano in the area, it is interesting to note that embedded in the solidified magma are fossilized seashells that seems prehistoric in nature.

I was wondering whether the Enchanged Cave and other similar caves in the area are covered by the law declaring caves as protected areas and if so, no alterations should be constructed in the cave to preserve the natural state of the geologic formation. The cave is located within a private property and the owner charges a particular fee for visitors.  I just hope that the owner avoids creating structures that would ruin the natural appearance of the cave's interior but sadly, I will be disappointed with what I will see. Along the path going to the cave is a collection of fossilized giant clams displayed in a plot indicating that these giant mollusks are in fact endemic to the area.

  We had another posterity groupie as a remembrance of a memorable experience in Bolinao before some of my students will be graduating and carving a new career out in their respective fields of environmental science.

The path to the cave is entirely paved in concrete.  I would understand the concern of the owner because the pavement prevents mud from being carried into the cave.  That's probably the price for considering the safety and satisfaction of the tourists.  But I believe the owner can create concrete paths that are a little less conspicuous and one that blends with the environment.

As we entered the cave's entrance, a stairway leads to the narrow opening.  A sense of thrill begins to build up in each one of us as we eagerly await what would greet us upon entering inside.

Upon entering inside the cavern, surprisingly, there was a staging area for guests before going down into the natural pool below.  I was a little bit disappointed with the concrete floor because they could have made it a little natural if they had used indigenous adobe stones that would have blended well with the cavern walls.  A ventilation fan was also installed because the rocky walls absorb the heat from the outside and releases the heat inside the cave which increases the internal temperature a little bit higher.  With the heat, you would really be inclined to enter the cool water to offset the anxiety brought by the heat.  Everyone was hurrying to take a dip despite the mysterious appearance of the natural pool where the pool's bottom is not visible from the surface.

The air inside the cave has a characteristic sulfur odor suggesting that the cave is indeed volcanic in nature.  There was a floating feeling of euphoria in everyone as all of us is enjoying a first-time experience swimming in a natural pool in a subterranean chamber.

A lifeguard is stationed inside to ensure that visitors comply to the rules while inside the cave.  He is also there to ensure the safety of everyone swimming in the pool.  We had a thrilling moment when I requested him to turn off the lights for at least 5 seconds to have the feeling of total darkness inside a cavern.  Some of the students were a little bit scared so the lights were just off for about 3 seconds only. That was surely one memorable experience for everyone.

After that refreshing dip inside the cave, everyone emerged very happy but a little bit hungry.  Good thing Hector our tour guide brought a long some snacks to relieve some of the hunger pangs.

Up on the surface, there is also a swimming pool for visitors who a a bit claustrophobic from entering the cave.  It has a grotto in front and a refreshing ambiance of open air and trees in the surrounding.  The owner does have a good foresight in addressing different kinds of visitors.

Our last stop after Enchanted Cave and before calling it a day is the Balingasay River.  This is the first time I"ve heard about this river and research told me that this was once given the recognition of being one of the cleanest rivers in the Philippines.  The entire stretch of the river is protected area and the banks inhabited by mangroves that serves as an environmental buffer which is one very important ecosystem service that mangroves provide.  

It was unfortunate for us to find out that there is actually a boat ride that tours visitors around the mangrove area but sadly our itinerary cannot accommodate this activity during our Bolinao tour.

Today was a very successful and educational experience for everyone! We get to see the pristine beaches of Patar, the anthropogenic navigational lighthouse, a fully disturbed cave system and a mangrove estuarine river.  All these attractions visited in just one afternoon of fun and exploration.  In concluding our environmental lesson for the day, conventional tourism causes damage to the environment. Minimization of the impact thru ecotourism requires regulating the numbers and mode of behavior of tourists to ensure limited damage to the ecosystem.  Ecotourism means education, for both tourists and residents of nearby communities. More importantly, if ecotourism is to be viewed as a tool for rural development, it must also help shift economic and political control to the local community, village, cooperative, or entrepreneur. This is the most difficult and time-consuming principle in the economic equation and the one that most often  fall through the cracks if improperly followed.