Capisaan Cave

Alayan-Lion Cave System - Alayan Cave - Lion Cave - Capisaan Caves

Useful Information

Location:	Barangay Capisaan, Malabing Valley, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya. (16.321838, 121.391724)
Open:	Capisaan Information Center: All year daily 8-17. Cave: no restrictions. [2025]
Fee:	. [2025]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	L=4,200 m.
Guided tours:	cave trekking
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Capisaan Cave, Provincial Tourism Promotion and Development Division, Office of the Governor, Nueva Vizcaya, Tel: +63-6378-321-3970. Capisaan Information Center, Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, Tel +63-955-049-1449.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

2001	First National Caving Congress in Nueva Vizcaya makes the cave well-known.

Description

This cave system is generally named Capisaan Cave or Capisaan Cave Experience. Originally there were two caves, Lion Cave and Alayan Cave, which were later connected by cavers. The cave was explored and surveyed by the cavers of the Gaia Exploration Club, the Sang-at Salug Caving Club and the Sierra Madre Outdoor Club. As a result, the combined cave system became the fifth-longest cave system in the Philippines and was named Alayan-Lion Cave System or Lion-Alayan Cave. Over time, however, the name Capisaan Cave was coined after its location in Barangay Capisaan and has replaced all other names. The system has now eight different entrances.

It is famous for its speleothems, straws, draperies, and helictites. There are bat colonies in several places.

The area was a rainforest and was first populated around 1960. The settlers used the cave entrances by hunting bats and gathering bird’s nests. The cave trekking tours started in the 1990s. In the early days the locals used kerosene lamps to guide the visitors. This was banned some time ago, as kerosene lamps produce exhausts which damage the cave. The operator has opened a Capisaan Information Center which organizes the tours and guides. It is also the home of the Capsaan Cave Tour Guides Association