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| Photo Credits to : Region VIII , Eastern Visayas Facebook Page- no copyright infringement intended
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Samar Island which is the 3rd largest Island
of the Philippines is truly rich in nature’s beauty. The town of Basey located at the south coast
of the island is bounded with much richness.
Let us try to check one of travellers and tourist
favourite destinations in Basey, the Sohoton National Park.
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| Photo Credits to : Mr. Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended |
Sohoton National Park
This is situated in Sitio Rawis, Brgy. Guirang part of
the town of Basey. The park is bounded with caves, rockholes, freshwater
rivers, underground rivers and pools, limestone boulders and other rock
formations. A must-visit place when you travel to Basey.
Sohoton comes from the Waray-Waray word “Sohot” which
could possibly means bend over and pass through. Because Sohoton is a place where there are
lots of caves and you need to bend over just to pass through, so the place is
called Sohoton or a place where you need to bend over just to pass through.
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| Photo Credits to : Mr. Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended
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As of today, there are four major prominent cathedral-like
caves in Sohoton Park, namely Sohoton Cave, Bugosan Cave, Panhulugan Cave I and
II. These four caves offer spectacular rock formations and bountiful flowstones
and dripstones. And a visitor should know also that there are other caves part
of Sohoton National Park like the Bugasan and Kapigtan Caves which houses
protected ancient remains.
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| Photo Credits to : Mr. Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended
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Sohoton Bridge
An atypical curve rock that bridges two mountain ridges
spanning the Sohoton River. The bridge is 40 meters long and 8 meters wide and
with a vertical clearance of 23 feet. When you visit the Sohoton Cave, then you
will definitely pass through this bridge with rock formations on one side and
forested on the other side, what a stunning view about nature.
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| Photo Credits to : Mr. Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended
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Sohoton Cave
This is one of the main attractions of Sohoton National
Park. The entrance of the cave is parabolic-arc-shaped and with the height of fifty
(50) meters. The cathedral-like entrance chamber of the cave is definitely
inviting with its fantastic view outside and the cool breeze emanating from the
cave. The flat door is about 20 meters by 50 meters
Spiky-shaped and other shape of stalactite will be
observed in its ceiling and wall. From the cave you can see a natural swimming
pool where most of the tourists loved to swim and do the binge eating after.
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| Photo Credits to : Mr. Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended
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Panhulugan Cave 1
The cave has plenty of chambers with a
variety of rock formations and is geologically active evidenced by the droplets
from the stalactites to the stalagmites. This is one of the must see features
of the cave, from the different formations and images of the flowstones and
cave crystals. The main chamber of Panhulugan Cave 1 is up to 49.2 feet high.
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| Photo Credits to : Mr. Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended
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Panhulugan Cave 2
The cave offers a different way of convincing visitors
because of its snow-white and crystalline stalactites of different formations and
images. This cave is divided into four areas, from A to D. The cave is 16.4
feet meters high and around 164 feet in length. The cave is a fantastic tunnel
of stalactites and stalagmites formations in its ceiling, wall and floor.
Basaynon, people of Basey, must be very proud of having such enormous beauty of
nature.
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| Photo Credits to : Mr. Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended
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Panhulugan Cliff
The cliff is located right across Panhulugan Cave 1 and
from the cliff you can see and appreciate more the beauty of the Sohoton River
and its forestry.
Panhulugan comes from the Waray-Waray word “Hulug” which
means drop from atop or push it down. The explanation is that the Filipino
guerrillas used the cliff as an ambush site during the Filipino-American war
wherein when Americans are planning to charge on to their hideout, from the top
of the cliff the rebels will drop boulders of rocks and other heavy loads
preventing the intruders to ransack their hideout.
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| Photo Credits to : Mr. Gerry Ruiz - Calle Zaragosa- no copyright infringement intended
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Bugasan and Kapigtan
Caves
These are caves smaller to Panhulugan and Sohoton caves.
This caves have concavities where ancient remains had been found. This remains
are protected and it forbidden for public viewing because some of the artifacts
were found out to be used during the Stone and Irone Age period.
Photo Credits to Mr. Gerry Ruiz - http://gerryruiz.callezaragosa.com/
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Basey6720
