Bantay Abot Cave

Background

Bantay Abot Cave is an archway shape natural rock formation with a big hole located in the municipality of Pagudpud. It offers tourists a remarkable view of the rocky shoreline and clear blue sea of Ilocos Norte. Bantay Abot Cave came from the Ilocano word “bantay” which means mountain and “abot” which means hole. In short, it is a mountain with a hole. Bantay Abot Cave is just a five-minute drive from the popular Hannah’s Beach Resort and it is just a few kilometers away from Patapat Viaduct and Kabigan Falls. Moreover, it will take only forty minutes to drive from Bangui Windmills going to the Bantay Abot Cave.

According to its history, Bantay Abot Cave was once a small hill that was eroded over time by powerful waves and was formed a long time ago when a powerful earthquake struck Ilocos Norte. As of today, Bantay Abot Cave is one of the major tourist attractions in the municipality of Pagudpud, and it’s included in every itinerary of the Ilocos Norte tour.

Name: Bantay Abot Cave
Location: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Features: a rocky hill that looks like a green whale with its eyes serving as the hole

My trip to Bantay Abot Cave

It was 5:31 pm when our group arrived at the parking space on the right side of the road with the signage of Bantay Abot Cave. The moment we stepped outside of the van, I feel so refreshed after a long road trip because of the cool breeze blowing on my face. Then we take our unforgettable group picture and solo picture at the signage with the backdrop of the smooth sea. After that, one of the group members said let’s go and have a look inside as there’s no entrance fee in Bantay Abot Cave.

A few seconds later we start to walk toward the Bantay Abot Cave and we pass a short concrete stairway that leads to the bottom part and to the rough shoreline of Balaoi. The wind here is so strong and we can see a lot of huge rocks and shells as well as salt in the ground maybe in the past days the water here is high. Fortunately for us, we visited this cave in the late afternoon and it was a low tide. Then we walk through the stones to our left and after a few more steps we find ourselves at the big hole of Bantay Abot Cave.

The view here is amazing and the water is very clear in the front view. Then I noticed that the top of the cave is enclosed by lush green vegetation. In my opinion, Bantay Abot Cave is really like a giant doughnut on the seacoast. As I go down a little bit, I can see a lot of fish and huge crabs and they use their fins to crawl and jump which is so captivating. Afterward, we have our group picture taken by our tour coordinator. Without a doubt, it is a perfect spot for Instagrammable photos.

On the way back to the main road I have to be careful of my steps because the rocks are slippery and extremely shard and it might cause some injuries even though I wear trekking sandals. We only stay at the Bantay Abot Cave for fourteen minutes as we need to check in at our homestay in Pagudpud at night.

How to Go to Bantay Abot Cave

By private car

1. From Laoag City, drive your car on the Pan-Philippine Highway (AH26) until you reach the Balaoi Barangay Police Outpost. 
2. Then make a left turn going to the many beach resort in Pagudpud. Along the way, you will see the Bantay Abot Cave signage.
   
   
   

There you have it ladies and gentlemen. There’s no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this. Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. For the most part, I hope that this travel blog has been useful to you.