MOUNTAIN PROVINCE — The mystical town of Sagada has announced the closure of the world-renowned Sumaguing Cave from spelunkers, adventure seekers and tourists for the whole month of September.

The Sagada Municipal Tourism Office posted on its official social media account that Sumaguing Cave will be closed for 30 days in compliance to section 5 of the Sagada Revised Tourism Code of 2022.

This would allow for the cave to rejuvenate and restore its splendor.

Earlier, the municipal government closed the Balangagan Cave for the whole month of August for the same reason.

The closure of the caves will also limit the number of tourists entering the caves during the rainy months.

The tourism office also reminded travel and tour organizers to inform their clients of the closure of the Sumaguing Cave.

The Balangagan Cave, however, was reopened to the public starting September 1.

Sumaguing and Balangagan are two of the most popular tourist destinations in Sagada.

Sumaguing or the "Big Cave" is famous for its stalactite and stalagmite formations and is a favored site for beginners in spelunking.

Balangagan, on the other hand, used to be an ancient burial site and was also a refuge of residents mostly of Barangay Taccong during World War II. It was closed for decades before the municipality opened it to the public in 2014.

The tourism office also said that other tourism sites in the municipality such as the Eco Valley, Bomod-ok Falls and the hanging coffins remained open to the public.

It was in 2023 when the municipality first implemented the one-month closure of the two major cave systems in Sagada after the revised tourism ordinance was approved in 2022.

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