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The province of Quirino is home to Diamond Cave, which is known for its magnificent rock formations and hiking trails. The cave is located on Sitio Gibien, Barangay Landingan in the municipality of Nagtipunan, Quirino.
The municipality of Nagtipunan calls itself “The Land of Origins” because of several ecotourism features, including Diamond Cave.
En route to Diamond Cave, you’ll be cutting through cemented roads that have rolling hills and rice fields on both sides.
As with most cave structures, Diamond Cave has numerous stalactite and stalagmite rocks that were formed as mineral deposits came into contact with water drippings.
The cave is named as such since there’s an area inside the cave where rocks shone under the light, making them look like diamonds. However, what actually makes these rocks gleam is the water dew on the walls and ceilings.
Another possible reason behind its name is that an illustrated map of Diamond Cave resembles the shape of a diamond.
There’s some trekking involved as you make your way from the main road toward Diamond Cave. For the next 300 meters or so, you’ll be passing through grassy pathways, a creek, a small man-made fall, a mini pool, and a stone stairwell leading to the cave. All in all, this might take you no more than 10 minutes.
Inside the cave, it can get really dark, and you’ll be traversing dry and wet grounds that make the trail quite slippery. Some parts also hold pools of water that can go as high as the knees.
There are also narrow passages in the cave’s interior, some of which lead to low cliffs with more dripping water. A tunnel further inside the cave leads to a dead end.
One-way of the caving or spelunking tour normally takes one hour or longer, depending on the amount of time you spend taking pictures of the various rock formations.