Callao Cave
Where A New Human Species Was Found Homo Luzonensis, Announced In 2019 And The Cave Itself Barely Mentions It · Penablanca, Cagayan
IN 2019 A NEW SPECIES OF HUMAN WAS ANNOUNCED FROM FOSSILS FOUND IN THIS CAVE. HOMO LUZONENSIS - teeth, finger and toe bones, dated to at least fifty thousand years and probably far older - was small-bodied, had curved digits suggesting it still climbed, and had been living on Luzon while our own species was elsewhere entirely. THAT HAPPENED HERE, IN A LIMESTONE CHAMBER ABOVE THE PINACANAUAN RIVER IN CAGAYAN. AND THE CAVE TELLS YOU ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT IT. What you actually find is SEVEN CHAMBERS, THE FIRST OF WHICH HOLDS A CHAPEL - an altar, pews and a natural skylight throwing a shaft of light onto it, which is what local people use the cave for and have for generations. THE FOSSILS ARE ELSEWHERE AND THE INTERPRETATION ON SITE IS MINIMAL. Come knowing what happened here, because nobody will tell you. Take a guide at the entrance, expect a long flight of concrete steps up from the road, and stay for the bat exodus over the Pinacanauan River at dusk.
Callao Cave, Penablanca, Cagayan, Penablanca, Cagayan, Philippines
CALLAO IS IN PENABLANCA, about THIRTY TO FORTY MINUTES FROM TUGUEGARAO, which has an airport with flights from Manila - CAGAYAN IS THE FAR NORTH-EAST OF LUZON and a very long road journey otherwise. THE CAVE KEEPS DAYTIME HOURS WITH AN ENTRANCE FEE and is reached by A LONG FLIGHT OF CONCRETE STEPS up from the road. GUIDES ARE ARRANGED AT THE ENTRANCE and are worth taking. THE SEVEN CHAMBERS ARE PARTLY LIT and the floor is uneven, wet and slippery in places. IT HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR REHABILITATION AND SAFETY WORK AT TIMES, so check before making the journey. BOATS ON THE PINACANAUAN RIVER below run to the BAT EXODUS at dusk from a neighbouring cave, which is worth staying for. The wet season runs roughly June to November and the river rises.