Libmanan Caves National Park

Libmanan Caves Overview

Libmanan Caves National Park, known in Filipino as Pambansang Liwasan ng Libmanan Caves, is a fascinating karst landscape and forested protected area located in the municipality of Libmanan in the province of Camarines Sur, within the Bicol Region of the Philippines.

Covering approximately 5.4 square miles (14 square kilometers), the park was declared a national park in 1934 and is one of the earliest recognized cave systems under protection in the country. It is most renowned for its extensive network of limestone caves, underground streams, and unique cave-dwelling wildlife, all set within a lush, lowland tropical forest.

The terrain of the park is rugged and primarily composed of limestone hills, sinkholes, and underground river systems. The dominant feature is the Libmanan Cave System, a complex and partially unexplored series of subterranean chambers and passages carved through the soft limestone by centuries of water flow.

Surrounding the caves, the land is covered with secondary forest and patches of bamboo, along with a variety of shrubs, ferns, and vines. Small streams, forest trails, and narrow ravines cut through the landscape, offering a blend of adventure and serenity in a naturally sculpted environment.

The park supports a range of native and specialized wildlife, especially species adapted to cave and forest habitats. Inside the caves, colonies of insectivorous bats are commonly found, playing a key ecological role in insect control and seed dispersal. Swiftlets, known for their nests used in traditional delicacies, also inhabit the cave ceilings.

In the surrounding forest, small mammals such as civet cats, Philippine long-tailed macaques, and squirrels may be seen, particularly in the early morning or late afternoon. Reptiles, frogs, and various insects thrive in the moist and shaded areas near the cave entrances and along the forest floor.

The most popular feature of Libmanan Caves National Park is its namesake cave system. Among the best-known caves is the Colapnitan Cave, reputed to be the largest in the park and one of the longest in the Bicol Region.

With its towering chambers, impressive rock formations, and subterranean streams, the cave offers a captivating environment for spelunkers, researchers, and nature enthusiasts. Stalactites and stalagmites line the chambers, and some sections remain unexplored, giving the site an air of mystery and scientific intrigue.

Visitors can engage with the park primarily through caving, nature hiking, birdwatching, and educational tours. Guided cave explorations are available for certain sections, especially those deemed safe and accessible, while surrounding trails allow visitors to enjoy the forest scenery and observe native wildlife.

The park also hosts community-based tourism initiatives that provide environmental education and promote conservation awareness among local students and visiting groups.

Conservation challenges in the park include threats from illegal extraction of guano (bat droppings), unauthorized cave access, and forest degradation from nearby land use.

Despite these pressures, local authorities, environmental organizations, and community groups have made strides in protecting the area through regulated tourism, public awareness campaigns, and preservation of cave integrity.

The park’s role as a natural laboratory and ecotourism site continues to grow, reinforcing the importance of safeguarding this underground and forested wonder.

Park Map

Libmanan Caves National Park Highlights

Wildlife

Libmanan Caves National Park, located in Camarines Sur in the Bicol Region of Luzon, is a protected area known for its dramatic limestone formations, extensive cave systems, underground rivers, and dense lowland forest. The park provides shelter to a variety of species that thrive in karst landscapes and humid tropical forests—including native and endemic mammals and reptiles adapted to caves, cliffs, and forested slopes.

Philippine Warty Pig
This endemic wild pig roams through the forest floor and limestone slopes in search of roots, fruits, and insects. It plays an essential role in maintaining healthy soil and spreading forest seeds.

Philippine Deer (Luzon Brown Deer)
A quiet browser, this native deer feeds on grasses, leaves, and forest undergrowth. It often seeks shelter in thick vegetation near cave entrances or forest glades.

Philippine Long-tailed Macaque
This adaptable primate is frequently seen in forested areas and near water. It forages for fruits, leaves, and insects, and sometimes explores caves and rocky outcrops for shelter or food.

Common Palm Civet (Musang)
A nocturnal omnivore, the civet prowls the forest and caves for fruit, birds, and small mammals. It uses crevices and hollow trees for daytime shelter and helps with seed dispersal.

Philippine Forest Rat (Bicol native subspecies)
Often found scurrying along limestone cracks and cave floors, this nocturnal rodent feeds on seeds and small invertebrates, contributing to the park’s ecological balance.

Large Fruit Bat (Flying Fox species)
Roosting in the trees near caves or in the cave openings themselves, these large bats feed on fruit and nectar, helping pollinate flowers and disperse seeds over long distances.

Cave-dwelling Bats (Insectivorous species)
Several species of insect-eating bats roost deep within the Libmanan cave system. At dusk, they emerge in swarms to feed on moths, mosquitoes, and other flying insects.

Tokay Gecko
A large, nocturnal lizard, the tokay gecko inhabits cave walls and tree trunks. Its distinctive call and colorful markings make it one of the park’s more striking reptiles.

Skinks (Various endemic species)
These smooth, fast-moving lizards thrive on rocky slopes, sunny forest floors, and near cave mouths. They feed on insects and play an important role in the park’s food chain.

Reticulated Python (possible presence)
This massive constrictor may use caves and limestone crevices as hiding spots. It preys on rodents, birds, and other small animals and is rarely seen due to its stealth.

Birds

Libmanan Caves National Park is also a haven for forest birds and cave-nesting species, offering a combination of forest canopy, limestone cliffs, and quiet caverns where birds nest, forage, and thrive.

White-eared Brown Dove
A ground-dwelling endemic dove that forages for seeds and fruit on the forest floor. Its soft, repetitive cooing is a signature sound of early mornings in shaded glades.

Philippine Bulbul
Abundant and vocal, this songbird flits through mid-canopy layers feeding on fruits and insects. Its bubbly calls echo along the forest edges and karst ridges.

Philippine Coucal
A secretive ground forager that stalks insects, lizards, and small birds through dense underbrush. Its deep, booming call often gives away its location before it is seen.

Tarictic Hornbill (Luzon subspecies)
Endemic and increasingly rare, this large frugivore nests in tree hollows and plays a critical role in dispersing large seeds through the park’s forest canopy.

Swiftlets (Cave-nesting species)
Small, agile birds that build nests inside the park’s limestone caves. These swiftlets feed on flying insects and navigate with echolocation in complete darkness.

Barn Swallow
Commonly seen around the park’s open areas and cave entrances, barn swallows hunt flying insects and may use cliff ledges or sheltered rock faces for nesting.

Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker
This tiny woodpecker clings to tree trunks and branches while tapping for insects beneath bark. It often travels in mixed flocks through the forest.

Guaiabero
A small green parrot endemic to Luzon, the guaiabero is often seen in pairs feeding on fruit and blossoms in the canopy. Its high-pitched calls can be heard near fruiting trees.

Philippine Serpent Eagle
A forest-dwelling raptor often seen circling above limestone ridges, scanning for snakes and lizards. Its distinctive whistled call is often heard before it’s spotted.

Lowland White-eye
These small green birds flit through shrubs and canopy branches in tight, active flocks. They feed on nectar, fruit, and insects and help pollinate flowers throughout the park.

Libmanan Caves National Park is a unique blend of underground wonder and tropical forest—where bats soar from cavern mouths, macaques chatter through limestone groves, and elusive forest creatures find shelter among ancient rocks and lush green canopy in one of Bicol’s most intriguing natural sanctuaries.