It is said that Apayao got its moniker of being Cordillera’s last nature frontier as it is one of the last places where man and nature actually co-exist without disturbing one another. So far, we have already seen the non-disturbance in a rather hilarious manner: there was no one in Mataguisi and there was no one in Hutungan. It was as if the people just really wanted to leave whatever there is alone by itself, including us.

For our next destination though, we saw some other people, as for once it was a place where there was actual guides and a group of tourists. That, however, didn’t downplay Apayao’s being a nature frontier. If for anything, Lussok Cave shows that man and nature can exist together. Man, after all, is a part of nature, not a detached overlord.

Lussok Cave is located within a complex which features a thick canopy of trees, a deep green river and a system of caves. Though set with huts for visitors to spend time and relax, it has maintained the vibe of untouched nature, stimulating the feeling of oneness with creation.

For our Lussok Cave adventure, we opted for something that was relatively chill: boating along the river and seeing Apayao’s subterranean river at the end. We had ourselves registered, then the staff in the cave complex assigned us a boatman.

The deep green waters accentuated by the equally verdant foliage makes the experience a very relaxing one, with only the light rippling sound of the boatman’s paddle breaking through the surface of the water and the chirping of the birds accompanying the silence of the afternoon.

Since Ran and I were both new to Apayao and got no idea what to see there, Lussok’s subterranean river came as a surprise. It may not be as grand as the famed Puerto Princesa underground river in terms of size, but it packs its own punch.

As expected, it was total darkness inside the cave, save for the torch that our boatman has and the flash of our phone cameras. Towards the end though, there is another opening where natural light shines through, offering a faint view of how the cave looks from within.

We were told that the cave was actually open for spelunking, but we contented ourselves with just the boat ride. The boatman turned back upon reaching the end of the navigable waters inside the cave, and did a quick stop by its mouth for us to descend and take some photos.

I must say, our trip to Lussok Cave had taken us aback, but in a good way. One, it was a great feeling when we realized that we were seeing an underground river which we were not really expecting. Two, the place was way too calm that it provided us with some rest before hitting the road again in our quest to go to other points of interest in Apayao. Three, and most importantly, Lussok Cave provided us with a better perspective on and stronger belief in the fact that man and nature are not in opposition to one another, but are in fact one.

When we left the cave, we were still without any idea where to go next, until we were led by Google Maps to another place where nature would cradle us in tranquility.