Cabagnow Cave Pool

Overview

Cabagnow Cave Pool is the deepest and largest of Anda’s roughly six cave pools — a cenote-type sinkhole formed where dissolution and collapse of the karst bedrock opened the ceiling to sky. The water itself is mixed: freshwater draining off the hills meets saltwater intruding from the sea.

The shallow end runs about 12 feet; the deep section drops to 20–25 feet, and can run deeper still in the wet season. There’s no wading in — entry is a jump from the cliff edge, roughly 4 to 5 metres above the water, and the only way out is a fixed ladder.

The density of cave pools across Anda traces directly to geology: this stretch of the peninsula sits almost entirely on limestone.

Location

Purok 7, Barangay Bacong, Anda, Bohol. Anda is on the southeastern tip of the Bohol peninsula, and the cave pool area near Quinale is one of the more accessible clusters of natural sites in the municipality.

Getting There

Anda is approximately 110 km from Tagbilaran City. Buses or vans depart from the Dao integrated terminal in Tagbilaran toward Anda via Jagna. Travel time is roughly 2.5 to 3 hours. From Anda town proper, habal-habal or tricycle transport reaches Barangay Bacong; a one-way chartered tricycle from the town center to the cave pool costs approximately PHP 100, shared among 2–3 passengers.

Several Bohol-based operators run organized day trips from Tagbilaran or Panglao that include Cabagnow Cave Pool, typically bundled with Can-umantad Falls, Candijay Rice Terraces, and/or Anda Beach. Shared van/group day tours run roughly PHP 1,500–3,250 per person depending on group size; private full-day tours start from around PHP 6,500.

Practical Info

• Entrance fee: PHP 50
• Environmental fee: PHP 30
• Lifeguards on duty
• Open year-round
• Entry by jump only (cliff approximately 4–5 m); exit by fixed ladder only
• Shallow section: approx. 12 feet; deep section: 20–25 feet

What to Expect

The jump is the whole event. The enclosed limestone walls and the contrast between open sky above and a cave-like lower chamber give the pool a character no open swimming pool or beach can match. Water clarity shifts with the season.

Lifeguards manage the jump zone actively, clearing it between jumps. Strong swimmers are more comfortable here; non-swimmers should stay out of the deep section.

Nearby: Anda Lagoon, Anda Falls, and the rest of Anda’s cave-pool circuit.

Notes

• Sources: https://www.lakwatsero.com/spots/cabagnow-cave-pool-anda-bohol/ and https://thefroggyadventures.com/cabagnow-cave-pool-bohol/
• Water depth may increase during rainy season
• The name “Cabagnow” is local Visayan; [TO ENRICH: meaning or origin of the name]
• Research update (2026-07-28): Tricycle fare and day-tour availability confirmed via The Pinay Solo Backpacker – Cabagnow Cave Pool: How to Get There, The Pinay Solo Backpacker – Anda Bohol Travel Guide, WayPH – Anda-Candijay Day Tour, Bohol Tour Guide – Anda-Candijay Tour, and PANA.PH – Private Anda Tour, all accessed 2026-07-28.
• Research attempt on name origin (2026-07-28, fresh angle from prior pass): searched general web, Cebuano-Visayan dictionaries (binisaya.com), and Anda municipal-history sources (bohol.gov.ph municipality page, Wikipedia: Anda, Bohol, Anda municipal tourism profile PDF) for the etymology of “Cabagnow.” None document a meaning or linguistic origin for the name. One travel blog (Transit Pinas, accessed 2026-07-28) notes locals also call it “Kabagno” and describes it as “a hundred year old sink hole,” but offers no etymology. The Cebuano word “bagnos” (to scrub/wash, per binisaya.com) is phonetically close but no source connects it to this place name, so it is not recorded as a fact — tag left in place. Side note (not acted on, no TO ENRICH tag covers it): one aggregator, PANA.PH, places the pool in “Barangay Cabagnow” rather than Barangay Bacong, but this conflicts with three independent, more established sources (Heroes of Adventure, Transit Pinas, The Pinay Solo Backpacker) that all confirm Barangay Bacong, matching this file’s existing located_in/Location text — left as-is per task constraints, flagged here for awareness only.