Basilisa

Lake Bababu

A meromictic lake connected to the open sea by a 650-metre underwater cave — reportedly the longest such system in the country.

Aerial view of a circular lake with sunlit water, enclosed by dense limestone forest

Lake Bababu sits in Barangay Melgar, roughly 4.2 nautical miles from San Jose, ringed by limestone walls tall enough to keep the water still. It is meromictic — its fresh and salt water sit in separate layers that do not mix — and a 650-metre underwater cave connects it to the open sea, used on occasion by experienced cave divers.

The name is said to come from the Cebuano for the shape of the cove, likened to a crocodile's open mouth. Local tradition holds that the water has healing properties; we pass that on as belief rather than fact.

Sources: the Dinagat Islands provincial tourism office (dinagatislands.gov.ph) and a 2016 Rappler travel feature.

How to get there: Reached by boat on a Basilisa island-hopping route that pairs the lake with the Hagakhak Rock Formations — the two sit close to each other — and Pagkawasan Garden Beach. This route is run by our accredited guides but is not yet published as a fixed-price package. Tell us your dates and party size and we will quote it.
Travel time: Allow half a day. The lake is not a quick stop — our guides budget roughly half the day's sailing time for it, which is why it anchors a route of its own rather than joining the standard Basilisa circuit.

Visitor reminders

This is one of the stops the habagat can take off the itinerary. During the southwest monsoon — roughly June to October — it is the swell on the day that decides, not the date: some departures run it, some do not. We would rather tell you honestly what your dates allow than promise a stop and drop it on the morning. Third-party accounts also describe a mandatory local guide for the lake; we have not independently confirmed current arrangements or cost.