Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery + Pakil Procession Village

The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery is one of the most unusual and hauntingly beautiful heritage sites in the Philippines. Built in 1845 by Franciscan friar Vicente Villa, the circular chapel above ground conceals a subterranean brick crypt below — an underground octagonal burial vault where Franciscan friars and prominent Filipino families were interred throughout the 19th century. During the Philippine Revolution, Andres Bonifacio's Katipunan reportedly used the underground chamber for secret meetings, making this site both ecclesiastical and revolutionary history.

Descending the stone steps into the crypt, you enter a circular underground room with niches lining the brick walls — each once sealed with the name and dates of the deceased, many niches now empty but the atmosphere profoundly evocative. The brick construction, the cool underground air, and the filtered light from the chapel floor above create an experience unlike any cemetery in Southeast Asia. The site is a National Cultural Treasure protected by the National Historical Commission.

From Nagcarlan, the tour visits Pakil, a lakeside town on Laguna de Bay's southern shore famous for the miraculous image of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Turumba Festival — one of Luzon's most exuberant religious processions, held six times annually. The town's pilgrimage church, built in 1646, is among the oldest in Laguna province and its lakeside setting makes for memorable photography. A merienda of Laguna's famous buko pie rounds out the half-day heritage loop.