Tourist attraction · Maragondon

Kaybiang Tunnel

Maragondon, PH 4.7 (1,688 Google reviews)

AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Kaybiang Tunnel is a 300-metre road tunnel bored straight through the mountain ridge between Maragondon in Cavite and Nasugbu in Batangas, and it is the reason this stretch of the western Philippines became a weekend magnet for Manila drivers, bikers and photographers. Completed in 2013 and part of the Ternate–Nasugbu Road (National Route 407), it was sold as a "tourism road" because it slices through a rainforest massif instead of over it, cutting roughly an hour off the old run to the Nasugbu resorts via Tagaytay and linking two provinces in one smooth, dark, dramatic push.↗↗↗

The appeal is less the tunnel itself than the drive that carries you into it. The road zigzags through the Mounts Palay-Palay–Mataas-na-Gulod Protected Landscape, which holds remaining patches of lowland tropical rainforest on Luzon, with pull-outs and a viewdeck near the entrance that open onto hills and coastline. Stop at a roadside kiosk, watch the wild monkeys that live along the shoulder, and carry on for the coves of Ternate and the beaches around Nasugbu and Pico de Loro — which many riders treat as the real reward for making it through the mountain.↗

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Tourist attraction · Maragondon

Kaybiang Tunnel

Maragondon, PH 4.7 (1,688 Google reviews)

Photo: Google Maps

AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Kaybiang Tunnel is a 300-metre road tunnel bored straight through the mountain ridge between Maragondon in Cavite and Nasugbu in Batangas, and it is the reason this stretch of the western Philippines became a weekend magnet for Manila drivers, bikers and photographers. Completed in 2013 and part of the Ternate–Nasugbu Road (National Route 407), it was sold as a "tourism road" because it slices through a rainforest massif instead of over it, cutting roughly an hour off the old run to the Nasugbu resorts via Tagaytay and linking two provinces in one smooth, dark, dramatic push.↗↗↗

The appeal is less the tunnel itself than the drive that carries you into it. The road zigzags through the Mounts Palay-Palay–Mataas-na-Gulod Protected Landscape, which holds remaining patches of lowland tropical rainforest on Luzon, with pull-outs and a viewdeck near the entrance that open onto hills and coastline. Stop at a roadside kiosk, watch the wild monkeys that live along the shoulder, and carry on for the coves of Ternate and the beaches around Nasugbu and Pico de Loro — which many riders treat as the real reward for making it through the mountain.↗

↗

Boring through Mount Palay-Palay

On paper, Kaybiang Tunnel is road infrastructure; in practice it is a destination. At 300 metres it was, on its opening, the longest underground highway tunnel in the Philippines, and it still reads as the showpiece of a route conceived in 1994, broken ground for in 2009 and finally thrown open in 2013. Rather than blasting a notch over the crest, the builders drove a single bore through the flank of the mountain that locals know as Pico de Loro, so the road disappears into cool darkness for about half a kilometre and re-emerges on the far side of the range.↗

For Caviteños and Batangeños it changed the map. Before the tunnel, travelling between Ternate and Nasugbu meant detouring east up to Tagaytay and crawling down the Tagaytay–Nasugbu Highway; the new road brought the west-coast resort towns within easy reach of Metro Manila and gave the Cavite–Batangas shoreline a second, far prettier access route. The tunnel sits at roughly kilometre 70 of the road, on the Maragondon side, right at the edge of the protected landscape.↗↗

The drive, the viewdeck and what to look for

The fun is in the approach. From the junction at Caylabne in Ternate, the highway climbs and coils through dense green forest, a two-lane road with guardrails and little room to overtake, posted at modest speeds for the safety of the cyclists who share it. Monkeys hang out along the shoulder, and visitors routinely slow at the pull-outs to photograph them. Just outside the tunnel mouth there is a viewdeck where, on a clear day, the ridgelines fall away toward the water; riders coming up from Hamilo Coast and Pico de Loro often call it a rest stop and a trophy shot in one.↗↗

Inside, keep your headlights on: the bore is lit and ventilated, but it reads dark to the eye, and the narrow shoulders and blind curves have produced their share of accidents — hence the local ghost stories. Beyond the far portal the road unwinds downhill toward the coast, with viewing points over the beach and islands, food kiosks and rest stops where you can grab a snack, and beach resorts with cottages for a lazy lunch by the sea breeze. The drive itself is short, so most people treat the tunnel as a milestone on a longer day out rather than the endpoint.↗↗

Two wheels, four wheels

Kaybiang Tunnel has become a rite of passage for Philippine motorcycle groups and cyclists: the challenging climb up from the coast, a clean run through the tunnel, and the long downhill on the way back is exactly the kind of route that fills weekend photo albums. Car drivers get the same scenery in more comfort, though the winding approach asks for patience and a slow hand on the wheel. On weekdays the road is quiet; weekends bring the crowds, the photo queues and the congestion that the tourism road was originally built to relieve.↗

Getting there

From Metro Manila the tunnel lies on the Ternate–Nasugbu Road, a 1.5- to 2-hour drive depending on traffic in lowland Cavite. Coming from the north, reach Ternate via Governor's Drive and pick up the scenic section at the Caylabne junction; coming from the east, take the Tagaytay–Nasugbu Highway into Nasugbu and head north. If you would rather not drive, buses leaving the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) for Nasugbu pass through the tunnel, and can drop you there.↗

Good timing and local knowledge

Plan around two things: weather and weekends. In the rainy season the slopes around the tunnel are prone to landslides, and riders sensibly avoid the route in heavy rain. Night driving asks for extra care — the forested road and the tunnel both get very dark. Stopping and photographing rules around the tunnel have been tightened over the years to keep traffic flowing and discourage selfie stunts inside the bore, so use the designated pull-out and viewdeck rather than idling in the roadway, and treat the tunnel as something to drive through, not to hang around in. Vendors sell snacks and pasalubong at the stops, which makes a tidy excuse for a break.↗↗

What makes it special

01

The Philippines' longest underground highway tunnel at its 2013 opening — a 300-metre bore straight through Mount Palay-Palay.↗

02

A pull-out viewdeck near the tunnel mouth looks across the ridgelines toward the sea; roadside monkeys are part of the scenery.↗

03

One of Luzon's favourite short bike and motorcycle routes: a hard climb up from Pico de Loro, a dark tunnel, a long downhill through protected rainforest.↗↗

04

Use it as a gateway, not a terminus — the tunnel joins Cavite's Ternate coves to Batangas' Nasugbu beach resorts.↗

A little planning goes a long way

Go on a weekday if you can: weekends draw heavy traffic, biker convoys and photo queues at the tunnel ends.↗
Switch on your headlights before entering, even at midday — the interior reads dark and the portals create sudden light changes.↗
Stop for photos at the designated viewdeck/pull-out on the Maragondon side; parking and lingering are restricted at the other end and inside the bore.↗
Avoid the route in and just after heavy rain, when the slopes of the protected landscape are landslide-prone, and be especially careful driving at night.↗
Keep to 30–40 km/h on the scenic section: it is narrow, blind-cornered and shared with cyclists.↗

About this guide

Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below; this is not a first-hand visit. Place details collected October 5, 2026. Hours, access and ratings can change; confirm with the venue before visiting.