Ille Cave is the most important archaeological site in the Municipality of El Nido, Province of Palawan. It is located in the Dewil Valley wherein several caves with archaeological, geological, cultural and paleontological value are located.
Annual archaeological excavation in Ille Cave started in 1997. The project, led by the Archaeological Studies Program of the University of the Philippines (UP-ASP), was later called “Palawan Paleo-History Research Project.” The said project also covers annual archaeological research at Tabon Cave, Quezon, Palawan. In 2020, it was temporarily suspended at the height of COVID-19 pandemic.
The earliest traces of human habitation in El Nido was discovered in Ille Cave. Scientists discovered stone tools, human remains, animal remains and potteries at the cave entrance, giving us a glimpse on the way of life of settlers there from 14,000 years ago up to the 19th Century.
Archaeologists also discovered cremation burials both in Ille Cave and Pasimbahan Cave, another archaeological site located at Sitio Istar, in the Northwestern part of Dewil Valley. Cremation practices happened there 9,000-7,000 years ago. The practice include exhumation, de-fleshing and burning of the remains.
Metatarsal bones of a Pantera Tigris, the modern Asian tiger that can no longer be found in the Philippines, were also found in Ille Cave. This supported the theory about the land bridge between Palawan and Borneo during the latest Ice Age.
In 2014, the geologists from Nido Petroleum, one of the companies that sponsor the annual excavation, accidentally discovered Permian fossils in Ille Cave. Permian Period, according to the geologic timeline, happened between 299 million to 252 million years ago. The same fossils were also discovered at Diribungan Cave, another archaeological site in Dewil Valley.
Now that the tourism industry of El Nido re-opened and it already received Class 2 classification from Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), Ille Cave, currently, is the most visited heritage site in the municipality. The said PCSD classification formally opens the site to tourists while still allowing archaeological excavation.
El Nido Heritage 