Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.
I mentioned in my previous post that every time I come home to the Philippines, I make sure that I visit a place I have never been to.
I’ve been to Laguna many times, especially during my childhood. It was our family’s go-to place because of the hot springs.
This time, my boyfriend and I went to chase waterfalls, literally. I always fancy trekking and taking a dip in the cold waters of a waterfall. I feel that it’s always refreshing and calming.
However, we went there on the wrong day. It rained the night before we were scheduled to go. We insisted, anyway.
Laguna is about a 2 to 3-hour travel from Manila. Before, Pagsanjan Falls was the only one popular waterfalls in Laguna. Over the years, many have been discovered and made known to the public.
How to get there?
We took public transport from our place in Novaliches.
Make your way to Cubao or Taft, and ride a bus going to Sta. Cruz, Laguna.
Fare: P140.Ride a jeepney going to Lucena or Lucban and alight in San Salvador.
Fare: P30.Look for an Information Desk at a waiting shed and ask for a tour guide. You will be brought to the “Bahay ng Kapitan” (Captain’s House), where you will register and pay the Tourism Fee, about P20.
Whether you take public or private transportation, the Captain’s House will be your jump-off point. From here you will be taking a tricycle (P10 per person) to the start of the trail. The ride should take a minute or two.
Be reminded of the tour guide fee as well.
There is no standard rate. For us, we each shelled out, I think, P100.
Hulugan Falls
The trek down to the area was slippery.
But I guess, it was not just because of the rain last night. Surrounding areas of a waterfall are always moist.
Make sure to wear the proper footwear.
While trekking down, we already hear the rushing sound of the water. That made us more excited.
People say waterfalls are at their most stunning after the rain, but not immediately after the rain. The water becomes brown and murky, and the trail muddy and slippery. That’s what we experienced when we got there.
The descent to Hulugan Falls was easy and should take around 30 minutes. We trekked through the rocky and muddy trails going to a magnificent view.
It's the moment you say, "You are amazing, Lord!"
Hulugan Falls
We didn’t miss our chance to take a dip at the natural pool.
Yeah, the water wasn’t crystal clear. Heck, it was muddy! We just didn’t mind it – water is from the natural resources. And swimming in the plunge pool is a one of a kind experience but note that it can be freezing.
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If you are strong enough to brave the current, you can swim close to the cascades.
Aliw Falls
Further up – crossing a small river and passing through a plantation and some rice fields, we reached Aliw Falls.
It is a beautiful multi-level waterfall. Its plunge pool is quite deep and has slippery rocks.
Aliw Falls
There is another mini but deep plunge pool on the top of the climbable rocks on the left side of the falls.
It was nerve-wracking when we tried to dip our bodies in that mini plunge pool. It felt like so deep that you will go through straight down to hell the falls!
Take extra caution around the falls as there are a lot of pits.
It was the climb back up that was exhausting but was still very easy.
We ended our day after taking a shower and having a snack before we went back to Manila.
Duplicate post on paulajogalix.wordpress.com.
See you on our next destination 👋😎
Jo Alix
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Ang gaganda ng mga falls! :-)
Great information on how to get there. Awesome!
Ilang team building na ang napuntahan ko sa Laguna pero never pa akong nakapunta sa mga falls na yan. Nakukuntento kasi ako sa mga hot spring resorts. Pagkatapos talaga netong mga quarantine na to, lalarga agad kami sa pinakamalapit na nature trip spot.
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must put this on my list. Once restrictions lift within the PH we are itching to go places here