Iligan City is known for its majestic waterfalls, no question about that. But did you know that there are at least 23 waterfalls within Iligan City? Some of these are even unexplored!
So when the Iligan Bloggers Society (IBS) invited me (more like I forced them to invite me) to a Waterfalling Adventure 1.0 (WAT 1.0) in Iligan, without even thinking of the odds (Iligan City is 12 hours ride from Tacurong City and after this WAT, I’d be off to Luzon for another hike) , I promptly said “yes”.
Long story short, I didn’t regret that decision. I enjoyed the adventure, met more friends and wished I have one of those waterfalls in our backyard. 🙂 I really wish there’s WAT 2.0 in the making and I’m going to attend again.
Anyhow, I’d be showing photos of the waterfalls we went to during the falls hop. I’m not going to tire you with the details and maps and infos because honestly, I really don’t know how to get there myself. But,..I can refer you to some wonderful Iliganons who tirelessly promote their place despite their very busy life. Right IBS?
Let start of with Ma. Cristina Falls, perhaps the more popular of these falls. Ma. Cristina is a ‘twin falls’ with some very juicy tales of why one is bigger than the other or why one flows and the other is not. All I know now is that this falls is actually part of the Agos River system of hydroplants that supply electricity to most of Mindanao. Currently being developed as a tourist spot, there’s already a canopy walk and ziplines criss-crossing the hydroplant area.
Majestic Ma. Cristina Falls
Then there’s Tinago Falls, aptly named because you actually have to go down the ravines, well now, ladders just to see and swim in this curtain falls. I’ve been to this falls years ago and the first thing I noticed was the absence of the then commercial establishments just above this falls. You can still see the “ruins” of such commercial establishments but only trees and shrubs occupy them now. Tinago still has this clean and cold waters so make sure you’re up for the chill when you dive in.
Tinago Falls, one of the two famed falls of Iligan City.
Mimbalot Falls, our next stop is new to me. A quaint yet “proud” falls that is currently being “beautified” with cemented paths and waterstops, Mimbalot is another cascading waterfall that has the potential to be a tourist attraction for Iligan. I’m not so sure though, if the human made structures add up to it’s natural beauty. It was almost dusk when we descended to this place so we weren’t able to dip and take pictures for long.
Mimbalot Falls, up close and closer..
After the Dyandi festival streetdancing, we went straight to Dodiongan Falls, about an hour ride from Iligan proper. From the jump off site we have to trek for another hour or so crisscrossing the very same river where the falls feed its waters. Dodiongan Falls is another twin falls that remind me of Marilog’s Bani Falls. The boulders traverse is all worth the view, the cool waters and the relaxed isolation. It beacons though and stands proudly challenging photographers to capture its majestic beauty. To do so however is despicably challenging. I could’t get any good vantage point without having to dip in the catch basin. But darn this falls is so cool!
The next day we were herded to yet another two waterfalls thirteen kilometers from the city proper. Pampam Falls is twenty minutes of easy trek from the jump off (an elementary school If I remember it right). PamPam Falls is like a mini waterfall that sprung off the side of a mountain and having a catch basin filled with “bluish”, clean, cold water. It is only in this falls that I dipped in before I took photos of the place!
The quaint Pampam Falls.
Kalubihon Falls is not far from PamPam Falls, but you have to climb a bit up some sharp, rocky, hill, get into a cave and pass through that cave to the falls proper. This falls is totally amazing. I mean how often can you get into a cave with crystal clear waterfall inside? Unfortunately, my camera gears are neither waterproof nor weather sealed so I left it in the cave’s entrance. So, zero photo here. 🙁
Update: Lisa Marie Mirasol aka PinayTravelista.com lent me this photo of Kalubihon Falls (Thanks Lisa)
Kalubihon Falls, inside a cave (Photo by PinayTravelista.com)
We were only able to visit six of these 23 plus waterfalls but all I can say-” men you gotta come back for more!”. Spread in three days, the WAT 1.0 is one tiring heck of adventure. But it’s definitely and I’d say this again, one of the best I have yet so far. I’m salivating for more.
What made this adventure even more fun was the people I went there with, and the Iliganons (attention IBS) who made it all possible for us. I mean, no BS they made WAT 1.0 endlessly fun and exciting. So, readers watch out for WAT 2.0!
To end, I give you this photo- a portion of Tinago close to the banks and could have been a good falls to shoot. The tree is in the way of your field of view however, no matter how you change positions. One could have easily thought of cutting that tree for picture perfect’s sake, but ..the tree is there for a purpose. Without the tree, that falls already collapsed years ago.
Cut the tree and the falls could not exist…
