Pagudpud's mountainous terrain is haven to many enthralling waterfalls. The most popular of them is the Kabigan Falls which is considered as one of the highlights of visit and must-go-to destination in Ilocos Norte.
After exploring and enjoying the pristine beaches on the west, and in case you feel a little bit bored and salty, go east and try the trek at Kabigan Falls for a fresh and cold water twist.Kabigan Falls is located at the eastern part of Brgy. Balaoi and is surrounded by a well-preserved forest.
The falls is 80 ft. high and its concave basin is 12 feet deep. To be able to reach and see this enchanting falls, you need to hike for about 25-30 minutes or approximately 1.8 kilometers from the registration area, where the traysi-tour service will patiently wait for you. There’s an environmental fee of P10.00 per head and a P100.00 fee for a tour guide.
Although there’s a clear trail going to the falls, the local government of Pagudpud requires one tour guide for each group. The hike is mostly on flat surface and is very easy. They even made it easier for you because they placed makeshift bridges on small streams and handrails on some diagonal zones.
The flat surface is an open area where rice fields, mountains and small river that flows serenely offers a panoramic view while heading your way to the falls. It is advisable to do the hiking in the morning or in the afternoon when the sun is not to high in the sky to avoid skin darkening and possible irritations. The site opens as early as 7:00 in the morning and closes at 5:00 in the afternoon.
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| With our Tourguide in her official green tourguide t-shirt. Any amount to be given to the tourguide as "tip" will do. But if you are generous enough, P100.00 -P200.00 will be a good amount. |
Once you passed the rice fields, shady trees and cool air will be adorning your way. You may stop for a while to appreciate the verdant view and feel that you are really close to nature. Don't forget to throw some jokes and have some group fun to kill the tiresome moment. There are also mini-stop stores along the way that sells fresh buko juice and "kakanins" (rice cakes) for quick refreshments.
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| This site amazed me so much. The small "bangkos" (long chairs) served as tables where buko juice in a container and kakanins (rice cakes) are placed. |
The falls is facing the trail on the foot of the mountain and the rustling sound of the freshwater flowing along the trail will definitely add to your excitement to see the falls.
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| Clockwise: The water flowing from the falls (photo by Ton Lorenzo); One of the makeshift bridges that makes the hike easier; the "balang" we spotted along the way; a tree trunk covered with algae; stones and waters (photo by Ton Lorenzo) |
And finally, we reached the site at around 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon . There are two falls actually - the main drop and the small one. I think the best month to visit the falls is during the month of October as the water is not too thin and the current is not that strong. By the way, we visited the falls on October 23, 2011.
Feeling salty and itchy after swimming at Blue Lagoon, we immediately dunk ourselves into the water. It is not advisable to get near the main basin as the current is very strong and take note, the depth is 12 ft. So we, satisfied ourselves by laying on the shallow part and enjoyed the freezing cold water.
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| The water is really freezing.. |
Hmmm.. it seems that we owned the falls? NOPE. More than 10 people are there in the site when we arrived and there are others that are still coming. We are lucky that we got the perfect place and our tourguide is good enough to take photos of us avoiding other people on our background.
We stayed in the falls for about an hour and took different shots and poses for souvenirs.
This was the last stop of our Traysi-Tour North Attractions package.
A dip in its freezing cold water is indeed a rewarding one after a long walk.With its marvelous beauty and with more and more tourists visiting the falls, there is no wonder that Kabigan Falls could be the next tourist magnet not only in Ilocos Norte but also in the Philippines.
SEE MORE PHOTOS, CLICK HERE!
Date of Experience: October 18, 2011
With: Ton Lorenzo, Sheryl Erpelo & Pamela Mallorca
SEE MY "THE BESTS OF PAGUDPUD" POST for details of going there and the Tour Packages, CLICK HERE
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