Sometimes, you find that there’s an itch that you can’t simply ignore, and you just have to scratch it. For the month of September, some of us developed especially itchy feet and most of our waking moments were occupied with “WHERE DO WE GO THIS WEEKEND?!” As it turned out, there were a couple of other waterfalls accessible (read: can be reached within 1 to 3 hours) from Baguio. Our first stop: Tangadan Falls in nearby San Gabriel, La Union or, as I’d like to call it, the “waterfalls that will make you crane your neck up (tangad in Ilocano).
Tangadan Falls, to be more precise, is located in Sitio Bulala of Barangay Duplas, which is found in the municipality of San Gabriel in La Union. I really didn’t know what to expect, but my buddies repeatedly said it’s a good place, and they’ve seen pictures (I haven’t), so I was preparing myself to be surprised.
The Adventure
I was told that it was to be a day trip and the work week was so busy that I only got to pack the “essentials” (camera, mobile phone, selfie*cough*stick, powerbank, change of clothes) at 3am. Then we met up at Jollibee at Km.5, La Trinidad for breakfast, then set off at a little after 8am towards La Union.
There were 7 of us, and 2 or 3 have already been there. It’s my first time, so yay~
We arrived at the jump-off point, where we parked our ride, took what we needed – mainly food – and set off on the hike. There were locals offering their guide services, but we decided to forego it since, well, some of us have been there before and, in case they get confused, we’ll just wing it. We started the hike at exactly 10:35 am.
It started out mild enough. The trail was all right, the passing scenery of ricefields was a welcome sight… It’s like, “green everywhere!”
…and then we arrived at the river. And the first river crossing. I honestly lost count how many times we crossed, but do not be fooled by the first one. It was so easy, but the tough is yet to come.
Somehow, the pic below reminded me of the logo of UMBRO.
There was an area with tall bamboos and I had a Rurouni Kenshin moment, expecting samurais from the Bakumatsu era spring out at me from all sides. Haha!
A couple of times we didn’t know where to cross the river, but this is where the “winging it” part came in. It’s like, we cross the river, climb up the embankment, walk more than several meters forward, go back down another embankment, cross the river again, then go up on the other side… repeat, and another repeat…. yeah. Lost. Count.
Now a river crossing – at least for me, and in our experience – would not be complete without someone (including me) slipping and falling flat on their beeeeehinds. Especially when the water current is quite strong and forceful. And we were holding our cameras and photo-taking devices (we cannot, I repeat, NOT, leave them behind). Talk about challenging yourself.
Then, after an hour and 20 minutes, we came upon this area, which gives you a canyon-like view of the river. We’re already at the halfway point. 🙂
Another 40 minutes later, we can sense we were close.
A funny incident happened. Some of our food supplies (the meat, mostly) for lunch were placed in a large plastic carryall and was carried by Mark. When we were nearing the falls, there was a final river crossing to be done, and the water was especially strong, and waist-deep. On one of his transfers from one rock to another, the plastic carryall decided to break open by its lonesome, and down went the meat and the coal, flowing down the river. Someone even tried to chase after them, but gave up when he could no longer find it.
So we pushed on, with our cookset, sans meat and any means to cook lunch. Haha!
But that was forgotten when we finally laid our eyes on Tangadan Falls of San Gabriel, La Union.
Nope. That’s not it. It looks pretty, though. But that’s just foreplay.
We registered in the logbook of the people overseeing the place, then walked a bit round the bend…. and finally saw it.
Isn’t she lovely? Intimidating, a bit, but she did manage to make us forget the long and challenging hike before. We just sat there, taking photos, ooh-ing and aah-ing. And trying to look dignified while doing so. Which now makes me wonder: why did we even bother? Beautiful sights like these can make anyone justifiably tongue-tied.
We were told that they used to rent out a raft, or balsa, to get close to the cascade, but there was none in sight when we got there, presumably because the water was so strong.
Cliff-jumping seemed to be a thing for some of the guides and the more adventurous visitors. Someone jumped with his GoPro, and it became WentPro. Meaning, the guides repeatedly had to dive and search for it until they found it – still in good condition. Huzzah. 🙂
For the most part, we sat down on the lower level, enjoying the view, the cold water, and the spray. Did we go near it? Nope. Non-swimmer right here! There is an upper level, from whence the cliff jumper did their… thing. From down below, it looked mighty high. Scary high.
For a time, we went up the upper level and just lazed around on the smooth rock, looking down at the view below. It’s breathtaking from up there~
And what of our lunch? Some of us had packed some snacks and we made do with that. But we also came across another group that our companions knew and they had a loooooot of food, so we joined in the boodle fight. 🙂
How we got there:
From La Trinidad, we had our own vehicle so it was more convenient. But commuters can also do it that way. Take the usual bus trips (or van, I think there are some, too) from Baguio. You’ll pass by San Juan (the surfing haven) along the way, and then you’ll find a turn-off to San Gabriel. At the time, some road constructions were being implemented by DPWH so it’s easy to miss the sign. We took the turn-off, and had to stop once or twice to ask the kind locals for directions. From there, it was a continuous drive for another 10-20 minutes to the jump-off point.
We had to pay a fee for parking our vehicle to the owner of the house near the jump-off point. There are also some local guides on the waiting shed to offer their services.
All in all, it took us 2 hours and 10 minutes from the jump-off point to the waterfalls. That’s quite long, and I think part of it is because we had to backtrack a couple of times because we weren’t sure we were on the right trail. And the water was strong, so we had to take it slow while crossing the river. We stayed at the waterfalls for 3 hours, and left at 4pm. The hike back to the jump-off point took 1 hour and 45 minutes. It was another memorable hike back, because the water was especially stronger. 🙂 This was where I slipped a couple of times, for real. 🙂
Some notes:
- Use reliable footwear. Sneakers are fine, but expect them to get wet. Choose footwear with good traction, since you’ll be walking through we and often slippery rocks.
- Protect your gadgets with waterproof plastics or whatnot. Unless you’re willing to let them get wet. Or you could do what I did – took a chance and lifted my camera high. Yep, even when I sat down on the water.
- Get guides. Especially if it’s your first time. It’s easy to get lost, and they’ll tell you the parts of the river where crossing is more manageable. We went hardcore and found our own way, because that’s just how we roll. *winks*
- We were told there was an alternative route, which the other group took in going to and from the falls. It requires mostly climbing and hiking, though, and no river crossing. It is via Sitio Kilat-Amontoc.
- ENJOY. Really, there is so much to see, even when you are walking on the trail. 🙂
This is certainly a gem of a place. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick getaway. If you happen to be in San Juan for some surfing time, consider devoting one day to this place. You won’t regret it. Leave your surfboards behind, though. Unless you can figure out how to use it to cross the river.
