You know that a place is awesome when not even the rain can stop you from having loads of fun. Following up my post on Ditumabo Falls of Baler with another waterfalls. This time, it’s the multi-tiered Tinuy-an Falls of Surigao del Sur, which is also referred to as the Niagara Falls of the Philippines – the miniature kind.
Tinuy-an Falls is said to be the widest waterfalls in the Philippines, at 95 meters. It’s not the highest, though, because it’s only 55 meters wide, but what it lacks in height it makes up for in tiers. This gem of a waterfalls has three tiers, which was really the main point of its charm.
But let me backtrack a bit. My colleagues and I were on a work-related trip in nearby Butuan City, and we had one day off to spend whichever way we please. So we had someone hook us up with a rental van and set off at around 4am for the two-and-a-half trip to the city of Bislig, Surigao del Sur, where Tinuy-an Falls is located.
During the trip, as the sky lightened, it started to rain a bit. We pushed on, though, and arrived at Tinuy-an Falls at around 8am. We paid the entrance fee (I think it was Php50), brought out some of the food we packed, and bought some more breakfast fare on the small stores by the parking area of the Falls.
When it seemed like the rain won’t completely stop anytime soon, we decided to just change into clothes-that-are-made-for-getting-wet and get into the water. After all, it seems moot to complain about getting wet in the rain when – HELLO! – we’re in a freakin’ waterfalls!
(Excuse the poor quality photos. We didn’t have a waterproof camera with us, and we just rented the one owned by the rafters. For a fee of Php300.00.)
So this here’s the first tier, which is quite small, that you’d have to pass to get to the main tier.
A bridge made from logs was built across the water to give you a perfect view of the second tier – the main one.
And there she is.
Maybe because it was raining, there weren’t a lot of people around at the time, even when this place is said to be the most visited site in this province. There were, I think, two other large groups besides us.
You can get close to the waterfalls’ cascade. In fact, you can even go directly under it. There are rafts that you can rent and rafters-slash-guides will pull it – along with your group – close to the cascades, and directly under it. I could not remember exactly how much it cost us, but we were a group, so I think it was not as expensive per person.
We could not pass up the opportunity to experience getting close to it. So we struck a deal with the rafters, donned the vests, and went for the ride.
And how was it, you ask?
CHAOS. THE GOOD KIND. THE FUN KIND.
To be honest, I was terrified, scared out of my wits. But I took comfort in the fact that I was wearing a life vest, and that I was with people I trust, and that the guys operating the raft looked strong, able and reliable.
This was my first up-close encounter with a waterfall. Which probably explains why I feel slightly more comfortable going under cascades in later waterfall-encounters.
The cascading water was sooooo strong. Even from the shore, you can feel the droplets, and the impact as it fell down below. We were all screaming and hanging on for dear life (oh, all right, we were hanging on the ropes, and the bamboo brace, and on each other) as we were nearing the cascade.
When we finally got there, I kid you not, I felt like thunder was rolling over and over inside my skull. The water pounding down on my head was so strong it literally pushed me down flat on the raft.
It was painful but, oddly enough, when we were being pulled back and away from the cascade, I was drowning in euphoria. One of the best feelings. EVER.
On hindsight, maybe it’d have been a good idea to have had helmets on offer, too.
After the ride, one of the guides/rafters offered to accompany us up to the third tier, which can be reached via a steep, slippery and slightly challenging trail that takes all of two to three minutes to get past.
It was just as beautiful, and actually shallow enough for anyone to frolic and play in. The cascade is close against the rock walls, so impact is not as… devastating, as the one on the second tier.
So here, we played. Climbed, slipped in the water, got our backs massaged by falling water… and played some more.
Oh, the water was just the right temperature at least, for us.
The rain notwithstanding, this was one well-spent morning. This does not get arguments from me for claiming to be one of the most majestic and beautiful waterfalls… I was in awe of it in this dreary weather; I can only imagine how stunning it would be in broad daylight. Phew!
Here’s a guide on how you can get there. I wish I can be of more help, but we just hired a van and pooled money to take us from Butuan to Bislig, then off to Hinatuan Enchanted River for the afternoon, and then back to Butuan that night. It was more practical that way.