Rizal is a fascinating province to travel to, whether independently or with a group.
Not just because its just near the metro but it becomes a favorite destination for
daytours and quick dayhikes. Now, caves , falls and mountains of Rizal are becoming
the talk of the town when it comes to choosing an adventure. Personally i love Rizal
because its near my place and it also offers budget travelers an affordable way to
explore the province.
And finally, after several failed attempts I'm finally posting my account on Puray
with my long time friend Dexter. As they say, better late than never. This is a trip
that I have been planning for a long time and it should be an amazing trip to take and
hopefully an enjoyable one to blog on.
August 19, 2015
Puray Falls, known to the locals as Panas falls, is located on the remote part of Rodriguez, Rizal.
I did not know what to expect going to puray falls. Feeling excited, but I admit arriving in Mascap with a touch of ignorance and some tinge of fear. Before leaving I found it hard to find good information about Puray falls, except for it is an MTB haven. And, the only problem with Puray waterfalls is that it is an absolute nightmare to find for non-MTB person like me. So I basically rely on information from people I meet along the way, who give us directions on how to get to the falls, but this is what traveling is all about, right?
Arriving in Mascap, you have two options to choose which route to take, you can take
the river trail or the mountain trail. The river trail is more easy and straightforward, except for some waist deep portion of the river that you need cross. Unfortunately the river trail is not recommended on a rainy season. And, since I only have limited time for this trip I opted for the mountain trail via a Habal-habal ride from Mascap.
From Barangay Mascap I waited almost 2 hours for a habal-habal ride. Luckily the people of Mascap and Puray were extremely friendly, so my fear of getting lost is now gone. Then we rode a habal-habal going to the falls. There are some paved portions of the road but most of the time its not. The ride is a bit scary. You have to hold on tight as the road to the falls from Mascap has steep-graded segments, both going up and down. It is like riding a rollercoaster.
The surrounding scenery from Mascap going to Puray is incredible. Blurred clouds covers the surrounding peaks like a warm coat. It was just as magnificent as I imagined it would be. After almost 2 hours of heart pumping ride I finally arrive in Sitio Mabolo - basically a small community with no electricity.
From the point where the road crosses the river in Mabolo, we had to hike via the river trail going to the falls. It didn’t look very impressive from the distance but as you come closer you will feel the beauty of Puray. There’s just something magical about this sleepy little barangay.
Finally. I am now at puray falls. After all the excitement, I climbed to the top of a giant rock, and what a magical sight it was. waterfalls has a mystique and allure that goes beyond what most pictures can't capture. It is just so beautiful and amazing, so refreshing for a swim.
Mountain tops silhouette, neaby peaks and of course Puray Waterfalls. It deserves so much more than the day trip we had allocated for it. Swimming at puray waterfalls, that’s something I expected to do, and YES it was one of the coolest things I’ve done at rizal.
