Chasing Waterfalls Series : Fortune favors the brave at 3 Falls

Either you're in search for a weekend getaway or simply just want to have a taste of adventure because of long weekends, 3 falls in Barangay laurel, Sta. Maria, province of Laguna, is the place to go.

Sta maria is a little town about 3 hours from the metro.  Popular amongst locals, but it’s not as often visited by tourists. 

Arriving in Siniloan from Tanay , the first thing I did is to look for Sta maria's terminal. With a little information about the town, I and jackie brave the ride going to the falls. True enough, fortune favors the brave, and we did in fact find the 3 falls.

Arriving in Barangay Laurel, it is quite clear that it’s not a tourist town. 

For a hike with a pleasant end, visit 3 falls in Sta. Maria, laguna. This beautiful waterfalls swirls and twirls through lush greenery surroundings with a shallow catch basin where you can take a swim. The hike to the falls is relatively easy and straighforward, you will run into several small and medium size falls, great rock formations and even calm stream for a quick dip in the cold water.

Chasing Waterfalls Series : Long Overdue visit to Puray falls

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.  

Mt Kaybigas traverse Mt Tilos

The journey began very early in the morning.

Our destination is the town of Lobo. It may not top mountaineers lists for dayhikes, 

after all there are many more known mountains in Batangas. However, do not dismiss it 

just yet, after yesterdays visit to Lobo i found  a great deal to recommend such a 

great mountain for dayhike. 

Lobo is about 145 kilometres from Manila,(according to google)and is located near the 

southern tip of Batangas province. It has good white sand beaches and has very good 

coral and marine life on some of its beaches that attract many snorkelers, scuba 

divers and underwater photographers. It also has fish sanctuaries and the famous 

Malabrigo Light house. Lobo is truly a charming little coastal town.

5 AM. I love long rides. We left early dawn so there is no views yet. I managed to get 

some sleep on the road, but when i notice that the sun is preparing to set I then 

couldn’t sleep again. Beyond that, I also had a keen eye for what the casual traveler 

might not spot.

The long narrow roads to Lobo is quiet and scenic. The meandering mountain passes ( 

was a zigzagging path over a beautiful mountain range) with a land of striking 

landscapes that range from the lush forested mountains and the picturesque valleys 

going to the town proper -i love how the roads had been carved out of the mountainsides - passing thru the coastal town with the views of the nearby 

verde island ( consider as the "Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish 

Biodiversity"), the old Spanish Light house and the fish sanctuary. Most of the time i was feeling excited – if all goes according to plan – Did not know what to expect -  we’ll have a real good time.  

So at past 5am, we walked off the van, and into the early morning glow of Lobo i  

sense that its going to be an epic adventure. Looking at the mountains really took my 

breath away, an exciting glimpse of whats gonna happen later.

The sun is out, the skies were slightly cloudy, so its for sure we are going to be 

directly blasted by the sun.

Our first stop is Lobo Police Station for some registration. Next stop is Barangay 

Malabrigo which serve as our jump off. After our much needed breakfast, the group then 

immediately prepare for the start of the climb. 

It all started well enough. According to Sir G it would take 5-6 hours to complete Mt 

Tilos. So this is what i have in mind, 5-6 hours of hiking ? not bad, i said to 

myself. 

At first, It was an easy climb. Passing thru some houses with banana and tamarind trees, gentle slopes trees covering the trail. The first hour of the hike were mainly a mild steep ascent, around 60-70 degree-angle of inclination. But Of course, climbing isn’t always easy, there are some obstacles along the way. After 2 hours of slow-moving climb things began to change. The trail becomes different. The trail become a bit steeper with loose rocks, so I started to worry about the possibility of slipping and it makes it hard for me to balance and maintain my pace. 

After more than 2 hours we reach the grassy slopes, then the summit of Mt Kaybigas. This time the views at this point is incomparable. From here the impressive views of batangas coastline is clear. And with a clear sky, isla verde, some islets and Mindoro on the far side is visible. Enjoying the scenic view at this part, not minding the scorching heat of the sun - taking pictures of the amazing views - i envisioned myself already swimming at the beach.