This post is part of my North Luzon Roadtrip Series

The Kabigan Falls are an easy treking choice to make, great if you have small kids. A large sign off the main highway is easy to find and there is a big carpark to park. From here you pay your parking and entrance fee which includes a guide and head off. The walk is around 1.8km and will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on how often you stop to stare at the stunning countryside and take photographs. You start the walk by going past some cottages and along a beautiful trickling riverbed. Rice fields are all around and caribou lazily graze under trees. You can pat them and say hi, but mostly they want you to just leave them alone.

We walked down the muddy and rocky track, since it had rained it was slippery but still an easy walk at an easy pace. Along the way we found sari-sari’s selling snacks. Empanada’s with longanisa, egg and papaya, and sweet treats such as fresh buko, tupig (sticky rice, buko and sugar wrapped in banana leaf and chargrilled), and my favourite Karyoka (sticky rice, buko and sugar rolled into balls, deep fried, rolled in more sugar and either served like that or put over flame again to caramelise the sugar).

The more we walked the more the landscape opened out and changed. Beautiful deep green rice fields, surrounded by dense majestic cloud-tipped mountains simply took our breath away. Small wooden huts sprinkled around and the trickling mountain brook sang by our side along the way. Closer to the falls the landscape changed again as we walked into the mountains. Now, it felt like I was at home, in the Sterling Ranges. Damp leaf litter under our feet and moss covered rocks lined the pathway. The forest was thick and large canopies of leaves protected us from the beating sun above. The songs of tropical birds called out through the leaves and the breeze danced through the trees, making them sway. The music of the stream changed, it was softer, diffused by nature and putting the finishing touches on an incredibly idyllic walk. We would stop and look at local trees with plaques telling us what they were, and run our hands down their trunks, feeling their texture. Our guide Ruby told us how this was all virgin forest, no one is allowed to live here and they have a program to plant 19-20 thousand seedlings a year. And I wondered why the rest of this country aren’t on board with conservation if these people have it so right.

Small bridges made from tree trunks made the walk interesting and adventure fuelled for the children. Finally we saw the falls in the distance. The air was heavy with water as beads of spray appeared on our faces. The sound of the falls was frantic, heavy and determined after the rainfall. Our voices drowned out and as we walked closer, stepping up the large stairs cut into the ground the falls and the basin opened out to us. And she was there. So perfect, so beautiful, so pristine. Now, I’m not going to pretend we were along. Oh no, this was a long weekend and the place was packing it in, but here’s the thing. I choose where to look and we walked further up to a viewing ledge and from here you could stand and admire this beautiful waterfall, without having to see the people below. Kabigan Falls are 112 feet high. The basin is 7-8 feet at its deepest, and 3-4 feet nearer the edge where people tend to swim. There is a bit of a cave off to the side you can walk into and the rocky walls of this nook are covered in vines and jungle plants. The space is cool and despite being deep down, a cool breeze still grazed our faces.

Kabigan falls, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

We walked down a way heading back and decided to take a rest. The children needed a snack and we were not quite ready to leave this tranquil, beautiful place. SB wandered through some trees and found a secret space by the trickling mountains stream. Surrounded by trees, the water was cold and crisp.  We dipped our feet into it, washed our hands and splashed it onto our necks and faces. SB had brought a watermelon from a market and carries his Bolo Bolo whenever we are adventuring. He cut big juicy slices for us to eat. Sitting in the shade, we chatted with our guide as we slurped and spat out the seeds.

Soon it was time to head back, and we wished this lovely land goodbye and made our way back along the path, stopping for more karyoka along the way.

Details:

Cost: 110 peso covered parking and a guide which you must take with you.

Be sure to read my other North Luzon Road Trip posts: