We are always on the lookout for places to go for day trips out of Manila. Life here is hectic and crowded, so for us, getting out into nature is a number one priority. Tinipak River is a really beautiful location to take a picnic and spend the day. It is also a really good destination if you have visiting friends or relatives. It is easy to get to in a car, an easy trek and showcases some of the Philippines natural beauty while giving a taste of local life in the process. If you are after something a bit more challenging, then check out the story on Mount Daraitan, at the bottom of this post. 

Tinipak River

Tinipak was a logging and mining area, and in 1992 the Elders of the area, known as the Dumagats, got the government to stop the works. Since 2010 this area has been a model for ecotourism, with well thought out planning, trained local guides and strict regulations for the area. It is very clear on arrival, that they know what they are doing, and they do it very well.

Tinipak Lake is located in Tanay, Rizal. It is a good two and a half hour drive from Manila, so you need to set off early in the morning. With a picnic packed up, we headed off at around 6am so that we could have the benefit of a good day out of town.

The road becomes quite curvy and steep as you drive through mountain ranges. The view is gorgeous with distant mountains and thick lush jungle surrounding you. Small towns are dotted around the place and you can stop at streetside sari-saris for fruit and fresh buko.

The closer we came to our destination the more the mountains closed in around us and soon we were looking at cloud tipped peaks, down into mountain ravines and across the deep majestic colours of the jungle. As soon as we hit the forest I felt the tension leave my shoulders and I started to breathe deeply.

When you enter the Tinipak area, the road changes and becomes quite rough for the last four kilometres of the drive. It is steep and very slow going because it is an unsealed road. If you do not have a 4wd you need to take care. Mind you, the jeepneys were managing okay with people hanging on for dear life. We drove past kids playing basketball with a makeshift court and the occasional blare of a karaoke machine filtered through our windows as we eased along the road. The weather was lovely and warm, but not too hot and this far out we could drive with the windows open to enjoy the fresh air.

At the edge of the river you are met with an amazing rickety bridge made from bamboo and wood and you wonder if your car will survive the drive across. You hold your breath and stare out the window with a morbid interest in how you may die, and then you find yourself on the other side – quite alive, and carry on. Follow the signs, park your car in the village then head to the registration area where you pay your fees, meet your guide and get a brief overview before heading off. Easy peasy.

The distance from the registration area to the river is 1.4km and you can walk this. It is just a road, past houses, the cemetery with scattered views through the trees of the river.  We chose to take a trike to the river’s edge, where we would start our trek. From here it is a 1.8km walk along a well-made path. Walking along you will be awestruck with the beauty of limestone rocks, and the aqua coloured waters cascading down with a delicate fury only water can create. The sounds of rushing water fills the space in your head, and in-between the songs of birds and insects create the sweetest melody. Occasional horses laden with supplies meander past as you stand aside for them to pass. Goats graze and stare at you with, challenging you to try giving them a pat. Or maybe that’s just my interpretation and they really think I’m a crazy woman.

There is a campground which is basic, with some cabanas and sari-saris selling snacks and small meals. We stopped here for a rest and brought buko salad from the kids selling it. a refreshing ice lolly, sweet with coconut, sugar and pandan. One of the kids we were told was nine years old, he was half the size of our seven-year-old son and there was nervous laughter at the realization. Our guide Efron stored our picnic bag for us as we headed on further, to go spelunking.

The walk from the camp ground to the cave is a lot more difficult. A steep and rickety bamboo stairwell needs to be navigated before clambering over some rocks. You then come to the bridge crossing over some rapids, which thankfully is solid enough that I was not in the least bit worried crossing over. In fact, I stopped in the middle, looking across the rapids and that pale green water. It was just so very beautiful.

The cave is up the mountain a little, and requires a little climb. It is steep and if wet, it is slippery so you need to take care. Once at the top you take turns to carefully lower yourself into the pitch-black darkness. I watched my children with pride, their fearlessness was so impressive, although I do think they were just excited over getting to wear headlights. I have a history of claustrophobia; my biggest fear is being trapped and just writing the words I begin to have an anxiety reaction. Five years ago I confronted my irrational fear by crawling into a cave, having a panic attack and dealing with it then and there. I am so glad that I did because I was able to follow the children down into that hole and enjoy this caving experience with them. To be clear, I still had a mental process to go through first to calm the prickles of anxiety covering my skin, and to help me start taking regular deep breaths again – before I entered the space. But I did it and it was really amazing, and I rocked it like a boss.

The underground river is icy cold and a unique swimming experience that the kids loved. The stalactites hanging down glittered with water and as I ran my hand over the ancient rocks I noticed the smooth and rough textures under my fingertips. These ancient places are so special and you can only imagine the stories they can tell. We looked at the new stalactites and stalagmites forming, even as we were watching them and were just amazed once more, at the wonder of nature.

Finally we came out of the cave and basically slid on our bums back down the hill to the bridge, it was so slippery and muddy. BB was very distressed as in the cave, as he was crossing a small rapid on a rock, he lost a thong…it went flying down so fast and then disappeared. Our guide got down in the darkness and tried to find it to no avail. BB was so upset. They were special thongs and he really did not appreciate our jokes about finding it down the river, and flying out of the mountainside, he said it was ‘too soon’ for that. What a coincidence though, the sari sari on the other side of the bridge sells them! One might think that this is a regular occurrence! Once sorted, we made our way back to the camp site, grabbed our picnic gear and went down to the riverside, a short walk out of camp, where we sat in a cabana, enjoyed lunch and everyone had a swim in the icy cold, clear, fresh and beautiful waters.

The walk back was again easy and we just took our time, not wanting to stop being able to look at, and listen to, this beautiful place. The drive home was relatively easy, just keep in mind it always takes longer on the way back. For some reason, the traffic through Antipolo just goes crazy in the afternoons.

Now, if you are able bodied and are child-free for a day, you may wish to go mountain climbing in the area. If so, read on.

Mount Daraiton

Three weeks later, SB went back to hike up the mountain with some mates. I am proud to introduce him as my guest contributor for this post on hiking Mount Daraitan. He also contributed the photographs.

Mount Daraitan is considered a minor climb. It has a 600 meter incline, with three ‘stations’ you can stop and rest at along the way. The starting point is the Daraitan Barangay Hall. We arrived there at 5:15am, having just travelled some two hours from Manila. The last four kilometres of rough eroded road and driving across the rickety makeshift bridge was all done in pitch black darkness. The sun was still an hour or so from being up but when we arrived the area was an anthill of activity with guides, drivers, souvenir sellers, dogs and fellow hikers organizing the day’s events. The day was going to be humid, a light drizzle of rain fell around us and the morning smoke from the villager’s preparing meals hung thick in the air, this was disturbed only by the passing trike drivers and rental vans dropping sleep deprived travellers to the hall.  

We were greeted by Ox who sat on an old plastic chair behind an old desk manning the mountain guide station. He shook my hand firmly and advised he would not be our tour guide today but he would be assigning us experienced local guides to take us up the mountain.  We were a group of 16 people so we needed a total of 3 guides to accompany us.  After paying our environmental/guide fees and headlamp rental we proceeded northeast up to the covered basketball court on Sandal street for our induction.

The guides advised that the mountain climb today would be a 6/9 due to the weather overnight. We then headed off at 6am, walking down the road to the tunes of barking dogs and roosters crowing. Dawn broke as we started the hike on the rocky trail. Trickles of light filtered through the trees and onto the path which was damp and covered with leaf litter. It was an unsettling slippery feel underfoot, which was to be the norm for the remainder of our climb.

We began our ascent up the relatively steep trail which had either footholds in the clay or worn rocks submerged in the earth. There were ample trees, roots and rocks to grip onto while scrambling up some of the steeper sections. 

As we neared Station One the sun was well and truly coming up. The path way coursed alongside cliff edges, which gave glimpses of the surrounding mountain range through the thick forest growth. At Station One, an old lady sold us chocolate and fresh buko juice, before continuing on our way.

The next part of the trek was longer, and took us into higher elevation. Low clouds passed over the path briefly, and the vegetation was thick with many large trees shielding views to the valley below.  When we arrived at Station two, we found another vendor selling buku from the shell. The outer husks had been removed earlier to eliminate the weight, allowing him to carry more in his hand-woven basket up to this elevation).  Once I had drunk the juice, the vendor cut my buko in half with his rusty bolo and gave me a desert spoon to dig out the translucent white coconut flesh from the young coconut. 

By now the sun was higher and the morning light was filtering thick through the trees. It was uncomfortably warm and any breeze felt was a welcome relief. At Station Three we could see how close to the summit we were. I purchased a few boiled eggs from the small sari-sari store set up at the station. Eggs had never tasted so good as I had built an appetite. The old store owner said it was only fifteen minutes to the top, which was quickly confirmed by our guides.  And so after refreshments, we hit the last of the trail to summit Daraitan.

Heading up to the summit we passed ancient rock formations that had been weathered over time into sharp piercing pinnacles, they reached for the sky like the fingers of a buried giant reaching up beneath a stony grave.

We arrived at the summit at 9.30am. the forest clung to the long edges of the ridge, and the sun belted down on us as we stood in the open. The group posed for many photos happy and triumphant they had made it to the top.

The mighty Agos river (Named Tinipak river locally) which for centuries has carved its way through the southern limestone mountains of the Sierra Madre could be seen below, snaking and looping through the lower valleys on its winding journey to the Pacific Ocean in Barangay Pamplona. From the cliff top we could see to the Southwest the large water body of Laguna De Bay, and to the East, a distinct deep blue Pacific Ocean lay beyond the green dappled mountains on the horizon.   

The flora at the summit was a garden from fantasy, twisted trunks and tree branches, ferns, lichens and moss sat as if by design cradled between the jutting limestone rock formations, and small pink flowers dotted the surrounding groves. There were three other groups of hikers that day, and the sounds of chatter was all around as they clambered for the best positions to take group photos. Faces tired and red from the hike were all of a sudden instantly smiling when the camera faced them, masking the reality of what they had just willed their bodies to do.

Getting to Tinipak River & Mt Daraitan

Where: Tinipak River, Tanay, Rizal

Travel Time: 2-3 hours to get there by private vehicle

Costs

Bridge crossing: 50p

Eco fee: 100p for Tinipak; 200p for Mount Daraitan

Guide: 500p for Tinipak (family of 4); 200p approximately per person for Mount Daraitan

Headlights: 30p each

Trike: 60p each way

Cabana hire: 100p

Fresh Buko up on Mount Daraitan: 35p each

What to Pack

Suncream and hats

Swimwear

Good waterproof walking shoes, although we did go in thongs/flip-flops – SB lost one in the rapids, and we had to buy a new pair at the sari-sari just next to the bridge to the cave, now I know why they sell flip-flops there…

Picnic or snacks. There are snacks available but not a huge range, basic rice meals can be requested at the campsite.

Drinking water

Toilet Paper/hand sanitiser

Take all your rubbish with you, leave only footprints