I must admit, the trip to Tagbubonga Falls wasn’t easy. You see, we left St. Anthony’s Beach Resort in Tubigagmanok, Asturias at around eight in the morning. Thinking it was going to be a short trip, we hopped on the back of a pick-up truck without even a hat, a towel, or an umbrella. Thirty minutes into the ride, we were still on the dirt road. And there was no sign that we were close to our actual destination.
I’m not sure exactly how far Barangay Tagbubonga is from the coast. But I do know that it’s actually quite far because I was feeling nauseous even when I wasn’t in an enclosed vehicle. Fortunately, before I had the chance to empty whatever was in my stomach onto my friends’ lap, the pick-up slowed down, indicating that we were close.
Whew! That was close!
When we got off the pick-up truck, we saw this on the side of the road. The water looked so spotless and fresh! Wow!
Finding Tagbubonga Falls
Thankfully, the trek to the waterfall was quick and easy. Less than five minutes later, we were already able to see for the first time the gorgeous Tagbubonga Falls.
I was still feeling a bit nauseous when our host announced that the food was ready. (Yes, another breakfast was waiting for us!) I ended up eating a lot because the food that they prepared was really delicious. Less than 10 minutes later, I forgot all about my motion sickness. Haha.
There was bam-i, grilled chicken, grilled fish, lumpia, and even chicken halang-halang! Yummy!
That’s me, fresh from my meal, posing in front of the beautiful Tagbubonga Falls.
I noticed that the locals had blocked off the ‘edge’ of the pool below the waterfall with palm leaves so that we could have plenty of space to swim. How sweet! Thank you, everyone!
Since I was already feeling great, it was time to explore the area. Slowly moving away from the main waterfall, I discovered several beautiful small pools and mini-drops downstream.
There were a lot of small nooks and crevices that I was sure would look good in photos. Sadly, there was nobody around to take photos of me. Haha.
So what do you do when an opportunity comes knocking? Find a way, of course!
Thus, this snap. Hahahaha.
Although the waterfall isn’t as tall as Kawasan and Mantayupan, Tagbubonga actually looks so nice in person. Very similar to Aguinid Falls in Samboan town, the flowing waters of Tagbubonga trickle down a cliff face, making the drop more muffled and less violent.
Here is a photo of some of the local kids enjoying the experience to the fullest. And yes, you can actually jump off that ledge into the water below.
At first glance, the pool looked really shallow. But upon closer inspection, it was actually pretty deep.
In fact, local kids enjoy jumping off the branches of the surrounding trees into the deep pool below. It’s pretty tricky though as the deepest part of the pool is very close to the surrounding rocks.
Here’s a shot of a kid jumping from one of the ‘diving boards’ into the pool below. That’s pretty high!
We stayed for at least two more hours swimming in the water before it was finally time to head back to town. And although I knew that the ride wasn’t going to be easy, at least I already knew what to expect.
Thank you, Tagbubonga! I shall return! 🙂
