
Bataan
is known for some majestic landscapes and it had never come to me that this
province is also home to some waterfalls not known to public yet.
In
search for someplace cool, travel blogger friends Christine and Marky decided
to grab the opportunity offered by the Bataan Tourism to visit Limutan Falls right after covering the 11th Padyakan Festival in Mariveles.
We
left Oriental Hotel in Mariveles at 5:00 am but due to some circumstances we
started our trek at 9:00 am after a quick stop at the Community Environment and
Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Barangay Binukawan, Bagac. There, we met Mr. Lito Cruz, the chairman of the
local cooperative in Bagac to give us some reminders about the protected area.
I have never expected to what have been revealed to us in the area covered by the
Bataan National Park. It has been years since the last time I’d been to a
waterfall and it made me excited to see one that day.
At
first, the seven (7) kilometer trail was somewhat bearable with moderate to steep terrain. But what
made it difficult was the intense heat of the day, dehydrating us to the last drop.
It
took us an hour and a half before we reach the public signage informing the visitors that we are a few hundred meters to the sought after waterfalls. There you can read also about the do's and dont's inside the protected area. According to our guide it is recommended to take first the
difficult trail to Ambon Ambon before heading to Limutan Falls. And so we
agreed.
Kissing the Wall to Ambon Ambon Falls
The previous work back in Mindanao made me exposed to a lot of technical climbs and difficult trails. But it’s has
been years since the last time I had the vertical descent through a
cliff until this crazy trip.
The
trail that we took was actually a shortcut to Ambon Ambon falls and I have
never imagined that I would be praying so hard, seeking guidance as we
hold on to our lives with only a 50-meter rope as our life support.
The almost 200-foot, 60-80 degree gradient loose-rock-trail was the most difficult trail I have been to so far. Literally, rocks were falling and getting hit by it could result to a major accident. I think a hard hat is necessary for safety purposes.
![]() |
Christine climbing the vertical wall towards Ambon Ambon Waterfalls. |
The almost 200-foot, 60-80 degree gradient loose-rock-trail was the most difficult trail I have been to so far. Literally, rocks were falling and getting hit by it could result to a major accident. I think a hard hat is necessary for safety purposes.
Here is the video of our actual descend to Ambon Ambon Falls.
The
thick bushes of the secondary forest made it more difficult to escape the thorns of rattans littered abundantly. The soil was slippery that we were
thankful that there were still a lot of matured and hard dipterocarp trees standing that can break our fall, just in case of accident.
Itchy Bitsy Tiny Thorns
Our
descend have lasted for almost 2 hours before we reached the stream connecting the
target waterfalls. I really should have brought a pair of long pants and long sleeves as the place was a
natural habitat for plants belonging to Dendrocnide. These group of plants have
trichomes that are painfully itchy on your skin that would last for days once you get in contact with. Well, you guessed
it right, I got hit by the stingy trichomes on my legs, giving me a hard time to
walk for days. Because it was itchy, I had a hard time sleeping, keeping me awake 'til morning. Tip, bring a little vinegar with you to counteract the effect of the pain and itchiness of the trichomes.
Back to our adventure, we were astonished as the approximately 60 foot waterfall revealed itself. The drop coming
from the cliff wasn’t that wide but it looks amazing when you see it up close. The pool wasn’t as wide as compared to the waterfalls that I have seen in
Iligan City, but just enough for us to swim to relieve the heat and ease our
aching body.
The water was cool, clean and powerful. We tried to stand before the drop but it was just too much for us so we took a safe distance away from it. Ops, have I mentioned we were the lone visitors in this beautiful creation that day? It was such a refreshing moment.
![]() |
Ambon Ambon Waterfalls in Bagac, Bataan with Christine of Jovialwanderer |
The water was cool, clean and powerful. We tried to stand before the drop but it was just too much for us so we took a safe distance away from it. Ops, have I mentioned we were the lone visitors in this beautiful creation that day? It was such a refreshing moment.
![]() |
It is difficult to take a picture of the whole waterfall at this distance |
We
could only wish to stay longer but Limutan Falls was waiting for us. We need to get up and start walking again. And you are
right , we took the same dangerous trail but this time it was a little
easier due to the sense of familiarity. It was nice that our guide Kuya Peter knows how to use an indigenous plant material, Rattan, as rope to support us while we
ascend. It was an instant rappelling activity.
Meet Limutan Falls
It
took us only less than 30 minutes to reach Limutan Falls through the
established trail. It seems Limutan is a common picnic destination among the
locals in Bagac. We have seen at least three families having fun around the
approximately 20-foot drop. It has a swimmable pool that can accommodate
at least 10-15 individuals at the same time.
According to our guide, Limutan Falls is under the management of their Barangay. I just hope that the caretaker could constantly inform their visitors to pick up their trash to maintain the cleanliness of the area.
According to our guide, Limutan Falls is under the management of their Barangay. I just hope that the caretaker could constantly inform their visitors to pick up their trash to maintain the cleanliness of the area.
After
we had our simple lunch by the pool, we traced back our
way to the CENRO office. As we walked on the trail, it was hard not to
notice the cashew plantation. Cashew or Kasoy is one of the main local products in Bataan. But many of us are only familiar with the nuts (seeds) and have no idea about the
fruit itself.
I picked a couple of cashew and challenged my friends to have their
first taste of the cashew fruit. To eat the fleshy fruit, you take a small
slice and dip the end part with enough salt, then eat the whole slice. I was
glad they liked the juicy fruit despite of the acrid taste. Many find eating
cashew fruit disgusting because of the smell and the after taste. But for people like us who got plenty of trees growing around, cashew was our daily source of natural vitamins. We also use the cashew tops as vegetable on our table.
![]() |
Forested area near Ambon Ambon (photo credit: Christine Fernandez) |
![]() |
Unripe cashew fruits and seeds still attached on the tree. |
All
in all, our trip to Ambon Ambon and Limutan Falls was something worth remembering
and truly challenging.
Travel
tip:
- Leave as early as 5:00 am when going to Ambon
Ambon and Limutan
- Bring enough water with you. Though spring water
is available in Limutan, it is still recommended to bring your own especially if you have a sensitive stomach.
- Pack light. You can do this activity on day
trip so just bring enough. As much as possible have water in your bag as back up.
- Wear long plants and long sleeves as precaution
to the poisonous trichomes of unknown plants in the vicinity. Also bring extra vinegar as first aid in case you get in contact with these trichomes.
- Bring extra rope with you if you wish to take the
shortcut to Ambon Ambon Falls.
- You can charter a tricycle from Bagac proper to take you to CENRO office.
For more information you can get in touch with the Bataan Tourism Center.
Bataan Tourism Center
Roman Superhighway
City of Balanga, Bataan
2100 Philippines
Contact Nos.
(047)237-4785
(047)237-4785
(047)237-4476
0927-960-1729
0949-680-2695
Email: bataan_tourism@yahoo.com
No comments :
Post a Comment