Part of our Panay Adventure was visiting Bucari Pine Forest
in Leon, Iloilo. But aside from the relaxing camping ground in Bucari it is recommended also to experience the waterfalls of Camandag.
Since we were on a tight budget, we opted to walk towards
the site of the said waterfalls. We were assured by a local that the location
of Camandag was only around 30 minutes from Bucari in Sitio Tabionan.
For two hours, we were traversing the rolling hills and
already passed by some vegetable farms and yet the sought after waterfalls were far from
our sight. We asked again a local and this time we were told that to reach Camandag we
still need to walk for additional 30 minutes. Damn, my leg hurts!
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| Crossing this vegetable farm going to Camandag coming from Bucari |
Tiring as it may seem, we did not lose hope and continue
walking until finally we have reached a creek signifying the presence of the
waterfalls.
We first stop by at the Barangay hall to rest where we bought
some cold refreshment to ease the scorching heat of the sun.
The local people were so friendly that even one young lad
offered to accompany us to the secret location of the waterfalls.
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| Scary makeshift bamboo bridges going to Camandag |
There are several waterfalls in the area. The most “popular” and "safe" is the Imoy Falls. This is haven among the youngsters of the village.
You can
see the children enjoying diving from a cliff into the clean pool of water. That
scenario was a typical Philippine countryside and you would envy the local as
it is seldom that you will witness such merriment.
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| One of the falls in Camandag |
We endured another 30-minute walk until we reached the
biggest waterfalls in the area. During our visit, the locals still have no
official name for the waterfalls. We were lucky that day that the water was
abundant, cascading and embracing the mossy-cliff of the waterfall.
The environment was just cool and enticing
for us to immediately put off our clothes and dip into the water. The
place was serene and the surrounding is picturesque without any piece of
garbage seen around. The experience was just rewarding after the almost
3-hour trek that we were succumbed into a paradise-like environment here in Camandag.
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| The biggest waterfalls in Camandag around 45 feet drop |
After the refreshing bath, we opted to return to Bucari
since our transportation service was waiting there. But this time we took the
easier way by renting a habal habal (motorbike) back to Sitio Tabionan.
I would really recommend coming to Camandag to experience
the untainted environment. I just hope that future visitors would respect the
place the way the locals have protected their natural resources.
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