Hulugan Falls Laguna Amazing Waterfall
Written by Dezza, 21 December 2017.
For those that have been reading the Deztiki Tours series of blogs, you would have read about some of the amazing Philippines destinations that we went to.
We did some easy hikes, we did some difficult hikes. We explored volcanoes, caves, we swam in waterfalls and cold springs, and generally, had a fantastic time in some of the best places in the Philippines.
In 2015, we ended up doing seven hikes and there was a lot of excitement about continuing to do more during 2016.
Our last hike for 2015 was up Mt Makiling and this was easily the hardest hike I had ever done. So to start 2016, we thought we would try something that was a little easier.
There are plenty of things to do in Laguna. There are a plethora of waterfalls in Laguna, so this was the obvious place to start looking. I had been doing my research about some waterfalls that would be a good day trip from Manila.
One of these waterfalls looked absolutely spectacular. This was Hulugan Falls located in Luisiana, Laguna. The article also mentioned that there was another waterfall nearby called Aliw.
However, it wasn’t very clear how to get from one to the other or how long it would take. So my friend, Wally, and I decided to go down on our own just to check it out ahead of time.
We wanted to double-check where these waterfalls were in proximity to each other.
As you can see here there was a large number of us on this hike. You can also see the massive tarpaulin with Hulugan Falls on it. For once, somewhere with clear signage!
Hulugan Falls Is Easy To Find!
We found Hulugan Falls Laguna with no problem. There is adequate roadside signage and the registration area was right near the main road. Bewdy!
We took a little drive down towards the waterfall as far as the sealed road would take us. This left us feeling pretty comfortable if we were to take a large group of people.
After that, we decided to head back along the main road to try to find Aliw Falls.
Unfortunately, finding Aliw Falls proved to be more difficult. There was no signage and the best directions we could get was from a family that lived near the junction.
There was a crappy road that apparently leads to Aliw Falls, but this was a lot more like an off-road track. If we were to take a large group of us, it probably wouldn’t be suitable for a bus or even a car. F
urther to this, we had no idea how long it would actually take us to go to Aliw Falls if we were to walk it. So we abandoned our attempt to find it.
Another Busload of Friends Enjoying a Day Trip From Manila
There was a lot of interest from friends about doing another hike so we just decided to go to Hulugan Falls Laguna.
As Hulugan Falls is in Luisiana, on the way to Lucban, it’s actually right over the other side of the mountains from Pagsanjan Falls which means it’s further.
It takes about 3.5 hours to get there from Manila as the roads are very windy. We felt that this was enough for us to do in one day.
We had a lot of interest in this trip buying our first one for the year and ended up with about 30 people. Once again we needed to hire a bus to accommodate everybody.
As mentioned the registration area is very close to the main road and isn’t too difficult to find. The registration fee is only P10 per person (when we were there).
You are also required to hire a guide at no cost, but you need to pay a tip. P300 is acceptable depending on how generous you’re feeling.
Hulugan Falls Is a Pretty Easy Hike
The first part of the hike is along a sealed road which makes things a lot easier. However, at the time we were there, part of the road was still under construction. T
here is a point where you need to leave the road anyway as you then move to the walking trail to get down to the bottom of the waterfall. When we were there, this proved quite difficult as it was very slippery.
It wasn’t particularly hilly and is definitely much easier than some of the other hikes I have taken. However, the last 50-60 meters down to the bottom of the waterfall are quite difficult to negotiate.
There is some bamboo railing to hold on to, but you do need to take extra care as it is quite steep and slippery during that section.
These are the steps down to the bottom of the waterfall. You can see they have some fairly clandestine bamboo railing to assist but extra care really needs to be taken.
When you’re about halfway down this section you get a clear view of the waterfall. It then becomes apparent how amazing and elegant is waterfall actually is.
Once you get down further, it is very rocky and you still need to take a lot of care. As you get up to the basin of the waterfall, there are plenty of places where you can sit down and relax.
Pure elegance and beauty
This is one of the tallest waterfalls I have been to, particularly in Laguna province. The height of the waterfall is easily 70 to 80 meters (200 feet or so).
It is also quite wide, maybe 20-25 metres (60-70 feet), and has a strong flow of water. It is virtually a perfect waterfall. One of the things that really blew me away was how many people were there, mostly locals.
One of the reasons I thought this would be a good place to visit is that it didn’t seem well known.
However, when you see this magnificent work of nature, it’s no wonder it has quickly caught on as a popular place to visit in Laguna province.
A truly majestic waterfall, unlike anything I have experienced in the country so far.
After eating lunch and relaxing from while it was time to jump in. We tried to get as close as we could as a water pounded down into the basin below.
It wasn’t too difficult to reach the water as it landed on the basin, but the fierce sound of the water crashing down and even the wind created by the water landing in the basin was amazing. It was almost like being stuck in a typhoon.
The power of the water crashing down was amazing. I guess with water dropping down from a couple of hundred feet there is always going to be some sort of turbulence.
A great day trip comes to an end
All in all, we stayed for a couple of hours and then made our way back to the bus. As we were leaving there were still groups of people arriving. This is no doubt becoming a very popular place to visit.
As mentioned earlier the infrastructure in the area was undergoing some development when we were there.
Hopefully, it should all be finished which would make things a bit easier. In terms of a hike, this is not an overly complicated location and is relatively easy. You could take young kids there but you would need to be very careful.
Next week we will feature another place in Laguna as we get back on the hiking trail. This hike took quite a long time although it wasn’t very difficult. However, it is probably the best hike we have done so far.
There was plenty to see with regard to the places we got to visit and the degree of difficulty wasn’t overly complicated. So make sure you keep your eyes out for the next edition as we get near the end of our Deztiki series.
Fast Facts:
Google Maps: Hulugan Falls
Hulugan Falls is located in Barangay San Salvador, in Luisiana, Laguna. From Makati to the main drop off area, it’s approximately 110kms and takes about 3.5hrs going via Calamba and Sta. Cruz.
You can take a bus from Buendia in Makati or Taft Ave in Pasay to Sta. Cruz which will cost no more than P200, and take about 3hrs. From Sta. Cruz you then need to take a jeepney to Luisiana. This should take under one hour and cost less than P50.
There is a huge Tarpaulin for Hulugan Falls on the right-hand side, so it’s pretty easy to find the jump-off/registration area.
Pack yourself a picnic and spend the whole day there. There are plenty of places to set yourself up and just spend a day swimming, relaxing and taking in the beauty and wonder of the place.
Travel lightly though as the track down for the last 15 mins is tricky.
If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to make comments below and share with friends and family. Please also check out the related articles below.
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