The Waterfalls of Maragusan, Compostela Valley, Philippines

Maragusan ricefields

I planned this trip a year before the actual travel.  I've always wanted to explore, see, and do waterfalls chasing in Mindanao. The last time I explored Mindanao was two years ago. Among the places I visited was the falls in Lanao Del Norte, namely: Tinago Falls, Cathedral Falls, and Maria Cristina Falls and then the falls in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. Year 2014,  I promised myself to visit the falls in Mindanao. Maragusan was not part of the plan but since I opted not to go to Asik-Asik Falls and Bani Falls in North Cotabato, I had to find an alternative for my adventure in Mindanao.

 This is my second time to visit Compostela Valley and it was the best option. 

This visit made a permanent mark in my memory.

How to get there

From Davao 

Take the bus going to Tagum in Ecoland Terminal or Gaisano Mall in Davao. Travel time to Tagum is 1.5 to 2 hours. You can ride the Davao Metro Shuttle, Bachelor Bus or any of the buses plying the Tagum route and alight at the terminal of the bus and proceed to the terminal of the buses going to Maragusan. Fare of the bus going to Tagum is P80 (ordinary bus) or P115 (aircon bus). From Davao City to Tagum it is 55 kilometers. 

In Tagum City, you can either take the van to Maragusan (2 hours) for P130 or the bus (3 hours) for P80. There are many bus companies servicing the route such as Maragusan Tours, Mencidor Lines, Jessa Mae Tours and De Perio Express. From Tagum to Maragusan it is 97 kilometers.

Van rental is also available with special rates  from Davao to Tagum City.

From Butuan, Surigao City, Cagayan De Oro

Honestly, I have no idea.But I think, Tagum City is still the focal point of destination. It is best to take the Davao route for proximity, unless your flight is from Butuan, Surigao City of Cagayan De Oro.

Town of Maragusan, summer capital of Davao

So from Davao City International Airport, I boarded the bus going to Tagum and then the Mencidor bus going to Maragusan. I chose to ride the bus going to Tagum since it was raining that time and the road was very muddy. It was a good decision. There were landslides along the way and some of the roads were not passable for other vehicles.

Along the way to Maragusan, I passed by Nagbunturan, Tandawan and New Bataan, Compostela Valley.

And finally, after more than 3 hours, we reached the town of Maragusan.

my place of stay

It was past 12 pm when we reached the town and my instinct told me that I have to find accommodation. I wanted to see the falls in Maragusan and then head off to Matti. But the jeepney trips to Matti are slated 8:00 am, 11;30 am, and 12:30 pm. In other words, I have to stay for a night in Maragusan to see the falls.

Haven's Peak

Contact Numbers - Remy 0916-8285-189; Edith 0926-719-7558; PJ 0905-651-0906; Freya 0927-800-7982

Tribal huts - P1,400/pax

Dormitory type - P350/pax

Tent with beddings - P250

Tent Twin sharing - P400

Campers with tent - P150

Rahim Radja

I went around the bus terminal and asked for a habal-habal tour/ride in going to the falls and luck was on my side. I was approached by a habal-habal driver named Rahim Radja (Contact No.0918-522-3987). I negotiated fro the tour. According to the locals, I have to pay P100 to see only 1 falls. But I have to see the three famous falls of Maragusan. And after a short negotiation, the price was P300 for 3 waterfalls and 2 other (cold and hot) springs.

Rahim is one of the best habal-habal drivers I have met in Mindanao. Aside from his prolific driving skills, he was very friendly, talkative, entertaining and accommodating. His sense of humor is phenomenal!

And I also asked Rahim for a place to stay and he brought me to the best accommodation - Haven's Peak. At Haven's Peak, I was told that the lowest room is P800 but I was told that they have a dormitory-type for 6 persons and the price is P350/pax. Without hesitation, I took the P350 accommodation. The trek towards the top of Haven's Peak was already an adventure!!

Marangig Falls

There are numerous falls in Maragusan. I was told by the locals that there are nearly 20 falls in town. Lake Sebu has 7 falls and Maragusan as 20!!! OMG!

Among the known falls in Marugusan are Ugong, Bisnar, Cesar, Tagbibinta, Pyalitan, and Marangig. The best three are Tagbibinta (Brgy. Coronabe), Pyalitan (Brgy. Mapawa) and Marangig (Brgy. New Albay).

You can visit the Maragusan Tourism Office (Contact Nos. 0906-113-4569 Sierel / 0905-715-1535 Dennis) for further inquiry. Unfortunately, the office was closed that day and I had to rely on the limited knowledge of my driver/guide.

The other tourist spots in Maragusan are Haven's Peak Highland Resort (Poblacion), Aguakan Cold Spring Resort (Poblacion), and Kanlawig Hot Spring Resort (Poblacion). Maragusan is also famous for the flower Rafflesia Magnifica or the biggest flower in the world. You can also do hiking at Mt. Candalaga Mountaineering Trail (New Albay and Coronabe).

closer view of the falls

And so after my check-in at Haven' Peak, I immediately started with my habal-habal tour. It took us only less than 15 minutes before we reached our first spot. And the trail to the falls was good only for 5 minutes.

I took some pictures and videos and we headed towards our next destination.

Registration area

The ride to our next destination was longer than the first stop and it took us nearly 20 minutes before reaching the jump-off point. 

There was no registration area in our first falls but there was in the second falls and the entrance fee was P10.00 only.

I guess the entrance fee is not for the falls but for the huge swimming pool in the vicinity.

Tagbibinta Falls

From the registration area up to the falls, it took me only less than 7 minutes before reaching the falls. Tagbibinta is taller than Marangig but the tallest according to the locals is Pyalitan Falls.

There are a total of 13 falls in the area but I visited only the first one due to lack of time.

Cesar's Falls

After Tagbibinta Falls, we were supposed to go to Pyalitan Falls but Rahim was not sure on the exact location of Pyalitan (he promised he will find it for me on my next visit) and so we ended up in another falls. We got lost in the banana plantation (banana is the number one product of Maragusan aside form mining and copra).

But nonetheless after 30 minutes of getting lost in the habal-habal ride and another 45 minutes of trekking, we ended up in Cesar's Falls.

It was already nearly 4 pm and I told Rahim that we had to go back to the town to see the other tourist spots.

Maragusan is surrounded by acres and acres of banana plantation and your trip will not be complete without seeing any of the numerous banana plantation, And I did!

private cold spring

Rahim brought me to several private hot and cold springs in the area as a bonus for my tour in Maragusan.

Kanlawig Hot Spring

After 20 minutes of going around the banana plantation, we reached our fourth spot. I paid P25.00 for the entrance fee but I asked that my driver be spared from the fee and the staff was kind enough to oblige. I told the staff that we will be staying only for 10 minutes and we did.

Last stop for that day since it was nearly 5 pm was the Aguakan Cold Springs Resort. Kanlawig and Aguakan have the same owner and I was spared from paying the entrance fee this time.

After seeing 5 resorts (private and public), I can conclude that Aguakan is the best resort that I have seen in Maragusan.

It was past 5 pm and I told Rahim that we have to go back to Haven's Peak because I will be shooting the sunset. Unfortunately, it was cloudy that day and instead Rahim brought me to one of the mining tunnels in Maragusan. The road to the tunnels was perilous and the ride was very uncomfortable. But after seeing the tunnel, it was enough to compensate for the effort.

Tagbibinta was the best spot for the day since I did not see Pyalitan Falls. But as a whole, Maragusan is one of the best tourist spots that I have visited in the Philippines. And the Haven's Peak offers one of the best accommodations in Mindanao.

 In sum, Maragusan offers the following:

1. numerous falls

2. good place to stay and do swimming (Haven's Peak)

3. hot springs

4. cold springs

5. tour of the mining tunnels

6. tour of the banana plantation, and

7. best ride in town - habal-habal


Things to do in Maragusan

Joint venture with the Maragusan Tourism Office /Council
Falls Hopping / Trekking
Mountain climbing (3 days, 2 nights) at Mount Candalaga
Swimming at hot and cold spring
Cultural enrichments at Mansaka Village
Rafflesia Watching - the biggest bloom in the world
DOLE Stanfilco Banana Plantation
PYGSAWITAN Festival every 3rd week of November

It's More Fun in Compostela Valley!

  

Awao Falls, Monkayo, Compostela Valley, Philippines

Municiapl Hall of Monkayo

Mindanao is blessed with having numerous waterfalls. In fact, should there be an official listing of the top ten falls in the Philippines, Mindanao will get more slots since it boats of the following falls, namely: Asik-Asik Waterfalls and Bani Falls in North Cotabato; Maria Cristina Falls, Cathedral Falls, Limunsad and Tinago Falls in Lanao Del Sur; Aliwagwag Falls and Campawan Curtain Falls in Davao Del Norte; Tinuy-an Falls in Surigao Del Sur and the Maragusan Falls of Compostella Valley. 

But there is another one which a traveler, blogger, adventurer, waterfalls chaser or a simple tourist should see before he dies, and that is the Awao Falls of Monkayo, Compostela Valley.

Skylab shed (5 minutes away from the Municipal Hall)

How to get there

From Davao City, take either the Bachelor Bus, Metro Davao Shuttle or van ride to Monkayo.. The bus ride is good for 3 hours. Fare in the aircon bus is P140. In Monkayo, you have to rent a skylab towards the falls.

From Butuan, ride the bus going to Davao and the bus ride is good for 3.5 - 4 hours, then alight in Monkayo.

Rayous

Accommodations

You can choose from the following lodging establishments, namely: Rayous, JRC and Jovir.

I was billeted in Rayous (Contact Nos. 0943-130-2752 / 0917-723-5753) . The cheapest aircon room is P600.There are other rooms at the price of 700 and 1,000. But they have non-aircon rooms for backpackers dormitory room at the price of P180/ head.

I took the P600 room which has a television and a wifi

with Mamay, the driver

Skylab Ride to the Falls

Mamay (Contact no. 0946 738 4210)

You have to rent/charter a skylab ride towards the falls.

P200 one way ride
P400 round trip ride

Considering that the road is extremely rough, perilous and muddy (during rainy season) and from the town it is more than 18 kilometers, the P400 price is not that expensive.

Captain Bacolod's house

I was in Mindanao chasing waterfalls. And the town of Monkayo was the last stop before going back to Manila. 

I was looking further for an adrenalin pumping adventure and I got it here in  Monkayo! 

The Skylab ride towards the falls is a bit dangerous, uncomfortable (at times) and physically draining but it's all part of my adventure here in Monkayo. I will not hesitate again to have this experience. 

Going towards the falls, there was only one passenger but along the middle of the journey, we stopped at Mamay's former house and he asked for companions towards the falls. It was a lot easier for him having 3-4 passengers rather than having only one passenger. He had to balance the skylab and I was a bit heavy for the ride. After an hour, we reached the residence of Barangay Captain Moises Bacolod of Barangay Awao (Contact No. 0948-897-2495). Coordination with the barangay is a must and the barangay provided me with a tour guide (Price is P100-200 according to your own discretion, I gave P150.00). The name of my tour guide is  Noli Iyana (he has no phone). 

River crossing

From barangay hall, we had to cross the river and travel for another 15 minutes or 4 more kilometers before reaching the jump-off point towards the falls.

Again, it is a must that you have to coordinate with the barangay officials not only for safety reasons but because of the river crossing. It there is a flash flood, the river is not passable

jump-off point to Falls No. 1

Finally, after 1 hour and 15 minutes from the town of Monkayo, we reached the jump-off point. There is an entrance fee of P15.00 but I did not pay since there was nobody on duty that day.

From the jump-off point, you can already see the falls. According to Noli, the tour guide, there are a total of 3 falls and our first destination is Falls No. 1.

. 
The descending trek towards Falls No. 1 is good for 15 minutes. But since it was muddy and slippery that day (thanks to Typhoon Seniang), I was able to reach the falls in 20 minutes.

Mid way of the trek, the presence and the might of the falls can be heard and the size of the falls can also be seen. And what a sight it was!

After 20 minutes, my effort was rewarded with the beauty, splendor and grandeur of the falls. Behold Falls No. 1 of Awao Falls!

Honestly, I do not know how tall and big is the falls but based on this picture, you can have an idea on how big the falls is. Noli was dwarfed by the size of Falls No. 1.

. Falls No. 1 is the tallest and biggest among the three falls in Barangay Awao.

Even my companions were amazed by the size of the falls and they could not help themselves from staring at the falls.

Jump-off point for Falls No. 2

After taking some pictures and videos, we climbed back towards the jump-off point and headed towards Falls No. 2 and 3. According to Noli, there is a passage in Falls No. 1 leading towards Falls No. 2 and 3 and the trek was more than 30 minutes. 

  

The trek towards Falls No. 2 was good only for less than 5 minutes. Falls No. 2 of Awao Falls reminded me of the numerous falls in Laguna.

After seeing Falls No. 1, I was no longer excited to see Falls No. 2 since Falls No. 1 is taller and bigger but the nonetheless, the shape of the falls captured my attention.

half-way in my climb to falls No. 3

I thought the fun and adventure ended in Falls No. 1 until my guide told me that we have to climb Falls No. 2 itself in order to see Falls No. 3. I told myself this guy must be out of his mind, imagine the path!

This is the adventure!

I asked if there was another path towards Falls No. 3, and I was told that it was the only one. Again, another buwis-buhay (death-defying) adventure for me! It's December 30, 2014 and it will be New Year, the following day and I convinced myself, "You can do it!" With all the strength and courage, I climbed but I was very careful. One mistake and I will fall and I will be taken by the strong current of the falls and who knows if I will survive or not the fall!

After more than 15 minutes, I reached the top of Falls No. 2 and was surprised to see the curtain falls of Falls No. 3! The sight of the falls was enough to compensate for the effort, pain and sacrifice in climbing the falls. 

Descending from Falls No. 3, I was more careful since I can now see where I will fall! And after 15 minutes, I was at the base of Falls No.2 and I shouted, "Praise the Lord!" hahaha

Going back, I saw skylabs carrying timbers from the forest and I was shocked on how these skylabs could carry the weight of the timbers!

After reaching the barangay hall of Awao,  I paid the guide and my other companions also alighted. And this time, Mamay loaded the skylab with other passengers. I did not complain for two reasons; first, there was no other mode of transportation for the locals and second, I want to experience it. According to Mamay, the maximum passenger of the skylab is 8-10 passngers. But there was a total of eleven passengers! Yes, 11 passengers onboard the skylab going back to the town of Monkayo!

The Skylab experience, the long and winding rough road towards the falls, 11 passengers, and the sight of the 3 falls were MORE THAN ENOUGH for the adventure that I was looking for in Mindanao!

AWAO FALLS

Thank You Monkayo!

I LOVE MINDANAO!!

Total Expenses for the Tour

Skylab rent - P400

Tour guide (Noli) - P150

Photographer/Videogapher named "JR", a local - P120

Hotel - P600

Round trip bus ride - P280

Food - 300