Hulugan Falls – Unexpected Journey

 

 

When I found out about this place online, my first reaction was “How come I’ve never heard of this place before?!”. I grew up surrounded by the beauty of Mt. Banahaw and Mt. Makiling. I haven’t been to all the beautiful places in my beloved province but it is fair to say that I have an idea what’s in it and where to find it.

Going to Hulugan Falls was a spur of the moment decision. I read about it online, sent it to a friend, then all of sudden it was set and agreed. We packed our bags and head on to the latest coveted quick weekend getaway destination.

The Road

Since I live several miles away from Luisiana we didn’t take the usual route. There are a lot of blogs that provides the route in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, so I decided to share another way to do it.

At the Festival Mall in Alabang, go to the Van Terminal near the Muntinlupa Fire Station entrance. Take the van going to Lucban, Quezon. Travel time is approximately 3-4 hours. Tell the driver to drop you off in Majayjay. From the Saint Gregory the Great Parish Church, walk or ride a tricycle to the jeepney terminal of Luisiana. It is 20 – 30 minutes ride from Majayjay to Luisiana, get off at the town plaza. I forgot how much we paid for the fare, but I am definite that it is less than P30.

From Luisiana, its another 15 minutes ride in a jeepney bound to Sta. Cruz. Tell the driver to drop you off at Brgy. San Salvador or Hulugan Falls. Jeepney fare is P8 only. The easy part is done! Now stretch your legs! 🙂

The Access

When we reached Brgy. San Salvador, we were welcomed by an arch marking the place. There’s an information desk near the tricycle terminal. We were instructed to take a tricycle to get to the Barangay Captain’s house where we had to register and hire a tour guide. Tour guide is a must. Registration fee is P15 per person and there’s no fix charge for the guide. It is up to the tourists’ generosity how much they’re going to compensate the guide for his assistance.

There are stores selling Bibingka, Pancit Habhab and Rice meals outside the Captain’s house. Eat something and buy several bottles of water. Load up those sexy bellies! You will definitely need it! 🙂 In our case, we brought our own food.

 

Take a deep breath! Half way there. 🙂 The road towards the entrance is still under construction, vehicles are not allowed in this area. Its a good 15 minute walk from the registration area. It is a nice warm up before the start of the journey.

The Trek

When I did my short “research”, most of the blogs indicated that it is going to be an hour walk. Well, I cannot say we walked. Its more like an hour of obstacle course. Below are the snippets of the trek. These are the what I deemed safe places to take pictures. I wish I was able to take more but my hands were busy holding on to something to keep my balance. 🙂

 

During the trek, three things was on my mind: “Thank God the weather was beautiful”, “Hold on to something, anything!” and lastly “Going back will be twice as hard”.

After 40 minutes or so of downhill trail, We heard the sign! Excitement kicked in! The previous challenge was suddenly gone. Then voila! This came in to view.

Everyone became so energized and eager to reach to site. We heard people laughing, screaming and having a good time.

 

The Plain Talk

 

 

Finally, we reached the Hulugan Waterfalls. This is second waterfall I’ve seen and so far the highest. There is a bed rock on the left side of the waterfall; we found a small available spot, settled in and took a sumptuous and very well deserved lunch.

While I was taking in the view, one eminent question was on my mind. How come the water is murky. I have very limited experience in regards to waterfall views but it shouldn’t be this way. Considering this is not an abused site yet (hopefully, I won’t reach that point).

We asked our guide which is one of locals of Brgy. San Salvador where the water is coming from. We were informed that the water is coming from an irrigation site somewhere. He is not definite but he said most likely the irrigation is in Cavinti. This information was also confirmed by another local guide.

This is indeed one unexpected experience. We stayed there for an hour and half then decided to head back home. The work out going back was twice as hard as getting in. 🙂