Hidden Paradise in Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur: Kagutungan Falls
How To Get There:
Via Commute:
- From MNL, ride bus heading to Vigan or Laoag.
- Ask kundoktor to drop you off at the Sta. Cruz Public Market.
- From there, you can rent a whole trike going to Brgy. Daligan for only P150.00.
Via Private Vehicle:
- Drive on to Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur.
- Ask locals where Brgy. Daligan is because frankly, I'm not so sure if it's before or after the public market.
- Brgy. Daligan is a 5.8km ride from the highway going eastward.
- You will be required to register at the basketball court before going to Kagutungan Falls.
- Tour guide is optional.
The Travel Details:
This was a quick side trip from our Dawara Falls escapade. We had to pass by Brgy. Turod and Brgy. Amarao before reaching Brgy. Daligan. We arrived past 4PM or so. We preferred having a tour guide with us since we wanted to reach the destination as quickly as we can. Kuya Tour Guide assured us that it will only be a 3-minute trek.
I don't know Kuya Tour Guide's basis for measurement but the trek was definitely more than 3 minutes. In fact, we weren't prepared by the length of whole ordeal.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2048"]
You have to register first before heading to Kagutungan Falls[/caption]
Don't get me wrong. It's still technically a short trek since it took us more or less 20-minutes kaso kasi naka-mindset talaga na 3-minutes lang. Haha. Salawahan ka, Kuya Tour Guide!
You will be greeted by the Kagutungan Falls marker at the jump-off point. From there, you will pass by a couple of rice fields before venturing into the lush forest leading to the falls.
We passed by an establishment named, 'Kagutungan Health Restoration Country Site', which appears to be their local rural health unit. Kuya Tour Guide said that they would often bring their sick loved ones there because it's the closest 'hospital' that they have. There are a plethora of herbal medicines found in the place so it's quite apparent that alternative medicine is widely practiced in the area.
There were also a couple of residential houses in the area. Weirdly enough, there weren't any 'residents' around. It felt a little creepy but then again, it may just be the effect of exhaustion and the sun slowly setting.
We crossed rivers twice so I suggest you bring with you your slippers. The trek is fairly easy. After less than 20 minutes or so, we were able to see Kagutungan Falls.
You can tell the place is already commercialized because of the presence of concrete gazebos and comfort rooms. There are also resting huts near the top of the falls. The basin is great for swimming. You can do cliff-jumping as well. We skipped taking a dip and just marveled at the seemingly untouched feel of the place.
Kuya Tour Guide said there's another wonder in Sta. Cruz named the Sinminublan Pool and the Botiki Cave. As much as we wanted to check the place out, it will take us another 30-minutes walk towards the opposite direction from which we came from. We no longer have enough time so we had to take a rain-check.
We took some photos, rested for a while, then took our leave. That was our last destination for the day. We grabbed a quick bite at Cruiser Burger Grill at Candon, Ilocos Sur then called it a day. Whew!
Share some of your Kagutungan Falls adventure here! I would love to hear about it. I only gathered a handful of information about the place. If there's anything you want me to know, please feel free to comment down below. Go ahead. I don't bite. *wink*
Via Commute:
- From MNL, ride bus heading to Vigan or Laoag.
- Ask kundoktor to drop you off at the Sta. Cruz Public Market.
- From there, you can rent a whole trike going to Brgy. Daligan for only P150.00.
Via Private Vehicle:
- Drive on to Sta. Cruz, Ilocos Sur.
- Ask locals where Brgy. Daligan is because frankly, I'm not so sure if it's before or after the public market.
- Brgy. Daligan is a 5.8km ride from the highway going eastward.
- You will be required to register at the basketball court before going to Kagutungan Falls.
- Tour guide is optional.
The Travel Details:
This was a quick side trip from our Dawara Falls escapade. We had to pass by Brgy. Turod and Brgy. Amarao before reaching Brgy. Daligan. We arrived past 4PM or so. We preferred having a tour guide with us since we wanted to reach the destination as quickly as we can. Kuya Tour Guide assured us that it will only be a 3-minute trek.
I don't know Kuya Tour Guide's basis for measurement but the trek was definitely more than 3 minutes. In fact, we weren't prepared by the length of whole ordeal.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2048"]
You have to register first before heading to Kagutungan Falls[/caption]Don't get me wrong. It's still technically a short trek since it took us more or less 20-minutes kaso kasi naka-mindset talaga na 3-minutes lang. Haha. Salawahan ka, Kuya Tour Guide!
You will be greeted by the Kagutungan Falls marker at the jump-off point. From there, you will pass by a couple of rice fields before venturing into the lush forest leading to the falls.
We passed by an establishment named, 'Kagutungan Health Restoration Country Site', which appears to be their local rural health unit. Kuya Tour Guide said that they would often bring their sick loved ones there because it's the closest 'hospital' that they have. There are a plethora of herbal medicines found in the place so it's quite apparent that alternative medicine is widely practiced in the area.
There were also a couple of residential houses in the area. Weirdly enough, there weren't any 'residents' around. It felt a little creepy but then again, it may just be the effect of exhaustion and the sun slowly setting.
We crossed rivers twice so I suggest you bring with you your slippers. The trek is fairly easy. After less than 20 minutes or so, we were able to see Kagutungan Falls.
You can tell the place is already commercialized because of the presence of concrete gazebos and comfort rooms. There are also resting huts near the top of the falls. The basin is great for swimming. You can do cliff-jumping as well. We skipped taking a dip and just marveled at the seemingly untouched feel of the place.
Kuya Tour Guide said there's another wonder in Sta. Cruz named the Sinminublan Pool and the Botiki Cave. As much as we wanted to check the place out, it will take us another 30-minutes walk towards the opposite direction from which we came from. We no longer have enough time so we had to take a rain-check.
We took some photos, rested for a while, then took our leave. That was our last destination for the day. We grabbed a quick bite at Cruiser Burger Grill at Candon, Ilocos Sur then called it a day. Whew!
Share some of your Kagutungan Falls adventure here! I would love to hear about it. I only gathered a handful of information about the place. If there's anything you want me to know, please feel free to comment down below. Go ahead. I don't bite. *wink*
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