Next to the mountains, my next favorite things are waterfalls. There’s just something relaxing and soothing about seeing a cascade of water – big or small. And when we went to Samal Island, we were fully aware of how limited our time was, so it was just Maxima Aquafun on our minds. And then, while riding on the tricycle on the way to the Resort, we passed by the turnoff leading to Hagimit Falls. Our trike driver suggested we stop by there later on the way back to the Wharf. And so we did exactly that.
From Maxima Aquafun, we rode on a habal-habal (they’re waiting right outside the Resort) for passengers. If memory serves me right, one person will pay around Php 50.00 to Php 60.00. (I can’t be completely sure because we had one person take care of all the cash outlay. We’re bean counters, after all. Haha!) The tricycle drivers brought us to the entrance to Hagimit and accompanied us inside, then they also served as our ride back to the Babak Wharf when we had to go back to the mainland.
Hagimit Falls Nature Park is around 5 minutes away from Maxima Aquafun (and 2 kms away from the Penaplata town proper, if that helps). It is like a reservation, an enclosed area with stream connections inside, the water flowing from the lush rainforests of the island. Or, at least, they are rainforests, according to some sources.
Again, how psyched was I that there was some walking and verrrry light hiking before you could get to where the waters are?
There’s this eye-catching structure, like a bridge with a series of rings. I don’t think it’s a bridge meant for passing through, but it sure made for some good photos.
There were huts and cottages all over the place, and we didn’t think about inquiring on how much they were because, well, we only had two reasons for coming here: to check out the falls, and wash off all that saltwater. 🙂
We spotted a small area that’ll be a perfect spot for washing up, but we decided to go head to the main waterfall first.
It is beautiful. Granted, I have been spoiled by all the the tall waterfalls back home in the Cordillera region, but this small waterfall has its charm as well. Maybe it’s the fact that there are small streams that you’ll pass through before getting to the main basin. Maybe it’s how the place was not fully commercialized (yay for the absence of stores inside) and, except for the concreted pathways and constructed bridges, it was all-natural.
There were several people already at the basin, and so we only spent a few minutes viewing the falls. (Plus, it looked pretty deep, and we came from the boondocks, which means swimming really isn’t something we’re good at.)
After that, we headed back up to that mini-waterfall we spotted earlier, and proceeded to just play around, letting the running water massage our backs while washing off all that salt from all that slidin’ and blobbin’ we did earlier.
By the way, that huge marking or graffiti marked on the rock face behind us is not our doing. It was already there when we arrived. Just sayin’. 🙂
And here’s a “guard” that could not be bothered to move away from the path. What a boss.
I think we spent the better part of an hour here. We then changed into dry (or drier) clothes, then headed back to the Wharf to catch the ferry back to the City. During the ferry ride, I dozed off. All that excitement wore me out, haha!
In summary:
I suggest making a visit to Hagimit Falls and Maxima Aquafun a package. You can pack it all in one day or even one afternoon. I think you can even go to the bat cave nearby, but we skipped that because it was already getting late, and cave viewing is not really advised in the late afternoon.
Costs per person (estimates):
Habal habal from Maxima Aquafun to Hagimit, and Hagimit to Babak Wharf – max of Php 60.00
Entrance fee (environmental fee): Php 50.00
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