rainbow at tinago falls

“Tinago” in Filipino literally means hidden. As the name implies, Tinago falls is concealed. Though standing at 240 ft, one cannot simply just look above the skies to perceive it. Instead, he needs to look down and descend at least 300 steps.

So far in my Philippine travels, I found the Tinago falls the most serene and beautiful of all the waterfalls I’ve seen. I’ve been to Iligan’s Maria Cristina falls, Pagudpud’s Kabigan falls, Samal’s multi-tiered Hagimit falls, Camiguin’s Katibawasan falls, Siquijor’s Kambugahay falls, Bohol’s tiny little falls at the end of the Loboc river and none of them compared to the enigma brought by Tinago falls. Unlike the usual crystal-clear, greenish water of most waterfalls, the water is dark blue. With its deep, blue water, it is almost frightening to swim. Nobody is allowed to swim unless he wears a life vest. Local inhabitants told me that the water is so deep that some English researchers were unable to measure its depth because of its underneath funnel-like shape structure.

tinago falls and the fan-like drops

According to some folklores, a calm water with no leaves atop the water means that a victim would be sucked down and be killed by a sea monster living below. I suppose this tale is true especially if the “victim” is swimming without any life vest. For sure, he’d drown. I have tried to swim in it and it was frightening. If you put your face under and looked below the water, all you could see is darkness… darkness so deep that I thought it would consume me. Oh yeah I’m not claustrophobic but I’m a bit hydrophobic. I’m afraid of water especially if I was unable to step on anything under the water. Swimming in this falls might be more enjoyable if you’re not hydrophobic.

Furthermore, the site is developed as a tourist spot but not to the point where environment is ruined. Although the steps down the falls are cemented, there is a slight possibility that you might encounter wild animals along the way. Though I haven’t encountered any, there are some snakes in the area. Don’t take it as a sign not to visit this falls. Wild animals usually don’t attack. Instead, they stay away from humans, so they are harmless.

Tinago falls is located in Bgy. Ditucalan, Iligan City. Entrance is P10 (2007). Lifevest costs P25.

Maria Cristina Falls

Once upon a time, somebody suggested visiting Pagsanjan falls. But going there was a bit tricky. So this someone suggested visiting the infamous Maria Cristina falls instead. During that time, I was not aware where it was located. And since I learned about it in some classroom lessons during elementary, it strikes me and I ended up researching about this waterfall. I learned that it is located in Iligan City, so going there would be harder than going to Pagsanjan which is just in Laguna. Just then, somebody asked me to tour Camiguin. To get to Camiguin, I need to get to CDO first… and Iligan is 1 hour bus ride from CDO… and so voila! I now have a chance to visit this majestic waterfall.

Iligan city is not a major tourist attraction of our country. But for the benefit of everyone, it is known as a City of Majestic Waterfalls as there are about 20 waterfalls in the area. The most famous of these is the Maria Cristina falls which is also used as a hydroelectric plant. It is the primary power source of the entire Mindanao. The name Maria Cristina falls is taken from a legend wherein 2 sisters Maria and Cristina jumped down the falls because of some unrequited love. They both loved an unnamed sultan, who loved the 2 sisters as well. Since he cannot chose between the 2, and because the 2 sisters loved each other to the point of selflessly giving anything to the other, Maria jumped to the falls. When Cristina learned about this, she followed and jumped to the falls as well. When the sultan found about this unhappy incident, guess what happened? He isn’t foolish enough to jump and commit suicide.hehe. Instead, he buried the 2 sisters under the falls. As a tribute, he named the falls, Maria Cristina. The story ends wherein he was unable to marry until he died. If that’s because of guilt, we’ll never know.

I’ve read this legend in the tourist hall of Maria Cristina falls. During the Marcos era, it was known as a twin falls because of its 2 drops. I assume that these two drops are Maria and Cristina. Nowadays, the waterfall only has a single drop. But since it’s standing at 320 ft tall, I’d say that having only a single drop doesn’t matter. It is still magnificent. It is the tallest waterfall I’ve seen so far.

For those who would like to visit Maria Cristina Falls, it is located in Agus VI Hydroelectic plant located in Fuentes, Iligan City. As I recall, the waterfalls is only viewable by the public on weekends. If my memory serves me right, every Saturdays at around 8Am, the plant operators open the dam/gate so that the waterfall would flow and be viewed by the public.