Ah, waterfalls and Mindanao has lots and lots of it! But did you know that there are a few very accessible waterfalls around the island and it’s island provinces? So accessible that you can just drive, park by the roadside and already see this wonder of nature. This is perfect for the lazy traveler who doesn’t want the steep ascent and descent just to see one! 1 Aliwagwag Falls It’s considered the longest waterfall in the country and with the most number of levels! Aliwagwag…Continue Reading “Roadside waterfalls around Mindanao for the lazy traveler”

Maria Cristina Falls is Iligan City’s most accessible and easy to visit! I can still vividly remember, 27 years ago, while vacationing with a group of seminarians from Don Bosco, and I was in high school then, we motored up to the winding road from the highway and came to this monstrous hydropower plant, the Agus VII. Behind it was the beautiful Maria Cristina Falls. Fast forward to last Saturday, I rode a habalhabal up the same winding road. This time, I paid 50 pesos…Continue Reading “Visiting Maria Cristina Falls after 27 years”

A week before the feast (29 September) of St. Michael the Archangel, San Miguel Arcangel, to most devotees in Iligan City, devotees lined up inside the city’s modern cathedral to venerate the image. It is also the time when the city gets festive with competitions, food fairs, and dances. What is interesting about the icon is that, compared to the Visayas and Mindanao that has been Christianized in the 16th century, its one of the few in the island of Mindanao. An antique probably dating…Continue Reading “Venerating the antique icon of San Miguel Arcangel, Iligan City”

It was another beautiful waterfall in Lanao del Norte, but more remote, more challenging than Cathedral Falls. Our first attempt to go there, we had to postpone it as it was already 4PM and the dark sky was foreboding. But it didn’t dampen our spirits. We departed after lunch the next day. After visiting the barangay captain who gave us a guide, we hit the trail. I was expecting a forested setting but we passed by bucolic sceneries, river bends and coconut groves. After 30…Continue Reading “A challenging trek to Sta. Cruz Falls”