Bohol has one of the most diverse landscapes and is the perfect island to get a sense of what the Philippines has to offer in terms of its natural wonders. Waterfalls, water caves, and cold springs are abundant here and you’ll have no problem finding one near you no matter what part of the island you are staying at! If you internet search water caves or waterfalls in Bohol plenty of lists will pop up. Even if you open up Google Maps and look at the map for Bohol, you’ll see that there are a ton of waterfalls, caves, and springs marked on the map. Often times we would be headed to an attraction and see a sign for another one nearby that we had no idea we would be passing! Bohol is just awesome like that! We got to visit 2 waterfalls during our stay, and the first one we went to is called Mag-Aso Falls. If you’re staying on Panglao Island and/or the west side of Bohol I highly recommend this waterfall as it is very easy to get to. It is also super beautiful, tons of fun, and the grounds are very clean and well-kept!
Mag-Aso Falls is located in Antequera, just north of Tagbilaran City. The scooter ride over is very pretty and has a more rural/jungle feel to it. If you enter Mag-Aso Falls on your phone’s GPS or Google map the directions to the falls you should have no problems getting there. We had no troubles at all and did not get lost or lose cell/GPS service. I would recommend looking at Google Maps before you depart your place though and making sure you get a sense of the directions in case you do lose service. You will also pass a cold spring (I cannot remember the name unfortunately) that you could stop at on your way there or back to your place. We were going to stop on our way back but we were so tuckered out from swimming at the falls. I regret not stopping by, so if you happen to make a pit stop there please let me know how it was! It is near the entrance of the falls and I believe the name started with an I. You can’t miss the huge sign for it! The Malingin Falls are also about 30 minutes away if you want to do some waterfall hopping and make a day out of it!
When you arrive there is a dirt parking area for scooters. There is a stand near the entrance where you will sign in (name, what country you are from, etc.) for safety. I believe the entrance fee was about 20 PHP. After you sign in you descend quite a few slippery steps (this could be difficult for some, especially on the way back up) and then you arrive to the most beautiful turquoise blue waters. Seriously, the color is the first thing I noticed and it was stunning!! The waterfall is surrounded by beautiful lush green jungle and there is absolutely no road noise, just the roaring of the rushing waters. It was very quaint and peaceful. There were two men down there who were workers and kept the place immaculately clean. There are a couple little huts to sit at, life vests, and floaties available. We climbed up further away from where people would sit (if there had been any) and left our stuff up there while we swam.
On the day we went the waters currents were calm enough to swim in but I have heard that the current can rapidly change and can potentially be dangerous. Always be aware of your surroundings and the conditions of the waters. According to tourist websites and Wikipedia, the 2013 earthquake greatly altered the falls as well as frequent flash floods in the area. They are supposedly not as magnificent as they once were, but I still think they are beautiful and charming. The natural pool is very deep so it’s fun to take a dip in. On the day we went we were able to climb onto the waterfall and take pictures. The falls may seem small but they are stronger than they appear! If you climb onto the waterfall for pictures PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS! Overall, we had so much fun swimming in this gorgeous and clean watering hole. It was fun to take a “shower” under the waterfall and I even jumped off of it (though it took me a long time and I was completely terrified)! After about 45 minutes of having the waterfall to ourselves, a couple other people started showing up, including 2 cops which scared us because we thought that maybe we were not supposed to be up on the waterfall even though we had seen pictures of people doing so. Turns out they just wanted to take our picture, haha! It was hilarious and once again solidified how much I love Bohol and the Boholanos. Here are some pictures of our awesome little day trip:
Well that’s about it for this post! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone! Let me know if you have been or if you are planning to go, fill me in on your adventure in the comments!!
Until next time,
Kelsie