Climbing mountains will always be my happy pill. 📍Panimahawa Ridge
🇵🇭IMPASUGONG ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Impasugong, Bukidnon:
⏺ Take a plane from Metro Manila (e.g. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia) to Laguindingan Airport (Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental).
⏺ Ride a cab or bus to get to Agora Terminal (travel time: 30 – 45 minutes depending on traffic condition).
⏺ Transfer to a bus bound for Davao City to reach the municipality of Impasugong (travel time: 2 – 3 hours).
⏺ If coming from Davao City, ride a bus from Ecoland Bus Terminal en route to Cagayan de Oro (travel time: 5 – 6 hours).
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
⏺ Panimahawa Ridge
📌Remind the bus conductor that you will be alighting at Impalutao Elementary School.
📌Your guide will pick you up and take you to Ant Farm which serves as the jump-off to Panimahawa (informing Ant Farm beforehand is advised).
📌The hike to get to the ridge takes about 1 – 2 hours depending on your pace.
⏺ CEDAR (Center for Ecological Development and Recreation)
📌Ask the bus conductor to drop you off at the entrance of CEDAR in Barangay Impalutao. If coming from Ant Farm, you may hire their motorcycle drivers to take you to CEDAR to save on time.
📌This eco-park has three waterfalls that you can visit.
📌The waterfall circuit covering Gantungan Falls, Natigbasan Falls and Dila Falls would take about 1 – 2 hours depending on your pace and duration of stay in each waterfall.
📌Upon paying the entrance fee, you may ask the reception area for available guides. The guides in Ant Farm can also accompany you to reach the waterfalls.
⏺ Lovers’ Lane/Atugan Canyon
📌Alight at Impasugong Tourism Center. Your landmark is the giant headdress.
📌Charter a tricycle or motorcycle that will take you to Atugan viewpoint.
📌There is no need for trekking as the view deck overlooking the canyon is just along the highway.
⏺Communal Ranch
📌The ranch is accessible via motorcycle and 4×4 vehicles (no need to trek).
📌Horseback riding is one of the activities you can do here.
⏺Balisbisan Falls
📌The downhill trek to get to the waterfall takes about 15 – 30 minutes depending on your pace.
I first set foot in the province of Bukidnon in 2013. It was just a typical sort of posh countryside tour in Manolo Fortich. But when I got the chance to visit the municipality of Impasugong in 2018, it felt like I committed a mortal sin for not being able to explore the beauty of its mountains back then. 📍Panimahawa RidgeI’ve been seeing photos of Panimahawa for quite some time but I never really had a concrete plan when to visit. So the moment my friends and I booked our plane tickets for our backpacking trip in Mindanao in 2018, I immediately started researching for our itinerary.When someone hears about Bukidnon, mainstream travelers usually associate the province with the town of Manolo Fortich where Camp Phillips and Dahilayan Adventure and Forest Parks can be found. But there is actually more to Bukidnon than these tourist attractions. 📍Panimahawa RidgeThrough social media, it seemed as if the world has finally put the town of Impasugong in the tourism map. This municipality definitely has some of the most dramatic scenery I have seen in my entire life. Some of the landscapes here are unique that you won’t see similar ones in other parts of the Philippines. They may be akin to those found in Cordillera but the mountains of Bukidnon have their own character and identity. 📍Panimahawa RidgeMy first travel in Impasugong transpired in 2018 together with my high school friends. The night before our trip to Bukidnon, we had our dinner at a restaurant near Ecoland Terminal. We just got back from our day tour in Samal. Right after eating, we spent some time at a 7-Eleven to charge our gadgets before getting inside the bus terminal. We didn’t book any accommodation as we would be spending our night on a bus en route to Impasugong. 📍Panimahawa RidgeSince our first destination in our itinerary was this famous ridge of Panimahawa, we asked the bus conductor to drop us off at Impalutao Elementary School. We already contacted Sir Bob of Ant Farm beforehand so by the time we alighted at Impalutao, we were picked up by two motorcycle drivers from Ant Farm.We registered and paid the fees upon reaching the jump-off. There were already people who started their trek to the ridge ahead of us. It was a holiday so I was expecting quite a number of visitors that day.It was still dark when we commenced our trek. Our goal was to reach Panimahawa Ridge before sunrise.The trek was a piece of cake at the beginning as we strolled through flat grassland.As we progressed, I noticed that the trail was pretty much rolling, ascending for a few minutes then descending again. But most of the time, it was an easy descent. And I was like: More descents mean more draining assault portions to return to the jump-off. Damn.When we reached the last leg of our hike, we took a breather at a small hut before braving the final assault towards the ridge.Our trek lasted for only less than an hour. It was obvious how excited we were to see the beauty of Panimahawa.We were just in time for sunrise. Witnessing this phenomenon atop the mountains kind of emanates that lively feeling perfect for energizing the spirit.Considering it was a holiday, there were a lot of people during that time. Besides, Panimahawa is a relatively easy and short hike so I wouldn’t be surprised that this has become a mainstream hiking destination.Since the ridge is wide enough for huge groups of visitors, there will always be available spaces for your photo sessions.It may be crowded but our guide said that there are instances that the number of hikers is much more overwhelming than what we saw that day as if it’s a blockbuster movie.We explored the spots without other people in our frames to fully enjoy the splendor of Panimahawa Ridge.The sun was already above the horizon when my friend started setting up his drone. Bird’s-eye view shots are excellent for terrains as beautiful as this.We planned the angles for our shots because we only got two batteries with enough juice. We already used the other one in Samal and since we didn’t stay at a hotel to charge the night before, we had no choice but to wisely use our batteries for our pictorial.Some of our drone shots were still beautiful, albeit captured against the light.Some pictures were indeed shot using a drone but some were just taken by my mirrorless camera like this one. Sometimes, you don’t really need a drone for your photos to look like this. You just need to employ your skills in framing and recomposing. You will notice “little me” strolling in some of the long-range shots we’ve taken.It was already getting hot and there are no trees to cover us where we could rest so we maximized our time by taking more photos before our descent. Our drone’s batteries were already exhausted after all.If standing atop Panimahawa ridge, you will be awed by this expanse of pineapple plantation on this side.If you pan your camera towards the other side, you will see the photographic curves of these hills.We ended our adventure here in Panimahawa right at this spot. By the time we started our descent at 8:00 AM, we were the only people left at the ridge.The dreaded assault has finally come on our way back to Ant Farm. It was not really difficult but the scorching heat aggravated that exhausting feeling as we continued going up the steep portions of the trail. I was famished by the time we reached the jump-off. I quickly changed my clothes dripping with sweat. We then had our brunch before preparing for the second phase of our day tour in Bukidnon.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY:
DAY 1
1:00 PM ETA Laguindingan Airport
2:00 PM ETD for Ant Farm
DAY 2
4:00 AM Commence trek to Panimahawa Ridge
5:30 AM ETA Panimahawa Ridge
8:30 AM Head back to Ant Farm
10:00 AM Brunch
11:00 AM ETD for Lovers’ Lane/Atugan Canyon
12:00 PM ETA Atugan Canyon
1:30 PM ETD for CEDAR
2:00 PM Commence trek to waterfalls
5:00 PM Wash up
6:00 PM Head back to Ant Farm
DAY 3
7:00 AM ETD for Communal Ranch
8:00 AM ETA Communal Ranch
10:00 AM ETD for Balisbisan Falls
12:00 PM Wash up
1:00 PM ETD for Cagayan de Oro or Davao City
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo traveler): Php 3,000 – 4,000 (exclusive of airfare)
***Expenses may vary depending on personal consumption of food and other necessities. If traveling alone, you will solely shoulder the guide fees and motorcycle transfer rates.
We hired the motorcycle drivers at Ant Farm to take us here at our second destination, Atugan Canyon. It is also popularly known as Lovers’ Lane.For a much cheaper option to reach the viewpoint of Atugan, we originally planned to just take the bus from Impalutao Elementary School then ride a tricycle from the giant headdress at the crossing going to Poblacion but hiring the service of the drivers from Ant Farm would save us time.As we were traversing the winding Old Sayre Highway en route to Lovers’ Lane, our eyes feasted on the breathtaking views along the road which somehow reminded me of Benguet and Mountain Province.Bukidnon is like the Cordillera of Mindanao in terms of its magnificent mountains and landscapes. The climate is also relatively colder.I was amazed right away the moment we arrived at the view deck. It was really just along the road. Isn’t it nice to savor this awesome natural wonder without having to hike just to see it up close?Since the view deck of Atugan Canyon is just along the highway, it seems like no one really considers it special because the locals here are used to seeing this view. But for someone who has lived in the city for years, spectacular landforms such as this one seem like a gift from heaven.I first saw photos of Lovers’ Lane from a Facebook friend of mine who lives in Bukidnon. I immediately asked him for directions on how to get here as there are virtually no blogs detailing about this canyon.Because my friend was able to charge his drone using his power bank while we were resting and eating at Ant Farm, we got enough battery for a quick flight.The province of Bukidnon is really the land of jaw-dropping plateaus, valleys and canyons. Its immense landscapes will surely take your breath away.The flat portion of Lovers’ Lane may not be that wide but it’s enough for visitors to get a lot of frames for their photos. It seemed like we never ran out of angles to capture.About half an hour passed and we bid goodbye to the canyon. It was finally time for a refreshing tour inside CEDAR.We paid the entrance fee upon entering the premises of CEDAR. The boy who guided us to Panimahawa would also be accompanying us to the waterfalls. It was past 1:00 PM when we started our trek. 📍Dila FallsIt was a leisurely walk as we passed by huge trees and lush greenery along the trail. The forest’s giant trees create an enchanting atmosphere as though we were transported in a fairy tale. Aside from the fresh breeze of wind, the trees also gave us cover from the afternoon sun.I immediately set up my tripod and camera for long exposure shots when we reached this waterfall. It is called Dila Falls because the mighty drop of the water resembles a tongue or “dila” in Filipino.We went back to where we came from using the same trail but before seeing Gantungan Falls, we stopped by this stream just right above the waterfall to take a breather. The clean water was really inviting for a quick dip but we had to hurry as dark clouds began to form which might ruin our waterfall adventure after a heavy downpour.We proceeded to the portion of the trail leading to Gantungan Falls and scrambled down a steep ravine before reaching this waterfall. Due to the dry weather the past few months, it seemed that Gantungan Falls had not received any strong rainfall hence the shallow water between these towering rocks.What I love about this waterfall is how it resembles a small gorge with thick vegetation protecting its visitors from the rays of the sun which makes its cascades colder.After we had taken a few shots, it started drizzling which signaled an imminent downpour. It also meant not being able to visit the last waterfall on our list, Natigbasan Falls. We frantically climbed up the trail as we would be stuck in the ravine due to possible flash floods because of the rain.On our way back, we had to stop by a cottage when the intense rainshower completely drenched us. It was near the pool where loads of tourists were swimming. We called Ant Farm to have our motorcycle drivers pick us up at CEDAR. Boy was I so relieved the moment the drivers arrived. But the rain was just warming us up for our misfortune.It appeared to be an impossible feat as we drove through the highway under the heavy rainfall. It must have been difficult for our drivers to maneuver due to virtually zero visibility. On top of that, we were also shivering from the cold. The path going to Ant Farm from Impalutao Elementary School was quickly flooded. We may have missed the last waterfall in our itinerary but at least we safely arrived at Ant Farm. After having a quick change of clothes, our drivers brought us back to the school where we hopped on a bus bound for Cagayan de Oro City. It was going to be a much longer overnight travel from Cagayan de Oro to Butuan City then Butuan to Surigao City to catch the morning trip of passenger boat en route to Dinagat Islands.
📜✏ Tips/Reminders:
📌Contact Ant Farm in advance if you plan on visiting Panimahawa as this is the only place where you can get guides who can accompany you to the ridge.
📌If you don’t have packed lunch, you may ask the store at Ant Farm to cook rice for you. They also sell canned goods. Ant Farm is far from the town proper of Impasugong where you can dine at eateries/restaurants.
📌Always check the weather first if you’re going to the waterfalls inside CEDAR. A heavy downpour in the mountains may trigger flash floods and strong current which may pose danger when doing the waterfall circuit.
📌You may bring your own tents and camp out at Ant Farm.
📌You can adjust your itinerary accordingly if you want to spend a night atop Panimahawa Ridge.
📌If you are not into camping, you may opt to stay at a hotel in Malaybalay City instead. The city is roughly a half an hour ride to Impasugong.
📌Expect rain and muddy trails during monsoon season (June-February).
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
☎️ Contacts:
📌Ant Farm POC: Sir Bobby (09978013135)
📌Communal Ranch and Balisbisan Falls Tour Guide: Kuya John Donasco (09564220069) – contact him beforehand if you want to include Communal Ranch and Balisbisan Falls in your itinerary.
NEWS FLASH: This sharing of my experience in Impasugong is not yet over. I would like to warn you a photo-heavy blog post because I really wanted to showcase how awesome Bukidnon is. 📍Communal Ranch
The succeeding photos you will be seeing were taken in Communal Ranch, still in the same municipality. Boy am I so glad that I made this second trip to Impasugong, a year after my first one.It was May 2019 when my friend and I embarked on this unforgettable 11-day backpacking journey in Visayas and Mindanao and I made sure to include Bukidnon in our itinerary.We already checked off Maguindanao, South Cotabato and Mati in our exhausting Spartan itinerary. We only got a few hours of sleep after our Mati trip but we had to leave our hotel in Davao City by dawn to catch a bus at Ecoland bound for Bukidnon.We were quite a bit late due to heavy traffic conditions at town and city centers where we passed by. It was almost lunch time when we reached Impasugong.I already contacted our guide in advance so he picked us up at Impalutao Elementary School. Because it would be too much of a hassle carrying our big backpacks on the motorcycles, we decided to leave our bags at his house.We first headed to an eatery near CEDAR where we could have our lunch. I was fidgety because of the excitement of wanting to see the ranch and anxiety at the same time since it was already noon and we had not accomplished anything yet.After eating, I asked our guide if we could drop by CEDAR so I could take a photo here at the entrance. I didn’t get a chance to get one during my first trip because the skies rained on us. I find this parallel positioning of trees planted in an orderly manner photographic.We finally proceeded to Communal Ranch on board our motorcycles. My friend and I decided to hire one motorcycle each for easier maneuvering through rough roads.We traversed the Old Sayre Highway on our way to the ranch. Nostalgia finally kicked in when I saw the scenic views along the road as our ride definitely brought back memories of my first Impasugong trip the year before.The rough portions of the road leading to the ranch made our ride kinda bumpy, with the occasional jerks here and there but it was negligible nonetheless compared to some of the roads I have experienced in other rural areas of the country.As we continued our journey, my eyes indulged in the grandiose mountain ranges of Bukidnon. I didn’t mind the heat of the sun and my excitement grew more and more as we were nearing Communal Ranch.Lo and behold, we finally arrived at Communal Ranch. This 642-hectare ranch is the sole government-owned ranch in the country.We parked by the house in the middle of the wide greenery which is the only man-made structure amidst the vastness of the ranch.The expanse of Communal Ranch serves as the playground for grazing horses and cows.My friend and I then walked towards the flat pathway to get a closer shot of this view.It may be scorching hot but I was thankful that the weather cooperated that day.Across the edgy mountain on the other side is this mountain which served as my background in this photo. Too bad the grassland was brown in color due to dry spells the previous months.We then walked farther to the left side and jumped over the fence to get this shot.It may look like we were on a hike but we actually just walked along the flat trail towards the fence for only a couple of minutes.There’s really no need to exhaust yourself to be awarded with views like this. Sometimes, what we’re looking for might just be around the corner. After all, there’s no need for a technical climb as Communal Ranch is accessible to vehicles.We walked farther from the fence to capture unobstructed panoramic views of the landscape.You will never run out of frames to capture in your camera. I just wanna click and click and click all day long.If ever you will be visiting Communal Ranch, I strongly encourage you to explore. You may stay at the house but you will miss out on a lot of things if you don’t check out these spots. Some of my friends have already visited the ranch but they’re not aware that I took these photos here. That’s because they didn’t look around and explore.A couple of steps away from the previous photo was this protruding rock which is pretty much similar to that of Toong Trail in Nasugbu.We ended our exploration right at this spot. We would have wanted to continue exploring but we were pressed for time.We walked back and waited for one of the cowboys with a horse. It would be nice to have the beautiful view of the mountains as background while horseback riding. My bad for being such a poser feeling like a pro.Yeah, I know. I was such a pussy for using an umbrella but my skin was too much sunburnt from all my years of traveling so my friends always remind me to use sun protection.Our horseback riding activity actually lasted for only a few minutes. It was my first time to be honest and boy was it so scary. I never thought that the adventurous and risk-taker side of me was too frightened. It felt as if the animal was gonna go berserk and run while I was on it.On our way back to the house, we stopped by this portion for another shot of the verdant landscape.A group of visitors was prepping inside the house for their prenup photo shoot. This picturesque place is undoubtedly perfect for pictorials.We rested first while sharing stories with our guides before leaving for our next destination. It was such a beautiful day as we enjoyed the nice view and cold breeze of the mountains.We bid goodbye to Communal Ranch and paid our cowboy for the short yet fun experience of horseback riding. I am looking forward to maybe spending a night at this ranch in the future.Once we were back at the highway, we continued our journey to the giant lumad headdress at the tourism office of Impasugong which serves as the landmark of the town. We bought some boiled sweet corn glazed with butter for snack from one of the street vendors in front of the tourism center.We then took a peek at Alalum Falls in the nearby town of Sumilao. Upon arrival, we noticed that there was no powerful stream cascading down the waterfall due to the dry season so we decided to just observe from the viewing deck.Because we were quite disappointed with what we saw at Alalum Falls, our guide took us to this waterfall hidden in the wilderness. 📍Balisbisan FallsIt was a downhill trek to reach Balisbisan Falls. The trek was quick but quite a steep one. Good thing the trail was dry. I could imagine how horrendous it would be had we visited during rainy season.There were no tourists when we arrived. We didn’t take a dip since this was just a side trip.The small cascades seeping through the stone wall covered in dense vegetation remind me of North Cotabato’s Asik-Asik Falls.This was the part when I noticed a green pit viper chilling out below the cascades. For someone who is afraid of any creature that slithers, I could have screamed at the top of my lungs but I was even stunned at myself for stealthily walking down to avoid the snake. After all, I was the intruder in its abode.We crossed the river and trekked for a few minutes to see this spot just a couple of meters away. We then decided to return to the jump-off and scaled the seemingly unending assault to go back to the plateau where we came from.The sunlight was already directional as we made our way to our last destination, Panimahawa Ridge. I could never skip seeing this place where all my fascination for Bukidnon started.The place was deserted when we arrived. We got Panimahawa Ridge all to ourselves. The color of the grassland seemed drier compared to my first hike as the hues switched between brown and orange due to the rays of the sun about to sink below the horizon.Just like my first Panimahawa Ridge climb, the experience was very much surreal. We may not have a drone this time but we were still able to achieve drone-like shots using our cameras.Since the majority of my hiking trips transpired in the morning and at noon time, I decided to adjust our itinerary so that I could catch the sunset this time. The elements may have been different because of the direction of the sunlight but the charm that the mountain radiated still made the experience memorable nevertheless.The only challenge we encountered was that it felt like we were on a race against time. We trekked briskly just so we could capture everything as the sun was about to set. Just like in this photo, only half of the frame was still covered by sunlight.We walked towards this spot overlooking the pineapple plantation and waited out the fading colors around us brought about by the setting sun. The sky was clear and there was no impending thunderstorm which might ruin that precious moment.We leisurely walked back as we took photos then stopped at this portion of the trail to finally bid farewell to the sun.It was getting dimmer but we stayed a bit more to get this shot. We headed back to our guide’s house for dinner before hailing a bus bound for Cagayan de Oro. It was going to be a butt-numbing travel to Surigao City so we could cross Surigao Strait via ferry to reach Southern Leyte.Seeing Panimahawa Ridge the second time felt like a wish fulfillment after a year of longing to go back home. This blog post of mine showcases just a fraction of Impasugong that’s why I promised myself that I will come back to see the rest of the town’s natural attractions and the whole of Bukidnon.
***For other destinations in Northern Mindanao, you may visit this link.
2 Comments
Alvin Robert Acuin Glori
Grabe detailed hebehebeb sipag mo ikwento lahat lol salamat
Riley
hehe welcome po thank you din