The four-hour motorcycle ride for about 150 kilometers to see this waterfall will always be a story worth sharing. Definitely one for the books! 📍Niludhan Falls, Bayawan City
🇵🇭NEGROS ORIENTAL ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Negros Oriental:
⏺ Take a plane from Metro Manila to Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport (e.g. Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific).
⏺ If you are coming from Bacolod City, ride a bus from South Terminal bound for Dumaguete City via Kabankalan/Mabinay (travel time: 5 – 7 hours depending on traffic condition and number of stop-overs).
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
⏺ Lake Kabalin-an and Twin Lakes of Balinsasayao and Danao
📌From Dumaguete City, ride a public jeepney bound for Amlan (travel time: 20 – 30 minutes).
📌Alight at Lala-an Junction in the municipality of San Jose.
📌Charter a motorcycle that will take you to the natural park (travel time: 30 – 45 minutes).
📌Lake Kabalin-an is just behind the registration area while you would need to trek a few meters to get to Lake Balinsasayao. As for Lake Danao, you would be need to ride a boat or you may opt to trek to get to the viewdeck.
📌The natural park is open until 5:00 PM.
⏺ Pulangbato Falls, Casaroro Falls and mountain resorts of Valencia (e.g. Forest Camp Nature Resort)
📌From Dumaguete City, ride a public jeepney bound for the town of Valencia (travel time: 30 – 45 minutes).
📌At the town proper, hire a motorcycle to get to these spots.
📌There is no trekking needed for Pulangbato Falls while the trek to get to Casaroro Falls takes about 30 – 45 minutes depending on your pace. Please be reminded that you will be going down stairsteps. Always check the weather first since there is river-crossing to get closer to Casaroro.
📌You will pass by the mountain resorts of Valencia such as Forest Camp Nature Resort on your way to Casaroro Falls.
⏺ Hinakpan Hills and Kansalakan River of Guihulngan City
📌From the bus terminal in Dumaguete City, ride a bus bound for San Carlos City or Canlaon City and ask the bus conductor to drop you off at the bus stop in Guihulngan City (travel time: 3 – 3.5 hours).
📌Charter a motorcycle that will take you to the viewdeck of Hinakpan Hills and Kansalakan River.
⏺ Rice Terraces of Canlaon City (as of this writing, Mt. Kanlaon is closed for hiking)
📌From the bus terminal in Dumaguete City, ride a bus bound for Canlaon City (travel time: 4 – 4.5 hours).
📌If you are coming from Bacolod City, ride a bus from South Terminal bound for Canlaon (travel time: 2 – 2.5 hours).
📌Hire a motorcycle to get to the rice terraces. Just tell the driver that you will be going to Sitio Mananawin, Malones Pool in Lower Pula, Kanlaon Inland Resort and Century Balete Tree/OISCA Farm). You will be passing by countless numbers of rice terraces along the way.
⏺ Niludhan Falls of Bayawan City
📌From Dumaguete City, ride a bus bound for Bacolod via Kabankalan/Mabinay and ask the bus conductor to drop you off at Paniabonan Crossing (travel time: 2 – 2.5 hours).
📌Transfer to a bus bound for Bayawan City and alight at Niludhan Falls.
📌Walk for a few minutes to get closer to the waterfall.
📌Please be reminded that buses which pass by Paniabonan Crossing bound for Bayawan City are limited so you may opt to hire a motorcycle/tricycle at Paniabonan Crossing to get to Niludhan Falls.
It was supposed to be an adventure of a lifetime with my college blockmate. Unfortunately, my friend got confused with the dates of our trip so he was not able to plot the correct dates for his vacation leaves. I actually needed time to think it over whether I should push through with this trip or not. We already bought the plane tickets months prior to our travel dates. This won’t be my first time to travel alone anyway so I was like, “What are my reservations then? Screw this. I’m going.” 📍Lake BalinsasayaoBy the time the aircraft landed at Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport, my guide was already waiting for me outside the arrival area. It was already past lunch so we didn’t have spare time to leave my belongings at the hotel where I was supposed to check in. I had no choice but to bring it with me first to our destination that afternoon. 📍Lake BalinsasayaoAfter eating at a local eatery along the highway, we hurriedly headed to Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park on board my guide’s motorcycle. The ride through the winding concrete road amidst the foggy and cold weather in the middle of the forest energized my sleepy soul. This ginormous natural park spans across the municipalities of San Jose, Sibulan and Valencia and is within the Mt. Talinis range. 📍Lake BalinsasayaoBecause of my spine problem, I won’t be able to trek while carrying my heavy backpack so my guide volunteered to just bring it for me. We walked a few meters before we reached the shore of this lake, Lake Balinsasayao. The overcast weather and the nearing golden hour made it perfect for my long exposure shots.There was no one around except for some staff guarding the lake. It was the perfect opportunity to get some decent shots without any photobombers.Since the park was about to close, I didn’t have time to visit Lake Danao, the twin sister of Lake Balinsasayao on the other side of this natural park.Once we were back at the registration area, I noticed this beautiful lake named Lake Kabalin-an behind the tourism building and quickly thought of how magical the lake would look in my camera.It’s really best to visit a lake when there is only little amount of light that surrounds it so you can produce low light photos of good quality. To be honest, I like Lake Kabalin-an way more than Balinsasayao. Maybe because Lake Balinsasayao is too huge and the reflection of slender trees that serve as my backdrop in my photos of Lake Kabalin-an gives this smaller lake its distinct character.We bid goodbye to the natural park. It was nearing sundown when we reached the national highway en route to downtown Dumaguete. Good thing we were on board a motorcycle or else we would be stuck in rush hour traffic jam. My guide took me straight to my accommodation located across the public market.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY:
DAY 1
8:00 AM ETA Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport
9:00 AM Check-in
10:00 AM ETD for Valencia
11:30 AM Pulangbato Falls
1:30 PM Casaroro Falls
3:30 PM Forest Camp Nature Resort
5:00 PM Wash up
6:00 PM ETD for Dumaguete
7:00 PM ETA Dumaguete
DAY 2
3:00 AM Wake-up call
4:00 AM ETD for Paniabonan Crossing
6:30 AM ETD for Niludhan Falls
8:00 AM ETA Niludhan Falls
10:00 AM ETD for Paniabonan Crossing
11:30 AM ETD for Dumaguete
2:00 PM ETD for Amlan
3:00 PM ETA Lake Kabalin-an and Twin Lakes of Balinsasayao and Danao
5:00 PM ETD for Dumaguete
6:00 PM ETA Dumaguete
DAY 3
3:00 AM Check-out
4:00 AM ETD for Guihulngan City
8:30 AM Hinakpan Hills and Kansalakan River
12:00 PM ETD for Canlaon City
2:30 PM Check-in
3:00 PM Rice Terraces of Canlaon City
6:00 PM Back to accommodation
DAY 4
6:00 AM Wake-up call
7:00 AM ETD for Bacolod City
10:00 AM ETD for Bacolod-Silay Airport
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo traveler): Php 10,000 – Php 12,000 (exclusive of airfare)
***Expenses may vary depending on the type of accommodation you will avail and personal consumption of food and other necessities. If traveling alone, you will solely shoulder the guide fees and motorcycle/tricycle transfer and tour rates.
I started prepping for my itinerary for Day Two. Originally, I was supposed to go to the waterfalls of Valencia the next morning but I decided to postpone it in the afternoon and head to Guihulngan City first to see these hills of Hinakpan.I took a nap then went out of the hotel by past midnight. I hailed a tricycle that took me to the bus terminal. The place was virtually empty with only less than ten people seated and sleeping at the benches. I waited for roughly an hour before a bus bound for San Carlos City arrived.I tried my best not to doze off since the bus conductor might forget to wake me up and drop me off at my destination. This is exactly one of those moments when you realize how hard it is to travel alone. The bad thing was, I slept during the bus ride. I couldn’t help myself but give in. At the back of my mind, I was freaking out the instant I opened my eyes. I stared outside through the darkness. The time on my phone said that I was almost there. I heaved a deep sigh of relief. Google Maps said that it would take approximately three hours before reaching Guihulngan. Once my eyes laid on lit establishments, I quickly scanned for signboards outside stores and buildings which state the address (e.g. National Highway, Guihulngan City or Barangay Poblacion, Guihulngan City). This has always been a habit of mine ever since I was young whenever I would be traveling for competitions back in high school. My phone’s GPS may come in handy too by turning on the device’s location and letting Google know where I am but you can’t always rely on data signal especially if you’re in the boondocks.The bus slowly moved through the city proper and I saw a small Goldilocks store. There’s no way you could find a Goldilocks store in a rural place! This must be it, I thought. I confirmed with the bus conductor if this is the city proper of Guihulngan. By the time I alighted, I quickly noticed that the city center was almost deserted. I saw a 7-Eleven convenience store where I bought some drinks. I asked the staff of the store if there’s a nearby Jollibee or McDonald’s. The guy looked at me as if I were crazy. I forgot that Guihulngan City is a 5th class city so why was I expecting a famous fast food restaurant? But still, it’s a city after all. Even some municipalities in other parts of the Philippines have Jollibee. The funny thing is, the presence of a mainstream fast food chain such as Jollibee has become a benchmark to gauge whether a town or city is developed and urbanized enough.It was almost 6:00 in the morning when I left the convenience store. I strolled and saw a bakery where I bought some bread for breakfast. I asked the woman in the bakery where I could find the terminal of motorcycles bound for my destination that morning. She directed me to an alley near the public market. She suggested to just ride a pedicab so I won’t get lost finding the spot. There were only two motorcycles when I got off the pedicab. After some negotiations, one of them agreed to take me to the hills.I was already expecting a very long and bumpy ride. We passed through sharp turns leading to the view deck. The driver was careful every time we’d be maneuvering in hairpin bends. Thank the gods that the majority of the path is already concrete.I was in awe when I saw the hills from afar. As we were approaching, the place began to remind me of Chocolate Hills, Quitinday Hills and Osmeña Peak. They may have similarities but each of them is magnificent in its own right.Upon reaching the jump-off, I wrote down my name on the logbook then climbed the concrete stairsteps to get to the top. This place is also known as Monte Calvario. The thick cloud cover hid the sun but at least everything around me was clear that I could even see the cloudless peak of Mt. Kanlaon which was evident in this picture.My photos in Hinakpan Hills became possible because I had my tripod with me. It’s all thanks to my camera’s self-timer as well. Again, it was another moment to ponder how challenging it is if you’re on a solo trip.Due to the time constraint, I was not able to visit Kansalakan River. The motorcycle driver brought me back to the city proper where I had breakfast first. By 10:00 AM, I was already on my way to Dumaguete. Since I opted to ride a van, I arrived much earlier than expected. You read that right. I traveled for about six hours, back and forth, yet I only stayed for less than an hour at Hinakpan Hills. Extreme, wasn’t it? It may be exhausting but seeing this natural wonder with my own eyes was my reward.I went back to my accommodation and rested for a while. The same guide who accompanied me to Lake Balinsasayao the day before picked me up at 1:00 PM and we headed to the laid-back municipality of Valencia. 📍Pulangbato Falls, ValenciaIt started to drizzle right after we had our lunch at one of the eateries in Poblacion. It was followed by a downpour. In that very instant, I lost hope in seeing the waterfalls. The strong rains might have caused strong currents which might make river-trekking impossible. Fortunately, Pulangbato Falls is situated in a mountain resort so there is really no need to trek. The waterfall was murky though because of the heavy rainfall.The cascade of this waterfall may not be as grandiose compared to other waterfalls in the country but its reddish orange walls and surrounding rocks of the same color due to sulfur deposits is Pulangbato’s distinct feature. “Pulangbato” means “red rock” in the vernacular, hence its name.The rain had stopped by the time we left Pulangbato. We passed by this spot of sulfur vents on our way to the second waterfall.I asked my guide to pull over so I could have my photos taken here. And just like any geothermal vents spewing sulfur, it stinks like rotten eggs. It’s not that repugnant though but the smell is still unpleasant.We proceeded to another famous attraction in the mountain municipality of Valencia. As we traversed the road en route to Casaroro Falls, I noticed quite a number of mountain resorts on our way to this waterfall.It could have been a short walk but flash floods in the past had destroyed the concrete trail leading to Casaroro Falls. The river trek through boulders was still easy though, considering I am a seasoned mountaineer.I was lucky to have the place all to myself. The splendor of this waterfall hidden in the wilderness welcomed me as I enjoyed the feel-good aura of the forest.Fortunately, the current was not strong during our visit. I learned from my guide that the source of Pulangbato Falls is different from the source of Casaroro that’s why this waterfall was not murky at that time.The raining did stop but the overcast weather stayed until afternoon. And because I was already wet from the non-stop downpour and drizzle here and there, I asked my guide to take me to this resort, Forest Camp Nature Resort.I learned about this place when I saw a photo of it from a trending post of a blogger a few days before my trip here. I quickly searched about the resort online and found out that it’s situated in the town of Valencia which was included in my itinerary.This Instagrammable mountain resort was a great addition to my portfolio. And just like the previous tourists spots I saw that day, Forest Camp Nature Resort was devoid of people during my visit.I swam alone at these pools and savored every minute in this bed weather (boy was it so cold). Some people might think that it’s sad traveling alone. Back then, I thought so too. Then I’ve come to realize that you’ll never know how it actually feels unless you experience it firsthand. The truth is, traveling alone is actually one of the most liberating things you can do in your lifetime. You should try it, even just once. I promise you, you won’t regret it.I did have fun capping off my Valencia adventure at this resort. We returned to Dumaguete and my guide took me back to my hotel where I would be spending my last night in this side of Negros Island.
📜✏️ Tips/Reminders:
📌Buses are the primary means of transportation in Negros. Vans are also available but they are quite limited. Please take into consideration the waiting time before the bus leaves for one municipality/city and the speed limit of these buses. If you are pressed for time, you may hire a tricycle/motorcycle (more expensive option though) so you can follow your itinerary for the day. You may also hire a van for your tours if you are traveling with a group to save on time. Just make sure you start your activities very early.
📌If Canlaon City would be your last destination in your itinerary, your exit point may be Bacolod-Silay Airport since it is much closer to Canlaon City.
📌You can check out my Negros Occidental blog post since I explored both of these provinces in one adventure leg in one week.
📌Expect long and bumpy motorcycle rides to get to some of the tourist spots.
📌Expect rain and muddy roads/trails during monsoon season (June-February).
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
☎️ Contacts:
📌Motorcycle Driver/Tour Guide in Valencia: Kuya Elvin (09359914969) – he can pick you up at Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport. You can also hire him to take you to Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park.
📌Motorcycle Driver/Tour Guide in Guihulngan City: Kuya Joby (09367318963)
📌Motorcycle Driver/Tour Guide in Canlaon City: Kuya Eric (09073163413)
I alloted my Days Three and Four for Negros Occidental then went back to the northern portion of Negros Oriental by lunch time on my fourth day. It was quite challenging to cross out the places in my bucket list to visit in Negros because the island’s road is not outright circumferential like that of Mindoro’s wherein you get no choice but to pass by almost all municipalities. Negros’ network of roads crisscrosses and you may opt to take different routes to get to your destination. 📍Rice Terraces of Canlaon CityConsidering Mt. Kanlaon was closed for hiking due to its volcanic activity, I still found a way to enjoy my visit in Canlaon City. Your eyes will surely be satisfied upon exploring the city’s unlimited number of rice terraces.The bus I took from San Carlos City arrived at the terminal in Canlaon City by past lunch time. I got off the bus and asked a motorcycle driver to take me to the tourist inn where I planned to stay for the night. On our way to the hotel, I noticed that Canlaon does not really seem urbanized. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a city smackdown after all. This is just my first impression. I mean, just like Guihulngan and Sipalay City (which I visited on Day Three), Canlaon doesn’t look like a city with fancy restaurants and establishments which are typical of urbanized cities.After checking in my stuff, I decided to eat first. I hadn’t eaten anything since leaving Bacolod City early in the morning. I asked the driver if he could wait for me while I quickly munched on the meal I ordered from the restaurant of the hotel.I was already on board my guide’s motorcycle before 3:00 PM. I asked him take me to the rice terraces of this city. I told him I would have wanted to hike Mt. Kanlaon but since it’s closed, I had to modify my itinerary.A thick fog started to envelop the city because it sits at higher altitude. We had to stop by a waiting shed in an elementary school because it began to rain as well. Luckily, the weather still cooperated for me to continue my tour.I presumed at first that the rice terraces of Canlaon are just mini versions of the ones that can be found in Cordillera but upon seeing them, I realized that they are actually as huge and wide as the clusters of terraces in northern Philippines. I also got the chance to see the vegetable farms of Canlaon. I learned from my guide that this place might not seem like your typical developed city, but Canlaon was promoted to a city thanks to its earnings from crops which are even exported to other parts of the country.Sadly, I couldn’t find the perfect vantage point for my shots to cover the expanse of the terraces here, unlike in Cordillera, where there are tons of view decks overlooking their rice fields.Too bad my Spartan itinerary only allowed me to tour around Canlaon for more or less three hours. Besides, my guide and I were in a constant race against time and weather as it was nearing sundown and nimbus clouds were all over the place.It would have also been nicer if I got a drone. Or even better had the weather been sunny that day. I guess that calls for a revenge trip in the future here in Canlaon City. I hope Mt. Kanlaon is already open for hiking by that time.We got back at the hotel by dusk. Another thick fog devoured the entire city proper. The bed weather made me feel nostalgic as the cold feeling reminded me of Cordillera under the rainy weather. I thought of my guide’s offer to take me to my destination the next day. I told him that I originally planned to see Niludhan Falls in Bayawan City which was supposed to be on Day Three. But because the cutting trips to get to the waterfall would consume too much time (buses in Negros strictly follow a speed limit while vans, on the other hand, wait until the vehicle is full of passengers before leaving), I had to remove it from my itinerary and head straight to Sipalay City instead. For now, I had to reconsider weighing out my options whether to travel to Bago City the next morning or choose Niludhan Falls instead since he offered to take me directly to Niludhan Falls. I was then left with the third option which was to visit both Bayawan City and Bago City on the same day. I sent my guide a text message and asked him to pick me up before 5:00 AM the next day. I double-checked Google Maps and the distance we would be covering is approximately 300 kilometers. I knew it would be expensive but I trusted my instincts that it was going to be worth it.It was still dark when we left the hotel in Canlaon City. We stopped by a small store so my guide could drink a cup of coffee before continuing our butt-numbing journey. The experience was definitely one of a kind as we traversed roads in the middle of sugarcane fields with the crest of the majestic Mt. Kanlaon visible from afar. It would have been a good clearing atop the volcano if hiking is allowed, I thought. My guide who lives at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon actually offered that we could do a “backdoor” hike but I refused. I am a lot of things but I don’t break the law. We then decided to rest our butts by the time we reached Kabankalan City where we ate breakfast at Jollibee. By the way, if you notice, I’ve been mentioning names of cities all throughout this blog post. That’s because the island of Negros is the island (excluding the major landmasses of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao of course) with the highest number of cities in the Philippines (although most of these cities are not really as urbanized as Dumaguete and Bacolod). My bum was beginning to hurt due to my 15-kilo backpack as my additional liability. Its weight was pulling me down on the motorcycle’s seat. At some point, I was like, “Gods, what have I gotten myself into?” 📍Niludhan Falls, Bayawan CityI think I was the happiest creature on Earth when we reached this waterfall after almost four hours on the road (including rest stops). I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs as I savored the grandeur of Niludhan Falls. I wouldn’t trade the moment of seeing this gem in the flesh for the world.We only stayed for about half an hour. Talk about extremes. I needed to be in Bago City in Negros Occidental for the next phase of my adventure leg that day. We had a quick snack at a local eatery by the highway. I had to ask my driver if his motorcycle could still endure this long journey of ours. He told me not to worry about the vehicle. He jokingly replied, “the bigger question is if we ourselves can do it.” I knew that it would take another 150 kilometers to get to Barangay Ma-ao in Bago City. My tricycle ride from Sipalay City to Mag-aso Falls for about 100 kilometers on Day Three seemed like a piece of cake compared to this motorcycle adventure of mine. I could still remember my nightmarish experience as we continued our butt-numbing road trip. I had to tell my guide to stop every ten minutes so that I could dismount and my arse could take a break. The cheeks of my buttocks felt so swollen and sore and whatever adjective you could think of. There were even instances that my bum felt so numb from all the lengthy sitting. My back, hips and waist were also in pain thanks to my heavy backpack. We had our late lunch when we reached La Carlota City after about three hours on the road. Our (mis)adventure had not ended yet. Due to an impending thunderstorm, my guide had to drive faster en route to Barangay Ma-ao from La Carlota. Unfortunately, he overlooked a huge hole along the road which punctured our rear tire. I could not say whether the multiverse was playing its cards on me or not because just a few meters away from where our wheel met its demise is a vulcanizing shop. Dark clouds along with sounds of thunder every now and then continued looming above us. We waited under the small hut at the shop while one of the guys dealt with our flat tire. I had to decide quickly because my itinerary here in Bago City involved seeing some waterfalls. And we all know that sudden rainfall equates to strong hazardous currents in rivers. This trip is really full of rainshowers as it transpired in September 2017 (September is one of those months when the southwest monsoon is at its peak). I sent a message to my contact in Ma-ao who was supposed to guide me to the waterfalls and he agreed to pick me up when I explained our dire situation. I paid my guide from Canlaon City and I couldn’t thank him enough for accompanying me. He even asked me if it’s really okay because he promised that he would be taking me directly to Ma-ao. He told me to inform him through text if I made it since he knew that we were quite late. I asked him to text me once he safely reached his house since he had to drive for about two hours more to get to Canlaon City. As for me, I still had to cover a number of waterfalls for the next phase of my itinerary that day. This Negros Island trip is undoubtedly one of the most exhausting yet unforgettable trips I did. You can check out my Negros Occidental blog post since I explored both of these provinces in one adventure leg in one week.
***For other destinations in the island of Negros, you may visit this link.
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