Buntot Palos Falls/Pangil River

The Pangil river

I had only gone to one hike prior to this. I was expecting it to be quite easy. A quarter of the way through the first trail and it was clear that it was not gonna be that way, at least not for a beginner like me. We had two trails that day. The first involved climbing a mountain for about 3-4hours to get to the Buntot Palos falls or the “hidden falls” of Laguna. We had to go through mud, steep inclines , rocks, very slippery rocks and even more slippery rocks. The risk of dying seemed pretty real. I was quite convinced that some of us would not be able to make it to the destination uninjured or… alive. I was just hoping that I wouldn’t be one of them. I was also hoping that my camera would not be among the casualties. 

Resting and enjoying the view. If anyone's wondering why my entire lower leg is covered in mud, that's how deep my foot sank in some of the muddier portions of the trail

We traversed the Pangil river on the 2nd part of our trek. It was relatively easier. The risk of dying seemed to be lower. That was until we had a close encounter with a poisonous snake hanging from a branch. In the end though, we all survived. I was especially thankful that my camera survived 

Buntot Palos falls: To give you an idea of the scale of this photo, those small dots that you see beside the falls are people

There’s a certain satisfaction to be had in conquering something that your body and mind tell you is unconquerable.

Not only was this my first trek, it was also the first time that I went out of metro manila without the company of a friend or anyone familiar to me. To a slightly lesser degree, it was like the first time I drove alone or the first time that I went to a mall alone. it almost feels like a stage in growing up that I missed. 



This trip was organized by trailadventours. Fee was 1900Php inclusive of lunch and transportation. If you're interested in joining one of their trips, you may check out: www.trailadventours.com

Exotic food restaurant. They served us snake, stingray and adobong baboy. 

A poisonous snake hanging from a branch