Hidden falls are always fascinating to me. That feeling that it’s nearby and pass-by it, and the possibility that there might be something hidden behind it as seen in video games. Calamba City is near or within the high places of Tagaytay and Mount Makiling, so there are plenty hidden waterfalls around, you just have to find it. One that I have read about years ago but haven’t attempted to find is the Matang Tubig falls which is situated within the borders of Canlubang, Calamba and Casile, Cabuyao. After enough research and accompanied by the always willing running buddy, John Jimenez, we decided to search for the hidden, but well-known falls of Matang Tubig on January 31, 2021.
We met at the usual place at Nuvali Solenad parking lot. This also marks the last time I drove my travel buddy, our Hyundai Eon, as the car was sold a week later to a friend. We started the trek at 6:30 am. Since we are in our heaviest weights at the time and the latter part of the route are steep uphill, the journey will be a slow jog-walk with an estimated distance of 7 to 8 kilometers.
An hour and ten minutes later we finally reached our stop over, the Marcos Mansion (which I first encountered in Resolution Run 2015 and returned to on a solo run in 2016) in Casile. We took a 10-minute break there. It’s worth noting at the time that there are many undisciplined cyclist in the area. En route to Marcos Mansion, there is a long line of cyclists and some of them are not on a single file which is a nuisance to motorists and no social distancing. These are times when I hope there was a safety check point nearby especially since there is still a pandemic and to enforce traffic rules and road safety.
We hit the road again, this time even going steeper to the so-called kambal ahon (twin uphills) which is a vain to cyclists and vehicles with weak engines. The distance from Marcos Mansion to the entry point of Matang Tubig Falls is 2 kilometers. We moved at hiking pace since we don’t want to be fully exhausted by the time we reached the destination.
We finally found the entry point when we saw the landmark Tita Joy’s Tambayan, an eatery and bicycle stop. It was just next to it. From there, it’s another 700-meter walk to the falls. There is a donation for the cementation of the road. Any amount will do. After that we proceeded to the trail which is mostly downhill and can be slippery on rainy days.
There is a part of the trail that has two paths, keep left for the right path (because some a-hole put another arrow that point to the right to confuse travelers. An area with a barbed wire and sign “No Trespassing” is found along the way. You have to Trespass though. But, the people in the area allows it anyway because this is the only safe path. There are only a few houses along the way and you are near when you see a cemented path with stairs (and rails) going down the river.
Once down the river, the falls it to the right. You will have to cross the water and getting wet is unavoidable unless you can walk on water or glide like a flying squirrel. Prepare to get wet up to the knees and thighs depending on your height.
Passing by the water supply pipe (which I though was an old bridge), there’s a small waterfall with plants and another one which was actually water coming from one of the pipes. The main falls is just a few meters ahead.
We finally reached the main falls at 8:40 am. Luckily, there are only a few people at the time, so it’s not crowded and taking photos is much easier. The pool is only chest deep (depending on your height). The place is a great hangout spot, some people are cooking and just chilling. I found a climbing spot where it’s easy to get on top of the falls and get a good view.
There is also a small, jacuzzi-like pool (behind me) at the top of the falls.
After a long, relaxing rest, we left at 9:15 am so we can reach Nuvali before lunch time. Going back is a bit harder since we’ll be going up the stairs and the temperature is hotter now. Good thing it’s only less than a kilometer back to the entry point.
This is the entry point, to the right (where I’m facing). Right next to it, where the jeepney is parked, is the landmark Tita Joy’s Tambayan.
When we reached the entry point (or now the exit point), we looked for a place to eat. We tried Tita Joy’s Tambayan, but there are a lot of customers at the time. So we moved further ahead and found one near Marcos Mansion. We ate, and after a few minutes of rest, to walked Marcos Mansion to refresh ourselves with some buko juice and then hiked back to Nuvali Solenad. It was a hot, exhausting walk back to Nuvali, but we reached it before 12nn.
It was another adventurous Sunday morning for me. First one in 2021. I think I will go back there again someday because there is one place that we haven’t found and visited, the Matang Tubig Cave structure. It was created in 1932 and had an interesting history during the American and Japanese war. I want more Sunday morning adventures like before the pandemic, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens to the rest of the year.
Had a surprise visit and long chat with a college peep that day too.
The Rogue Rebel.... 