guest post by Raj Medtia
"The journey is just as important as the destination"
We stayed overnight at Jack’s Place, waking up with what we feared, 0 mosquito bites. We took advantage of the morning and walked up to the view point, revealing a 360 angle of the twin beaches. After, we were expecting our driver to collect us at 3pm so we sat by the beach with tropical drink to hand. To our surprise, and thankfully, he came early. This gave us time to check out Nagkalit-kalit waterfalls on our way back to El Nido.
We met our lovely guide, by a stall located on the road back, you can’t miss it. With a warm welcome and a flick of his top knot, au natural (they know how to do it without looking stupid)… “We have at least 9 rivers to cross” he said whilst we looked down at our poor choice of footwear. He led us towards a field where a local farmer had set up camp, after paying a 10 peso fee to get through we began.
My friends and I were excited to see the destination, but the journey was one not to miss. Along the way we saw many things. Water buffalos were roaming freely, roosters were getting their daily jog in, the pigs were… pigs and many ducks wondered in their natural habitat. The land was wide, green and booming with strong vegetation, a pat on the back to the farmers.
Tip: Watch your step, otherwise you will become a running joke for the rest of the day.
This open land soon after narrowed as we approached our first river. The guide helped us get comfortable as we all were wowed by this cool crossing. The first river was fine to cross, some were short, and others were deep & slippery (watch your step). After a few steps into the river, it’s pretty easy to get across. Along the way, dry tour guide jokes and songs were sang by our team. A few lost tourists were knocking around trying to figure out how to get to the falls, so if you are short on time, get yourself a guide, although the trail is fairly simple.
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| Nagkalit-kalit Falls |
Loosing count on how many rivers and vines of trees we hung onto, the sound of water crashing down from above was heard. At this point we ran up the rocks to uncover the waterfall! The others jumped straight in, as I walked in slowly, testing out the ground. After the hot, sweaty trek up to the falls, the water felt so cool and refreshing! And considering our hair had been shampooed by salt water for the past couple of days, this water was the conditioner we just needed. After splashing about, picture taking, losing a flip-flop (rescued heroically) and rock jumping (the right side of the fall is safe to jump into) we headed back the way we came. All in all, this only took us about 80 minutes (longer if you want to hang out by the falls or you choose not to take a guide). Our van was waiting for us as we finally saw the road trail again. We waved goodbye to the guide and the adorable kids with nothing but smiles (no iPad) and headed back to El Nido.
If you find yourself in El Nido, do not miss the opportunity to see the falls. Not only was the destination cool to witness, the journey to get there was definitely an experience and a memory my friends and I will cherish.
We went www.NorthernHopeTours.com
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Raj is a curious young woman from Manchester, UK who will challenge herself in ways she never thought she could. After working in the US and China, her wishes to travel have been fulfilled. In her spare time, besides frequent gym, mall and café visits, she loves to search for new places to discover. A personality that warms others, she has met many like-minded individuals during her travels- one of the things she was searching for. This being said, she still has many places to go and people to meet. So if you find yourself; hiking, trekking, in the ocean, at the beach, in a forest, quaint café or hip restaurant, you’re certainly likely to bump into her.
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