To the Highlands of Mt. Tawan-tawan, Baguio District

March 22, 2013 Hiking 5 Comments

Tawan-Tawan is a remote barangay in Baguio District. It is known to be the boundary of Mt. Apo protected watershed area. One of its hidden gems is the tawan-tawan waterfalls which is also a tributary to the Davao River and other major rivers in Davao Region.




The reason…
It started on a suggestion for a get together of our group at the same time a farewell party to our friend Khennie who will soon make his way back to the endless journey on the sea. Of course a typical party includes alcoholic drinks, a pulutan, and our circle of friends. But with the limited time of planning which place we will end up, we decided to make this get together a more memorable one. For a change, everyone agreed to go uphill and have some 'adventure'.


The Epic climb…
We gathered at the L300 terminal at Bankerohan Market around 6pm. Arrived at Calinan around 7:30pm thinking that the place will just be a few meters away from where we dropped by, I was wrong because we still need to hail a habal-habal to make our way up to the mountains of tawan-tawan. I hesitated big time since I already had this traumatic experience way back 2008, plus the fact that the habal-habal has the maximum capacity of four pax, It’s really one hell of a ride. But I have no choice at all so we continue.

Silent prayer runs through my mind while moving uphill until the habal-habal driver stopped and said we’re already at our destination… not. We paid 30php fare and yet we have been tricked. The actual place was still a few meters away from where the habal-habal driver dropped us. I was nervous that time since the surrounding was so intimidating. There are even groups of dogs howling at us. Given the fact that it was already evening and we have been dropped in front of an old ancestral house without any sign of human’s presence. Creepy (on my wildest imagination)!! We arrived safe though even if there are some creepy instincts bothering our minds while we are on our way to the kubo.


The Bonding…
We spend the rest of the night eating, drinking and just enjoying the price of getting together after years. Reminiscing our old lives, the never ending kantsawan, kwentuhan, at inuman. A total peace of mind runs all over the place. Just like the old times. Cheers!!!




The trek to Tawan-Tawan stream...
The next morning we were tired yet we woke up early to experience the real adventure that awaits us. The trek to the Tawan-Tawan stream that is known to be the border of mt. Apo and mt. Tawan-Tawan where fresh waters from the two mountains flows freely.




After almost 3 kilometers of walking, hiking, trekking the muddy and slippery trek, traversing the hill and the cliff, we were greeted with a fresh cascading waters flowing freely. The deafening sound created by the rushing water cascades is like a spell inviting and tempting us for some dip.


Tired from the descend, we hurried to the waters to take some dip. The icy cold water welcomed us with a refreshing feeling, it's like an instant therapy to our tired bodies. We continue the bond with a great appreciation on this marvelous sight.

After an hour of enjoying the refreshing waters created by nature, we packed out our things and hike our way back to the kubo to prepare ourselves on finally going home.



After the journey, we are once again back to our daily busy lives. Each has its own priority, each are trying to search for their destiny. We may have been busy all throughout our lives, the bond and time we had once shared during this epic trip will forever be in our memories. And someday, we'll be together again! Just like the old times... ^__^


Photo credits: Zohn Mayol, Khennie Tancawan and Darrel Simbajon