Iringan Falls

Iringan Falls
N14°00.2900' E121°44.4340'

Iringan Falls is one of the hidden beauties of Pagbilao. I did not even knew of its existence until I saw a painting of it in Pabs Glodoviza's workshop. Kuya Pabs calls himself the "painter by the river" as he loves the river like the one in this feature. He is locally known for his lifelike paintings and murals and undertakes many church renovation projects.

Pabs Glodoviza painting

The Iringan Falls painting, together with his other works can be seen in his studio at Rizal Street, near the corner of Gomez Street in the Pagbilao town Proper My first visit to Iringan Falls was made during the regular Sunday ride of the Pagbilao Bikers Club. On 19 October 2003, I was not able to catch up the rest of the group after I got a flat tire twice. As I was cruising alone towards Malicboy, I met fellow biker Ding Franco on his way back. He said the group went on to Atimonan and he decided to turn back. We decided to shift to hiking instead. So we went to Sitio Iringan. Found a guide named Gerry. Locked our bikes to a coconut tree and went upstream thru the Iringan River. The trek took us only forty minutes. The rocks at the river are hiker-friendly. If the water is not too high, one can reach the falls without getting his feet wet by jumping over these rocks. The term "Iringan" is pronounced slowly in the locality. Strangers who might pronounce it with a fast accent on the second sylable would make the the word to mean "a petty quarrel". So, be careful!

How to get there?
From Pagbilao, just follow the National Highway going to Atimonan. Counting bridges may help to let you know that you are at the right track. First is Tambak Bridge right at the boundary of the town proper. Second is Palsabangon Bridge (Opps! Don't click it now. Click that later after seeing the Iringan Falls feature). Third, at Sta. 145+500, Iringan Bridge is just after a right-turning curve.

Access to Iringan Falls is not difficult to find because of your landmark Iringan Bridge. It is located about 6.5 kilometers from Pagbilao proper. Go beyond this bridge for another 195 meters. You will find a waiting shed at the corner of the highway and a dirt road to your left.

If you are commuting, this is your target stop and the corner by the waiting shed is your start of trek. From this point, the falls is approximately 1.85 kilometers away.

If you have your own vehicle, you may drive further thru the dirt road. The dirt road will allow your vehicle get in further and save your legs another 300 meters walk. The dirt road has at least two branches. First is a T-branch to the right, then a Y-branch also to the right. To get to your destination, ignore these branches and always go straight north. At the road end, there are very few houses. It could be advisable for you not to "consume" the whole 300 meters of the dirt road. Instead park your vehicle closer to the residential area where you could ask someone to watch it. The residents will assure you though that your vehicle will be safe - and they will proudly say "Walang nakikialam dito" ("No one from here will tinker with that"). I should say however that somebody "not from here" could happen to pass by.

Iringan Bridge will remind you that your target stop is only 195 meters away.

From the road end, follow a cart trail that goes northwest. Then you will reach the river after about 190 meters. From hereon, you cannot be lost as you just need to follow the river upstream for the next 1.36 kilometers.

Iringan Falls was uploaded at WaypointsDotPH by Mr. Ed Garcia after I submitted. GPS trekkers may simply download GPS track data from that site and upload them to their receivers and use the dumb LCD screen as guide. Find the links to WaypointsDotPH after enjoying the pictures below.

The Artist's Frame  

A nice vantage point to see also the pool at the bottom of the waterfalls	Years ahead of this photograph, artist Pabs Glodoviza painted a picture of Iringan Falls. His painting "zoomed-in" on the outline of the waterfalls.

The walk to the falls is so short that you do not need to bring food provisions, unless you went there for a picnic. The pool at the bottom is a nice swimming spot (We have not measured its depth yet)

After carefully climbing a cliff while saying a lot of prayers, this is the rewarding view looking down from the trail beside the top of the falls. This photo was taken while doing a tricky stunt of holding around a tree trunk by the cliff.

This shot would need a stuntman's skill as the rock on the top of the falls is very slippery. If you are seeing this, it means the photographer survived. (In the two photos, note how a bare-chested Ding Franco standing at the bottom of the falls looked so small from this height)

See Iringan Falls Feature at WaypointsDotPH

See Iringan Falls Vicinity Map at WaypointsDotPH

See Pabs Glodoviza's website

Photos and Narratives by 

Engr. Gerry B. Lontok ©2003