Bocaue Falls: Weeping Beauty of Talisay

It was a typical Sunday afternoon when my adventure buddy @iameleimath invited me to go falls chasing in Talisay City. I still managed to check my watch despite being sleepy, and much to my surprise, it was already 1:15PM! How can I say no to this outdoor jaunt when it’s like music to my ears. And so without hesitation, I stood and prepped up for I know a great adventure awaits me.

In the interest of time, we hurriedly met at Julie’s Bakeshop, Banawa branch and took the 12L route going to Labangon (Php 7.00). We alighted at Lourdes Parish, Punta Princesa and hopped into another jeepney with signage “43” bound for Minglanilla (Php 10.00). We reached Tabunok Public Market (under the flyover) at exactly 3:30PM and hired a habal2x (or motor taxi para sosyal) going to Campo Cuatro (Php 25.00). After a 20-minute ride, we arrived at the jump-off point around 4PM. You’ll know you’re already near when you’ve crossed Campo 4 bridge along Manipis Road in Talisay.

From the highway facing right side, you can already marvel at the stunning waterscape ~ a spectacle that resembles a weeping mountain. And so, the monumental adrenaline kicked in.

The Weeping Beauty

The Campo Cuatro mountain is enveloped with thick foliage from local trees. Rock walls likewise add interesting feature to the surroundings. The trail going to the falls is easy-peasy, but not without breaking a sweat. Descending concrete stairs pave the way leading to a lively community where friendly locals greet you (please don’t hesitate to greet back!). You’ll pass by Mananga river that is shallow enough for people to cross. The river is fascinating because of its blue-greenish color and rock formations scattered along the riverway which by the way is similar to that of Tinipak River in Rizal.

Just a walking-distance and you’ll reach the entry point where the last drops of the flowing falls meet the river bank. To reach the top-most portion of the falls, boulder climbing is mandatory. Be careful though, as the rocks are slippery. You don’t want to get a scratch like this.

Bocaue Falls, or commonly known as Campo Cuatro Falls is not something you usually see in your social media news feed. This weeping beauty may not attract tourists but its allure to adventure enthusiasts like us is something we cannot ignore. This segmented-type waterfalls has distinctly separate flows of water forming as it descends. The first level has a catch basin deep enough to welcome aching bodies and a perfect venue to take a dip. And it’s cold too.

On our way up, we encountered a unique plant with pinkish flower that looks like munchkins. Interesting find! Haven’t seen anything like these.  Don’t know the name of this plant but I’m pretty sure its flowers are not edible, sad to say! We could hear our tummies rumbling though. Hehe

The second level is just five minutes ascent away from the first level. It has no catch basin but the flow is segmented into two distinct flows which is unique in a way.

Elei then flew his drone to take aerial shots of the cascade, the river and its green surroundings. You better take a look at the output at the end of this post. Meanwhile, while his drone was up in the air, something creepy happened. The drone was shaking tremendously, scaring Elei to death. He sent his drone back to the ground and thought some technical issues might have caused such wobbly footage. Upon checking, there’s nothing wrong with the drone itself so we thought something mystic was present in the area. Such supernatural force might have been disturbed, thus sending signal to us to go away. There are more smaller falls few kilometers up but it’s almost 5:30PM. We didn’t have much time so we decided not to pursue the rock walls up in the mountains where the source of falls is located. We hurriedly left the area and continued taking aerial shots on the riverside before finally going home.

Misadventure

Now it’s time to weep.

Everything was fine until my action cam went missing on our way back to the jump-off point. I’ve had no idea what happened that my GoPro Hero 4 Silver was no longer in my backpack. We traced back our trail and had to endure the strong current of the gushing river while searching for my GoPro around, between, and connecting piles of boulders. We had no intention to swim but for my GoPro, will do everything to find it. A 2-hour search mission with the locals ensued but still no GoPro was found.

Anyways, let’s enjoy this video taken and edited by the great iameleimath!

Have you been to Bocaue Falls? How do you find it? Do you know of any undiscovered waterfalls in your area? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tags: Bocaue Falls, Talisay, Travel Guide, Waterfalls, Weeping Beauty