Municipality of Lake Sebu
Philippines
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| Papa, Mama, Balong, Ging
Ging and my brother Joy @ Hikong Alu meaning "passage falls." |
Lake Sebu is the
hidden treasure in Southern Philippines where the majestic Seven (7)
Waterfalls Park can be found surrounded by natural
picturesque landscape. If we talk about Lake Sebu, pretty sure this trademark
will pop up in your head immediately aside from the pristine lake of course.
Who wouldn’t want to explore such beauty in a natural setting, ayt? Lovely
people plus lovely surroundings that you should visit once you’re in the south,
as this is named as the best-kept summer secret of Mindanao.
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| My confidants..... Balong,
Ging Ging and my brother Joy. |
Visiting the town is like you’re visiting Tagaytay City
as lush greeneries can be found almost everywhere sans the waterfalls. The
natural breeze that kiss your cheeks on your way is really remarkable. Remember
that you’re visiting a remote town so expect that there are no big buildings,
no 5-star hotels, no known pub houses, no huge department stores just you and
nature basically but there are few grocery shops and eco-resorts that will suit
your needs.
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| The stunning beauty of
Hikong Alu up-close. |
You can bring your own car but if you want to do what locals do
then hire a ‘habal habal’ with a professional driver as it is much more
easier, faster, safer, and way cheaper than to hire a taxi which i doubt if
there is any (hehehe!). ‘Habal habal’ is a locally pimp
motorcycle with an extension seat at the back that can accommodate 5 to 6
people including the driver. Actually, it is the prime source of transportation
here especially if you would like to roam the whole town or wanted to explore
the remote areas of the place where most of the hidden treasure can be found.
It is one of the interesting 'MUST-DO' while you’re here coz it’s an
exhilarating and exciting ride to try and will bring you closer to mother
nature (goodluck! ~ hehehe!).
The road from the town proper to the entrance of the park is
rough so expect a bumpy road along the way. Be cautious while driving as some
areas can only accommodate one car per way. It is quite steep and narrow but to
view the magnificent mountain ranges compliments the whole journey. Thanks to
my brother as he visited this place way back, thus we depend our safety to him
but still we can’t hide the fact that there are cliffs on the side, you know (hehehe!).
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| Bean clam locally known as
'agihis' just PHP 15 per cup. |
A huge arch is the proof that you’ve reached your destination.
There are only limited parking areas, thus during peak season anticipate that
it’s quite hard to get a slot. Fortunately during our visit, there were only
few tourists around so we park near at the entrance.
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This river leads to
Hikong Bente, the 2nd waterfall known as 'Immeasurable'.
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There is an entry fee of PHP 25 for adult and PHP 5 for
kids as a contribution to help maintain the beauty of the park. I just hope
that they’ll refurbish the pathways with cemented trail perhaps because during
rainy season pretty sure it became slippery in here. In addition, they should
make the cottages more appealing as when we saw one, most of its embellishments
already faded and not pleasing at all.
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Papa and Mama waiting
for us while we were trekking for waterfalls.
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Upon entering, several souvenir shops greeted us right away.
There are so many memento items to choose from like key holders, phone pouches,
hats and caps, shirts, native bags and a lot more with a touch of T’boli cultures. It’s a
good keepsake on your way back and the price is not that expensive as it only
ranges from PHP 10 to PHP 100 depends on your choice of course. Personally,
better buy in bulk so that you can get a better discount (hehehe!).
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| View of Hikong Bente from
afar at the 2nd zipline station. |
I’ve been to Lake Sebu several times but this is the first time
ever that our main purpose is to visit its attractions. Before, we just came
here for a specific purpose without even thinking of exploring what they have
and now is the time to grab that. What’s great about this trip, we brought Mama
and Papa along with Ging Ging and Balong and seeing how happy they are that we
are together is PRICELESS (hehehe!).
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| Me and Balong at Zig Zag
Waterfalls Viewing Deck. |
I’ll only feature the 4 waterfalls we’ve seen as this is the
only areas easily accessible and developed by the tourism sector. However,
should you like to explore the 3 others then consult a local tourism authority
and they will assist you right away to guide you to the pristine and beautiful
sceneries that the remaining waterfalls have. I guess this time, you need to
hire a ‘habal habal’ and expects lots of mountain trekking though (ahahaha!).
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| I miss you Tol... |
Just an easy five-minute walk from the park’s parking area, at
last the magnificent first waterfalls that Lake Sebu are most famous for
appears in our very own eyes. This natural wonder is named in T’boli
as Hikong Alu meaning ‘passage falls’ and
approximately around 15 meters high and 3 meters wide. Such beauty is very
outstanding, very soothing, and very awe-inspiring and the only words that
comes out in my mouth is ‘Oh my God! That is amazingly beautiful’ (hehehe!
~ anarte!).
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The stunning beauty of
Hikong B'lebed meaning "coil or zigzag falls" and Hikong Lowig
meaning "booth falls"
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Nice one, Ging.. mwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaness
Hope we will have this adventure again (hehehe!!!).
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There is a small bridge that everyone can hop on in order to
have a great background of the waterfall. I don’t know where this bridge leads
but that is not my concern as my eyes stuck to the stunning beauty just in
front of me. I asked Mama and Papa to pose in the corner and supposed to take a
few shots only but I ended up taking more than 20 (ahahaha!).
In order for you to have a closer look, there is a
slippery pathway that will lead you just a few meters away from ‘passage
falls’, around 5 to 10 meters I guess. There are few tourists queuing
that is why we waited our turn to have a good glimpse of the surroundings. When
you get closer it become more momentous as the mist engulfs the vicinity: way
much cooler and hmmmm more magical (ansabe??? ~ ahahaha!).
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The traditional house
of the T'boli's, the native inhabitants of Lake Sebu.
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There are few
government armies that help for the security of the tourist.
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Just on our way to the 2nd waterfall I saw one local
woman collecting bean clam or locally known as ‘agihis’ in
the river. I stopped for a while because me and my friends used to gather this
when we were kids and it was a lot of fun (ahahaha!). This species are
relatively small around 2 to 3 centimeters, oblong in shape and an extremely
common type of clam species that grows in fresh water. I asked how much is the
price per ‘cup’ and she said only PHP 15 and that is totally CHEAP!!!!! Come
on, can you find that price in Manila? Never, ayt??? (hehehe!)….
I wanted to buy a few but am afraid that all will end up dead as we still have
a long day to go (ahahaha!).
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Hikong Bente from afar.
This is the highest among the 7 falls and the most magnificent one.
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The third and the fourth waterfalls greeted us immediately just
right after we did the first leg of 740 meters long zipline which is considered
as Southeast Asia’s highest zipline. For adventure seeker out
there, try this and you’ll be amaze how beautiful the location is. The
zip trip only took us around less than a minute to the first station and it was
one exhilarating ride believe me, much more than the ‘habal habal’ (ahahaha!!!).
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| goofffyyy goooff gooooff
huh? ahahahaha |
From here, you’ll witness just the tip of the second waterfall
but we will venture unto that later on once we reached the end of the second
league of the zipline. But before taking the second league, Ging Ging and my
brother took us to the Zigzag Falls Viewing Deck first where Hikong
B’lebed (3rd waterfall) meaning ‘coil or zigzag
falls’ and Hikong Lowig (4th waterfall)
meaning ‘booth falls’ shows their spectacular beauties. The
beauty of the surrounding is really perfect from this side as only different
shades of green can be seen from afar.
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| Mist engulfs the whole
place... whew!!!!!! |
After several minutes of picture taking we headed straight to
the station where our second league of zipline took place. It is much smaller
comparing to the first which is only 420 meters long and only less than a
minute ride but the same exhilarating trip ever. We were amazed by the splendor
around us as it feels like we are group of birds flying freely over the canopies
and we can even touch the leaves along the way (awesome!! ~ ahahaha!).
It's much colder in here
and you can take a dip if you wanted to.
We requested a professional photographer to shot our zipline
trip that cost us PHP 100 per 2 shots. Apparently, our parachute didn’t open
but it comes out fine in the picture. It is a good souvenir though as it only proves
that I conquered my fear of heights (hehehe!).
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It's an open cottage
that you can use for free. It's a good place to rest your tired feet.
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From this station, the 2nd waterfall named Hikong
Bente meaning Immeasurable greeted us with a sweet hello
from afar. This is the highest among the 7 falls
and the most magnificent one. This is as well serve as the beautiful background
of our first league in the zipline and it’s truly stunning. The height is
around 20 meters high and you need to walk less than a mile from the 2nd
station should you like to see the waterfall up-close.
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| This is the real definition
of the word 'nature'. |
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| The 774 steps to the top
starts here (hehehe!) |
It’s a bit tricky to come in here as you need to pass through a
narrow mountain roads that only one person can pass. It’s an interesting
feature as it evokes that rustic ambiance as it feels like you’re one with
nature. It’s a bit colder in here and the sound of cascading waterfalls can be
heard along the way.
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It's easy at first but
its getting steeper on our way up (hehehe!).
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Upon reaching the vicinity, there is a cottage to use for
resting your tired feet. If you’re thirsty, there are small store outlets that
sell bottled mineral water and juices just in case you forgot to bring one. We
we’re a bit tired coming here but when we see up close Hikong Bente,
the mood change drastically as the place is really gorgeous. There is a bridge
a little bit far away from the waterfall that serves as the best area to have
your photo taken.
Picture picture naman pag
me time hehehehehe.
These four waterfalls of Hikong Alu, Hikong
Bente, Hikong B’lebed and Hikong Lowig
are the only falls that can be easily trek and enjoy. The remaining 3 is quite
hard to find and you need to have a tour guide to find those and would take
longer hikes. Nevertheless, seeing these four gorgeous waterfalls is more than
enough to experience such natural splendor that Lake Sebu have.
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Missing you all guys,
thanks for this trip..... A priceless experience!
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There is one more final adventure to indulge that will
definitely test our patience as we need to hike the 774 steps from the base of Hikong
Bente to the entrance of Hikong Alu (ahahaha!).
There is a ‘habal habal’ to use but we need to go back to zipline
station where there is a terminal for the pimped motorcycle. But since we are
up for an adventure, the four of us take the longest way and took the narrow
cemented pathways to the top. At first, it was just fine but it getting steeper
and steeper on our way up (ahahaha!). We can’t deny that is way too
tiring but it was one adventure not to ignore. It's a great and wonderful
experience to say the least; that's why we will be back to Lake Sebu
that is for sure.
Below are the remaining three names just for your reference:
Waterfalls # 5: Hikong Kefo-I meaning ‘the wild flower’
Waterfalls # 6: Hikong Ukol meaning ‘short falls’
Waterfalls # 7: Hikong Tonok meaning ‘soil’
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| Thanks God for this
spectacular view. |
So that's it, if you visit South Cotabato or the
nearby provinces and cities, put Lake Sebu on your travel list.
It's one unspoilt haven filled with lots of adventure and hidden treasures you
should not miss to explore located in the heart of Mindanao.
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Are you ok, baby? At
last after 774 steps we arrive at the top while Mama and Papa awaits us
(hehehe!).
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Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiioooooooooooosss!!!
Enan signing off.
SMILE :)
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