MT. HUMARAP AND MATABUNGKA FALLS - Paete, Laguna

MT. HUMARAP AND MATABUNGKA FALLS

Brgy. Ilaya Norte, Paete
Height of waterfalls: 20-25 meters

The original plan was to ascend through the 1000-step concrete stairs to get to Tatlong Krus, the landmark of Mt. Humarap, but being lost was a blessing in disguise.  We overshoot the jump-off but with the trike drivers instructions, we found out that there is a road all the way to the top.   

From Paete, we proceeded to the Petron intersection then turned left for the uphill road to Tatlong Krus.  After a 20-minute drive, the 3 huge crosses hailed us.  The area is a pilgrimage site and attendants are present to ensure that the cleanliness and sacredness of the place is well observed.  We stayed for 30 minutes enjoying the Laguna Bay scenery while the kids chased butterflies, played the fuzzy cat, blew cogon flowers and had a jump shot as a goodbye.

With Matabungka Falls as part of the IT, we took the stairs down and whew... I can’t imagine how my “height fearing” daughter would have maneuvered her way up should we ascended it as planned.  For sure, a 2-hour trek would not be enough and we will definitely end up exhausted.   Thanks to Daddy for the “lost” episode earlier.

The Matabungka falls was definitely a wonder hidden in Paete’s mountain range.  Even with a small catch basin, my kiddos enjoyed the water with chilling temperature.  

By 10:30am, though the scene is irresistibly hard to leave, we rushed down for our San Pablo 7-lakes trip.

Travel Date: July 2012