Ride to Hulugan Falls in Laguna

Hulugan Falls in Luisiana, Laguna is one of the most

beautiful waterfalls I’ve visited near Manila. Said to
be the tallest in the province, this stunning cascade
towers at 70 meters high (230 feet), with a wide
basin and several natural jacuzzi-like swimming holes for those who want to take
a dip. Previously known only to locals, Hulugan Falls only became popular in the
last three years or so thanks to social media.

Since Honda Philippines lent me their All-New

Honda PCX 150, I’ve been itching to take it out on
a long ride. But because of the weather and other
commitments, I only got to use it for city driving and
to cover events in the metro (separate bike review
soon). I really wanted to get a feel of the bike for
touring, so we decided to ride and hike to check out Hulugan Falls on a day trip.

According to our local guide, Hulugan Falls is a

pretty popular destination for riders and cyclists.
And if you’ve ever passed this way, it’s easy to see
why. The backroad traversing Laguna Lake in the
East is one of our favorite ride routes even when we
have no destination in mind.

It’s a very scenic drive, with lots of mountain

twisties and refreshing scenery. By motorcycle, you
can get to Pagsanjan in about 2.5-3 hours coming
from the metro, making it accessible enough for day
trips. The last stretch towards Luisiana, about 20-
30 minutes from Pagsanjan passes a quieter,
mountainous diversion road, with wildflowers blooming right along the road.

Riders can visit Hulugan Falls as part of a longer road trip around Laguna and
Quezon or visit other natural attractions nearby like Caliraya Lake, the Japanese
Garden, Pagsanjan Falls and more. But it’s good enough as a ride destination on
its own, so you’re not too rushed and have more energy for the hike.
 You have the option of visiting Hulugan Falls only
or hike to 2 additional waterfalls: Talay and
Hidden Falls. The other two are smaller and
located 30 minutes away from each other in
opposite directions. Since our time was limited, we
decided to just relax at Hulugan Falls, which I
found rewarding enough.

Because of the waterfall’s popularity, new

rules have been put in place. Tour guides are
required for all visitors. After passing by the
registration area, visitors can proceed to park
their vehicles at the captain’s house near the
jump-off point, which I noticed had lots of
stickers of different riding groups. The area
has several restrooms if you need to change
clothes and wash up. From there, all visitors
need to ride a tricycle to the start of the trail,
which has been paved.

Though reachable by motorcycle, for security reasons and because of the

limited space, riders can’t bring their vehicles down. This helps ensure smooth
traffic given the narrow roads and gives additional income to locals.

Getting to Hulugan Falls is another 25-minute trek through a sloped trail, a

combination of concrete steps, and a steep footpath of roots and stepping
stones reinforced with wooden handrails for support.
 I found Hulugan Falls beautifully uncrowded during
our weekday visit. There were only a few people
there when we arrived, and another group came and
went, but I felt like we had the falls mostly to
ourselves, which made it seem all the more magical.

Tour guide fees / expenses for Hulugan Falls (2019)

 Registration Fee: P30/pax

 Tour Guide Fee: P500 per group (as of 2019, an ordinance has been put in place with
a fixed fee)
 Parking fee: P20 for motorcycles; P40 for cars
 Tricycle to jump-off: P20 per person

Where to eat
You can opt to bring your own picnic lunch to eat by the falls. For large groups,
you can have food prepared by the locals for you to enjoy there. However, pre-
arrangements should be made. There’s a sari-sari store selling soft drinks and
snacks at the Captain’s House and jump-off point. There’s a stall that sells
delicious local bibingka (P35 each or 3 for P100) near the corner of San Salvador
that makes a great post-hike merienda.

For full meals, I recommend eating in Pagsanjan before or after visiting the falls
since there are a lot more dining options here, including traditional Filipino and
international cuisine. For this ride, we tried out Balai Ilocos, a restaurant set
in a century-old house serving Ilocano cuisine.
Other restaurants we’ve previously tried include Calle Arco (another ancestral
home turned into a restaurant) and Xiangye Taiwanese Restaurant, an authentic
Taiwanese resto that serves great xiao long bao and milk tea.

How to get to Hulugan Falls

Hulugan Falls is located Brgy. San Salvador in Luisiana, Laguna. Coming from
the National Highway (either from the Manila East Road or SLEX through the
Calamba exit), this is the town after Pagsanjan and Cavinti, going towards
Lucban. It’s roughly 100+ kms from Manila and travel time is about 3 to 3.5
hours depending on the traffic.

By motorcycle (small-displacement bikes)

To avoid traffic, we just took our usual Marilaque route. Our lunch stop was in
Pagsanjan. On the way back, we took a “shortcut” through Santa Maria passing
Seven Up Hills to get back to the Marilaque Highway, for a nice, long and quiet
drive. The route we took going back still has patches of rough roads but has less
traffic than passing major towns.
The shorter / more direct route passes through Antipolo, Teresa, Morong and
Baras, but we usually avoid passing there because of the traffic. Total estimated
travel time back and forth is 260+ km which equates to more than 7 hours on
the road.

 Start odometer: 464.7 km

 End odometer: 728.9 km
 Total: 264 km

By private car / big bikes

 Take the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and exit in

Calamba.
 Stay on the national road (highway), passing through
several towns including Los Banos, Victoria, Pila, and
Pagsanjan.
 At the Pagsanjan Town Plaza when you see the church, turn right towards the Cavinti-
Luisiana Road.
 Follow the Cavinti-Luisiana Road and look out for a small San Salvador/ Hulugan
Falls signage at a corner to your right.
 There’ll be a tourist information desk where you need to register, sign a waiver, and
get a tour guide.
 Once you’re assigned a tour guide, follow the road down until you reach
the Captain’s House and parking lot.
 By public transportation

 Ride a bus from Cubao or Taft heading to Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Fare: P140.
 Transfer to a jeepney going to Lucena or Lucban and get down in San Salvador. Fare:
P30. If you miss it, get down in the Luisiana Town Proper and take a tricycle to San
Salvador.
 Register at the tourist information desk where you get a tour guide.

Travel tips & useful info

 According to locals, the best time to visit is from

December to February and March to May to avoid the
bad weather.
 The flow of the cascade is stronger during the rainy season, but the water can also
be murkier and the trails more slippery.
 If it hasn’t rained in a while, the water flow is not that strong, which might cause
disappointment.
 It can get very crowded here during summer months, holidays and weekends. There
was a time when they got more than a thousand visitors in one day.
 To avoid the crowds, try to visit on a weekday or time your visit early in the day. We
visited right after lunch.
 Wear / bring proper footwear for the hike. You will be walking on muddy trails and
slippery rocks.
 Bring drinking water for the hike. Limit the trash by bringing your own reusable
drinking container.
 It’s a bit hard to take photos here with an SLR because of the strong mist and spray.
My lens also couldn’t capture the entire waterfall up close because of its height. You
might want to bring a wide lens to capture good landscape photos.
 Better yet, bring a waterproof or action camera.
 Tour guides know all the best angles for taking photos and are more than willing to
take your souvenir shots.