Among the many beautiful waterfalls of Siquijor Island, Cambugahay Falls is by far the most popular; and for a good reason: it is undoubtedly the most wonderful. With regard to the number of the pools, the color of the waters, the variety of swing-jumps, the grace of the enveloping forest… Cambugahay Falls is the best: a truly heavenly spot. The only downside is, of course, it’s popularity. No matter the time of the year or the day you visit, it is highly unlikely you find this place bereft of large numbers of tourists and tourism-employed locals alike. Even if you aren’t fond of crowds, however, a visit to Cambugahay Falls is definitely worth it.
Cambugahay Falls Location and How to Get There
Cambugahay Falls is located along Senora River, on the southeast of Siquijor Island, near Tigbawan Village. The coordinates of the falls are 9.1400, 123.6267.
If you stay in San Juan, you just have to follow the main road along the island’s southern coast until Tigbawan. There you take a left at Caltex petrol station and follow the road to Cang-apa for about two kilometers until you see the entrance to the falls at your right hand.
If you stay in Larena or Siquijor Town, take the road to Cang-apa from Luyang and then to Tigbawan. You will see the entrance to the falls shortly before you arrive in the village.
Entrance Fee in 2020
During our visit, in February 2020, the entrance fee to Cambugahay Falls was just 5 pesos. Just like at the rest of Siquijor’s waterfalls, there apparently used to be a much higher ‘donation-based’ fee which the villagers arbitrarily collected, but this is now irrelevant since the government designated the site a national park and imposed a fair-price policy. You may also be asked to pay an extra parking fee for your motorbike but I’m not sure about that. In our case, we just parked a bit further away just to be sure.
How many steps to get down
It is 135 steps to get down to the first pool of Cambugahay waterfalls from the entrance. It is about 100 meters in distance and it should not take you more than 5 minutes.
Description of Cambugahay Falls
Cambugahay Falls is made of five consecutive pools, each of which has its own waterfall. All of them have roughly the same size. The first one is only slightly larger with about 25 meters maximum width. Trails and bamboo bridges lead you all the way from the first to the last pool. All falls are between 2 and 4 meters tall. The water is of a characteristic turquoise-blue color and rather clean, despite the presence of many people. Around the first pool, there are three swing-jump stations and a couple of food-and-drink stalls. All the pools are surrounded by dense, lush rainforest.
Rope Jumping
There are three different jumping ropes around the first pool of the Cambugahay Falls. You have to pay a separate 50-pesos fee to use any one of them. You cannot use two for one fee. You can, though, use the one you’ve paid for as many times as you like. Be, however, prepared to wait fairly long for each jump as queues tend to form.
The best rope, in my opinion, is the one by the northeastern side of the pool. That one has the biggest jump-height from the surface: some 5 meters. It also lets you start your swing from higher up than the others as it offers two taking-off platforms. The bad thing: queues will probably be longer.
Accommodation near Cambugahay Falls
The closest accommodation options to Cambaguhay Falls are located in Tigbawan Village. This is a cute and friendly little village, ideal for having a quiet stay. If you’re up to socializing more, partying and stuff, you’ll probably want to stay in San Juan, where most hotels and resorts are located, which is also just a 15-minutes drive away from Cambugahay Falls.
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