A supposedly Pangasinan tour then became a trip Boracay. Due to some unexpected circumstances, it ended up in a nature encounter at Batlag Falls, Tanay, Rizal.

Batlag Falls: Main Swimming Area (Photo Credits: Bryan Villamor)

Ever since, I’ve been fascinated with water falls. The fresh water that flows down from a mountain, it’s sound as it falls to the rocks, the serene environment, the green moss – very therapeutic. Thus, last Holy Thursday we decided to escape the city with tent and foods packed we traveled to experience a wonder of nature, Batlag Falls in Tanay, Rizal.

Batlag Falls is located further up the Daranak Falls. It’s a privately owned (unlike Daranak Falls)  by the lot owners where it is situated. Entrance Fee is Php50 per head (day stay) and Php150 (overnight, though this is now prohibited).

To get there, ride a jeepney (Php53/head) or van (Php70) at Star Mall Terminal (corner Shaw and EDSA) going to Tanay. Then ride a tricycle (Php75/head or Php150/trip. You can try to negotiate with the driver) going to Daranak/Batlag falls.

Batlag Falls is indeed a good place to experience nature – the trees that surround it, the mountain, the cold water, the rocks that are shaped through time. It’s a good place to intimately talk to God, to pray and to cry your heart out to Him. It’s relieving to wake up in the morning and here sound of the water falling from the mountain, the crickets, the insects and the birds singing. It’s a serene place.

Batlag Falls: Balance Life (Photo Credit: Bryan Villamor)

All these things you can experience after 6pm until before eight in the morning. When only us are left in the falls area to stay. However between 8am-6pm, when a lot of people visit the falls to swim, drink and have fun, it’s totally different. They leave there trash in the cottage, bring their food and drinks in the falls. They even throw the “balut” shell near the swimming area (really annoying). This kind of attitude of the visitors destroys the beauty of the falls that I hope the owners will try to control so that Batlag Falls will be protected.