Pagsanjan Falls Via Cavinti Route

I googled Magdapio falls known as Pagsanjan falls and the pictures I've seen convinced me to switch my decision from my "Plan A travel" to go to Pagsanjan at the last minute.  As much as possible, I want a getaway that is near and Laguna Province was just a perfect fit.  Pagsanjan was approximately a four-hour ride from Quezon City. We left home at 7 a.m. rode HM Transport en route Sta. Cruz, Laguna in New York corner Edsa, Cubao and was nearly 4 hours travel time due to the heavy traffict in Edsa.

There are two jump-off points going to Magdapio falls: by going to Pagsanjan where you have to ride a canoe and pay P1250 and the other is Cavinti route.  If you are taking the Cavinti route, you can take a jeepney ride going to Cavinti and ask the driver to drop you off to the junction and they call it Johnson. There’s a sign in the jeep that is Luisiana or Lucban where you can take a ride. Once you’ve reach the junction, tricycles are available and ask them to take you to Pueblo El Salvador National Park. The falls itself is within the jurisdiction of Municipality of  Cavinti, Laguna.  The Cavinti route is the cheaper way to visit Pagsanjan falls if you want to experience real action adventure where the trekking experience begins to the famous waterfall.  Entrance fee is P270 per person which includes entrance, rent for the gears for trekking and life vest.  At the information desk, you will be asked to sign a waiver and the trekking is not recommended to those who have high blood pressure or heart failure. You need to bring a bottled water just in case you feel tired and thirsty in the middle of the trekking.

Tour Information Desk at Pueblo El Salvaro

head gears for trekking

The sign before the trail starts

Our guide Dennis

Off the trail

El Salvador del Mundo Statue

From the entranced of Pueblo El Salvador to the falls takes around 30-40 minutes to reach the falls. On the way to the trail is a statue of El Salvador del Mundo.  The trekking is not that easy as it started with the rappel ride and scary as it is, you need to descend with the circular railings. It will be followed by the steel steps that are steep and the guide said there are 589 steel steps to go down to the falls

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When you reached the second rapelling, it means you are already closed to the falls and there are steeper steal steps along way.

As soon as we reached the falls, I took my dslr camera from my bag and took some photos of the magnificent world-famous falls.  The Devil’s Cave is reachable through the raft ride.  We didn’t go to the cave behind the falls as we didn’t bring some spare shirts.  We stayed for more than thirty minutes until we decided to go up and be back to the starting point of Pueblo El Salvador.

The experience in going up is harder unless you are an experienced hiker but patience is much needed in order to reach the starting point.

I could say that if you do not want to experience action to reach the falls, you better go to Pagsanjan and ride a canoe.

See more photos below:

circular railing through the rappel ride

going up to return to the start point

We go up again after spending 40 minutes at the falls

a view of the canoe

me

food trip in Sta Cruz, Laguna after going to the falls