Lanao del Norte Travel Guide

Northern Mindanao

Waterfall in the green forest. Mimbalut Falls in the jungle, island of Mindanao, Philippines. Iligan City, Lanao del Norte.
Waterfall in the green forest. Mimbalut Falls in the jungle, island of Mindanao, Philippines. Iligan City, Lanao del Norte.
It's Tinago Falls this time! The word "tinago" means hidden. And yes, literally, it is hidden. It sits in the middle of the woods. Since I cannot incorporate in one picture all the beautiful parts of this falls, I posted separate photographs with the same caption. There are two ways to get here. First is taking the 400-step stairs and the other is the 200-step stairs. No matter which way you choose, both are immensely EXHAUSTING! Whew! Just because it's only 200 steps does not mean it's easier than the former. It's a broken trail! The concrete stairs have been ruined by roots of old trees and plants, which make your journey even harder. Not to mention the cliff where you can fall off from if you don't watch out. Let me talk about the mystery behind this (I'm thrilled as I begin): the truth is that no one has ever measured the depth of this yet. Many people attempted to do so, but they ended up losing their lives. Locals of this place say that there are "beings" that live underwater and that they take lives every now and then. No one knows whether that is true or not. It's a hearsay. All I know is that Tinago Falls remains a mystery to the world. Below the rock formations are caves. And just behind that water curtain lies another cave. And then a few more everywhere. A number of people has seen it, but it required them first an immeasurable amount of courage before they were able to do see the caves. The last time I came here, I got a chance to talk to a 23-year old guy who lives around. He claimed to be one of the caretakers of the falls. He recounted several stories he has witnessed over time, such as hearing cries all over the place very early in the morning, seeing a friend of his jump off from the top and died head-on; and looking at people risk their lives by trying to swim deep down (then they never came to the surface ever again). The falls is overwhelming. Even I cannot stop staring at it despite having seen it already a thousand times in my life. I've heard that an aerial perspective of the lagoon/falls will you give you an image of just plain dark water. It may have appeared blue-green in the picture but from afar, it is black. Nonetheless, this place is best known for its relaxing atmosphere. The water is very cold -- so ideal for tropical countries like ours, especially during summer. People come here for picnics and picture-taking activities. I love this place. I can go on talking about it for hours. By the way, I've taken several friends here and they all said the same thing: "WOW!" I hope to also see this wow-expression on your face one day. You are most welcome in my city. Happy travels, Star, Iligan City, PH
It's Tinago Falls this time! The word "tinago" means hidden. And yes, literally, it is hidden. It sits in the middle of the woods. Since I cannot incorporate in one picture all the beautiful parts of this falls, I posted separate photographs with the same caption. There are two ways to get here. First is taking the 400-step stairs and the other is the 200-step stairs. No matter which way you choose, both are immensely EXHAUSTING! Whew! Just because it's only 200 steps does not mean it's easier than the former. It's a broken trail! The concrete stairs have been ruined by roots of old trees and plants, which make your journey even harder. Not to mention the cliff where you can fall off from if you don't watch out. Let me talk about the mystery behind this (I'm thrilled as I begin): the truth is that no one has ever measured the depth of this yet. Many people attempted to do so, but they ended up losing their lives. Locals of this place say that there are "beings" that live underwater and that they take lives every now and then. No one knows whether that is true or not. It's a hearsay. All I know is that Tinago Falls remains a mystery to the world. Below the rock formations are caves. And just behind that water curtain lies another cave. And then a few more everywhere. A number of people has seen it, but it required them first an immeasurable amount of courage before they were able to do see the caves. The last time I came here, I got a chance to talk to a 23-year old guy who lives around. He claimed to be one of the caretakers of the falls. He recounted several stories he has witnessed over time, such as hearing cries all over the place very early in the morning, seeing a friend of his jump off from the top and died head-on; and looking at people risk their lives by trying to swim deep down (then they never came to the surface ever again). The falls is overwhelming. Even I cannot stop staring at it despite having seen it already a thousand times in my life. I've heard that an aerial perspective of the lagoon/falls will you give you an image of just plain dark water. It may have appeared blue-green in the picture but from afar, it is black. Nonetheless, this place is best known for its relaxing atmosphere. The water is very cold -- so ideal for tropical countries like ours, especially during summer. People come here for picnics and picture-taking activities. I love this place. I can go on talking about it for hours. By the way, I've taken several friends here and they all said the same thing: "WOW!" I hope to also see this wow-expression on your face one day. You are most welcome in my city. Happy travels, Star, Iligan City, PH
It's Tinago Falls this time! The word "tinago" means hidden. And yes, literally, it is hidden. It sits in the middle of the woods. There are two ways to get here. First is taking the 400-step stairs and the other is the 200-step stairs. No matter which way you choose, both are immensely EXHAUSTING! Whew! Just because it's only 200 steps does not mean it's easier than the former. It's a broken trail! The concrete stairs have been ruined by roots of old trees and plants, which make your journey even harder. Not to mention the cliff where you can fall off from if you don't watch out. Let me talk about the mystery behind this (I'm thrilled as I begin): the truth is that no one has ever measured the depth of this yet. Many people attempted to do so, but they ended up losing their lives. Locals of this place say that there are "beings" that live underwater and that they take lives every now and then. No one knows whether that is true or not. It's a hearsay. All I know is that Tinago Falls remains a mystery to the world. Below the rock formations are caves. And just behind that water curtain lies another cave. And then a few more everywhere. A number of people has seen it, but it required them first an immeasurable amount of courage before they were able to do see the caves. The last time I came here, I got a chance to talk to a 23-year old guy who lives around. He claimed to be one of the caretakers of the falls. He recounted several stories he has witnessed over time, such as hearing cries all over the place very early in the morning, seeing a friend of his jump off from the top and died head-on; and looking at people risk their lives by trying to swim deep down (then they never came to the surface ever again). The falls is overwhelming. Even I cannot stop staring at it despite having seen it already a thousand times in my life. I've heard that an aerial perspective of the lagoon/falls will you give you an image of just plain dark water. It may have appeared blue-green in the picture but from afar, it is black. Nonetheless, this place is best known for its relaxing atmosphere. The water is very cold -- so ideal for tropical countries like ours, especially during summer. People come here for picnics and picture-taking activities. I love this place. I can go on talking about it for hours. By the way, I've taken several friends here and they all said the same thing: "WOW!" I hope to also see this wow-expression on your face one day. You are most welcome in my city. Happy travels, Star, Iligan City, PH

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