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.