Travelogue: Tangadan Falls in San Gabriel, La Union (plus Cliff Diving)

Aside from surfing, La Union also has other activities to offer. I learned about Tangadan Falls from my friend Faye, who went to La Union recently. Though when I asked her of the other things to do in La Union, she just gave me an answer of a waterfalls that starts with letter "T". Thanks to Google for giving me the complete answer. LOL!

I, together with Neil and my workmates, decided to push through with the 6-hour trip, a weekend before the Holy Week to avoid the surge of people. We took the Partas bus and left the metro around 5AM on Saturday. We arrived in La Union past 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

The next day, Sunday, Neil and I, decided to go on a trek to Tangadan Falls. My workmates stayed since they like lounging by the beach more. They tried the kayak in Urbiztondo and the spa in Kahuna. With the help of Ms. Marie, one of the owners of Angel and Marie's Place where we stayed at, we were able to secure a guide who accompanied us from San Juan straight to Brgy. Tangadan. 

Kuya Jerry, our guide, paid for our jeepney fare from San Juan to San Gabriel. From there, he has a tricycle driver contact who will take us to Tangadan Falls' jump-off point. 

Yes, dirty butt is part of the adventure. LOL!

(Where did that even come from?)

Since it's dry season, we did not have any difficulty during our trek because the water was sparse. Unlike what we read in some blogs, we didn't have to get ourselves wet just to cross rivers. We just walked on the giant rocks to get to the other side. It was also safer to jump off a cliff and swim because the current wasn't strong. The sun's heat during this season though is intensely unbearable.

The main attraction - Tangadan Falls!

Half a day will do for the whole trek. The cliff diving site has no name but it is part of the hike to the main destination. Of course, jumping is up to you. They have life vests for rent if you don't know how to swim but you badly want to try cliff diving. There are three (3) heights - 8 ft., 12 ft., and 18 ft. - those estimates are according to our guide. We call them the elementary, high school and college, respectively. LOL! I jumped until high school but didn't dare to go to college. Neil jumped all levels and did the college twice. If you know what I mean. Haha!

What we didn't discover ahead of time was the upper part of Tangadan Falls. There's an enclosed area there which is also a good cliff diving spot. However, we were already running out of time, hence we weren't able to try that part. By the way, expect the place to be packed, especially on weekends, since the place is already known to many.

Itinerary:
8:00 AM   Take jeep from San Juan to San Gabriel, La Union
8:25 AM   Hail a tricycle to Tangadan Falls jump-off point
8:45 AM   Arrival at jump-off; Start trek
9:25 AM   ETA at the cliff diving site
10:15 AM  Take photos and try the three (3) levels of cliff diving
11:00 AM  Start trek to Tangadan Falls
11:20 AM  Arrival at Tangadan Falls; Register
11:45 AM  Swim and take photos; Try their bamboo raft for a waterfall massage
12:45 PM  Back to the jump-off point; Take tricycle back to San Gabriel
1:05 PM    Ride the jeep back to San Juan
1:30 PM    Back in Angel and Marie's Place

Passing by the cliff diving site on our way back

We also have the best guide. He's really kind that he let me borrow his slippers all throughout our hike to the falls, because mine was so slippery after it got wet. Also, he's the only guide who brings a life buoy, in case of emergency. Plus, he passed the Water Search and Rescue (WaSAR) training. Contact him via this number, 0905 449 4614 (Kuya Jerry).

Try Tangadan Falls when you visit La Union. It's definitely a whole new adventure, far from the usual beach bumming and surfing. Not to mention, it's also an affordable activity. 

Thanks for dropping by! See you in my next post.

Budget reference:

Guide fee is all-in (guide, transportation & registration) - P250/ head

             Note: Since Kuya Jerry was refferred to us by Ms. Marie, we were only charged P250 per 

             head. However, according to him, his usual guide fee rate is P350.

Bamboo raft - P100/ raft (unlimited use)

Guide tip (because we think Kuya Jerry deserves it) - P50/ pax