Bontoc | Humuyyo Falls in Talubin, The Land of Clear Waters | Ironwulf En Route - A Travel Story, Photography, and Video blog by Ferdz Decena from the Philippines

The highest waterfalls in Bontoc, the Hamuyyo Falls

Bontoc is such an underrated destination in the Mountain Province region. I must admit that I was guilty of dismissing Bontoc as simply a gateway to other destinations like Sagada, Banaue or Kalinga. Discovering the beauty of Maligcong three years ago changed my notion of Bontoc. I realized, the town is just the tip of the iceberg. My recent visit found me in Talubin, the neighboring village 6km from Bontoc Town proper, known as the Land of Clear Waters in the province. One look into the village, it’s easy to see the abundance of water flowing through the village. Talubin village is settled comfortably at the slopes of the Cordillera Mountain Ranges where streams from the mossy forest continuously flow and a clean river runs through. We were also there to visit one of the main source of water in Bontoc, the Humuyyo Falls, located 3,700 feet above sea level.

Hike to Humuyyo Falls

I was accompanied by friends from Maligcong Suzzete of the Maligcong Homestay, Tina, the ever reliable guide and travel buddy Lagalog. Jerome, Suzzete’s husband dropped us of by the bridge near the jump-off trail. I was looking for something new to explore in Bontoc and I thought this would be good to explore. Seeing the photos at the Bontoc Tourism Office and getting assurance from the tourism officer, Elli, that water flows through this falls all year long sure was enticing.

The first 15 minutes of the hike is along the paved water canals supplying the rice terraces. The elevation gets higher and we could see the bridge below were we started. Then, the first water crossing begins. The water was indeed clear and very cold. Tempting to stay a bit but we were just starting our trek. The trail then goes on the side of the mountains. The trail was narrow and often had some soft grounds but surrounded lush vegetation. We crossed several streams and cascades. By my count if I’m not mistaken, around five, as we made our way up following the path of the cascades.

Continue story and essential info on the next page…

The last stretch requires a bit of caution and courage. We had to carefully hold close to the slippery walls and rocks to reach the main drop. Even crossing what looks to be a fragile set of fallen trees as a bridge/ After an hour, we were finally at the falls. Humuyyo Falls is tall. By my estimation about 50–80 feet. The water flow was strong that it was tricky to take close up photos because of the strong water spray. I did manage to get close to the lower basin. It was small with depth up to the waist but good enough for dips.

Humuyyo Falls is fed by the lake Hiniblawan Talaw, further up the mountains. A legendary lake for the locals. For them, it is where the stars takes a bath.The local elders also perform the local rain dance to their gods called “manerwap” here. It sounded real interesting but our guide tells us that we had to hike another three hours to reach this lake. Since it rains every afternoon, we had to make our way back sooner lest the rain falls and make the trail more challenging. We took a different trail on the later part of our descend. This time going down nearer to town which was a lot convenient but steeper descend.

I really enjoyed this nature hike to Humuyyo Falls. It’s not that easy and requires a bit of fitness but I’m sure adventure seekers would enjoy as it offers moderate challenges too. It’s one side trip in Bontoc I would highly recommend.

Essential Info

Humuyyo Falls is located in Talubin Village, 6.1km from Bontoc town. Talubin can be reached the following ways

There are jeeps to Talubin in front of Sonnorah’s Inn from 12nn to 5pm. Jeep leaves when full. Fare is Php 20/pax. Travel time is 30 minutes.
An alternative if one wants to hike earlier, take a Banaue bound bus (Von Von bus at 7:00am, AV Trans at 8:00am and Immanuel Trans at 9:00am), Jeeps or Van from 9:30am to 2:30pm. Tell the driver to drop you off at Talubin.
From Talubin regsiter at the Barangay Hall and secure a guide.
Going back to Bontoc, there are jeeps that leave for Bontoc at the junction from 2:30pm. Also watch out for vans heading to Bontoc. Fare is Php 20.