by Mapita Falls in Aguilar Pangasinan is another off the beaten destination to tick off during COVID-19 for Pangasinan residents. With the travel restriction implemented nowadays, Mapita Falls is an ideal destination during the pandemic. For instance, there is less tourists in Mapita which is perfect for the social distancing rule.
Honestly, Mapita Falls is one of those epic unplanned trip where you and your travel buddies decided to do something out of the blue. We were supposed to be in Isabela for our relief operation (Typhoon Ulysses). However, we received a short notice that it will be postponed. Hence, Mapita Falls it is! Lol.
Before getting to the falls, you’ll experience a scenic view of a grassland mountain ridge — Daang Katutubo. Then, a 30-minute trek down to the falls will heat up the adventure inside you. As you come near to the falls, you will hear the splashes of running water from a brook. The small brook will lead you down to Mapita Falls.
What You Need To Know
- During COVID-19, expect very few tourists. No need to secure travel pass or medical certificate to get to Mapita falls if you are residing in Pangasinan. But if you are coming from other province, then you’ll need to secure necessary travel documents to pass through the checkpoints.
- Insider tip: Best time to go to Mapita Falls in Aguilar Pangasinan is during rainy season. Wet season is always the best time to visit any waterfall. Why? The water is more abundant during this season. Therefore, go in between the typhoon days!
- Book hotels near Mapita Falls here.
- The trek down to the falls will only last about 30 minutes and about 40 minutes going back up.
- Bring mosquito repellant, food, water, other essential necessities for camping.
- There are no bathrooms near the waterfalls. Make sure to wear dri-fit clothes.
- Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. Please be a RESPONSIBLE TRAVELER all the time.
How To Go There: Side-trip in Daang Katutubo
Note that there are no public transportation that goes directly to Mapita Falls. In other words, you have to bring your own vehicle to get there. Moreover, Daang Katutubo will be the highlight of your travel going to Mapita falls.
Daang Katutubo is the continuation of Mangatarem’s Daang Kalikasan. Although Daang Kalikasan has been closed last February 2020 for the completion of the cementing of the remaining sections of the road, good news is we have Daang Katutubo as an alternative! It has very similar features with Daang Kalikasan when it comes to the scenic view of the highland mountains.
To get there, make sure to download Waze app of Google Maps for easy navigation. After that, there will be about 25 – 30 minutes trek down to the falls and another 40 minutes trek back up to the jumpoff point.
Trekking To Mapita Falls
Heads up! The landmark going to Mapita Falls is a bit confusing. Especially during COVID-19, the tourism office is usually closed. There are no signage that will lead you to the falls. So the only thing left to do is to ask people residing in the area.
In our case, we had a little difficulty locating the falls as there are no decent signage to point the direction. For you not to go down the same road, below is a photo I took as a landmark of the jump-off point. Aguilar Tourists Assistance Ctr.
From this point, you will start walking down to the waterfalls for about 30 minutes. The trail is easy. However, there are no signage of which way to go. Just follow the trail and you’ll know that you are coming near if you start hearing the sound of the running water from the brook connected to the falls.
Follow the direction of the running water. It will lead you down to the main waterfalls. OR, follow the pieces of trashes and face masks, it will lead you down to the main waterfalls. 🙁 I was a bit disappointed by this observation. There were so many trashes in the trail and in the main waterfalls.. Please bring your trashes with you and don’t leave them!
Tada! We made it to Mapita Falls in Aguilar Pangasinan. The trek down to the waterfalls is truly worth it. Honestly, it was the kind of adventure that me and my friend are always up to. Nature at its finest! Most people would say that the water in the falls is clear. Unfortunately, we saw a murky water instead. But that’s ok! Because typhoons in Pangasinan just finished.
By the way, it was November 27th this year when we came here.
As a bonus, we got the chance to witness a stunning sunset at Daang Katutubo! Lesson for the day: everything happens for a reason! Although our relief operation in Isabela got cancelled, here is something to add in our epic adventure memories.
| Help me improve my travel guide! By commenting suggestions in the comment section below, I am very open to new ideas. 🙂 Contact Us for paid promotions and link insertions. For proposals: email me at contact@joansfootprints.com |
NEXT TO READ:
