Mother Falls: A refreshing side trip near Baler, Aurora

Level up a surfing weekend in Baler with a side trip to the easily accessible Mother Falls.

The next time you’re in Baler, don’t just stick to surfing. Bundle your adventure with a side trip to this low-stress, high-reward trek to Mother Falls in the neighboring town of San Luis, Aurora.

Real talk here: I’m scared of long hikes. I’ve always been the uncoordinated type of person who never learned to bike, who curls up in bed with ice packs after a day in the mountains. But when you’re working for “Biyahe ni Drew”, saying no isn’t really an option.

Our guides from the local tourism office said that while Baler is known for its surfing scene, they always recommend a side trip to Mother Falls. (Good news: Their services are free!) Also known as Dimatubo Falls, Mother Falls got its name by being the largest in the area. Nestled deep in the mountains, it flowed out and gave birth to several smaller falls and streams that you’ll pass on the way. From Baler, you may hire an accredited tricycle driver for P800 a day to take you around the area; just be sure to ask for his ID issued by the tourism office.


“Are we there yet?” we’d ask.
“Baby falls pa lang ‘yan,” our tour guide would joke.

My most memorable waterfall trek to date was to the majestic Tappiyah Falls in Banaue, which took us across the Batad Rice Terraces, over a mossy hill, and down a flight of steep concrete stairs that wound around a mountain with no handrail to grasp. The climb back up was brutal, but the view was otherworldly. My friends and I took to calling the experience in Lord of the Rings terms. “Mordor sa hirap, Rivendell sa ganda,” we said.

Hiking to Mother Falls, in contrast and to my utter joy, was much easier. Obviously it’s still not a good idea for people with recent knee injuries, but the trail is less of a climb and more of a walk with sporadic inclines. I’d say start your trek at 9:00 AM so you’ll be done before it gets too hot; even at a leisurely pace, a round trip shouldn’t take more than two hours.

From our van, our trail began with a ten-minute walk over small, loose rocks. The flat terrain lets you look around and take in the enormity of the forest around you, but you can also hire a tricycle from the main road (P80 per person if you aren’t booking for all-day transportation) to skip this part of the trek.

The tricycle will drop you off at a bamboo bridge over the first stream you must cross. There’s already a low, wide waterfall at this point that reflects the light perfectly at around 10:00 AM.

After this is a wet clamber over large, smooth rocks (be careful!) and about 20 minutes of walking. You’ll cross over another bamboo bridge and see another “baby falls” before getting to a last stream that has no bridge.

It’s about a foot deep if you stick to the path, but some parts sink to two feet deep — which is how a “Biyahe ni Drew” cameraman and I ended up soaked.

Our tip? Wear trekking sandals or shoes and use a water-resistant bag for your valuables. The last thing anyone wants is a swimming camera!

For the last stretch to the falls, you’ll walk on top of a concrete walkway. No rails here, but it’s wide enough for you to walk without getting goosebumps.

The waterfall itself is everything you’d expect: imposing cliffs framing a bubbling pool of blue and jade. (Lessons from “Biyahe ni Drew”: If someone tells you to jump in the ice-cold waterfall pool, you do it. If not, the cameraman will push you in.) In some areas, the water is deep enough for a dive; other parts are safe enough to wade in.

On our heels were three tourists from Hungary and Lithuania who were visiting the Philippines for the first time. We took their picture and asked them what they thought of the falls.

“It’s so beautiful. In our country, we have snow, but this kind of nature is amazing,” one girl said. Is it romantic? we asked, after telling them we were shooting our Valentine’s Day episode. “Yes!” said her boyfriend, leaning in for a kiss.

Their group followed ours on the way down, clambering down wet boulders and splashing around in the stream. Only then did we notice: They didn’t have a tour guide!

I’m happy to report that Mother Falls is beautiful, a bit of mountain paradise that has remained unspoiled despite being a well-known tourist spot. I’m even happier to report that it’s one of the more accessible falls out there.

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Contact the Aurora tourism office: tourism_aurora@yahoo.com
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