 |
Pangasinan is one of the beach spot in North Luzon; Home of the very popular Hundred Islands; Known to be the Bangus Capital of the Philippines; Great place to buy fresh daing and danggit in very affordable price as well as their version of Longganisa is a must-try.
But little did everyone know that Pangasinan is a best place for Nature tripping, too.
Wanna know why?
Keep scrolling to find out!
Underneath the farthest part of Pangasinan is where to find a town called “Bolinao”.
I’ve heard of its white sand beaches and seen lots of friends visited this place.
But I never expect that there is more to discover about Bolinao than what all of us already knew.
A total of 6 hours drive from Bulacan via NLex, SCTEx and TPLEx to reach Bolinao.
We’re off to our first destination which is Samang Norte where Bolinao Falls are located.
NATURE TRIPPING PART 1:
Falls Hopping
I never thought that aside from Island and Club hopping, we can do Falls hopping too!
Of course, we can! We can do hopping trips on any other things but this one’s very exciting and unique (well at least for me hehe).
And so we’re down to our Nature tripping part 1: Falls Hopping.
BOLINAO FALLS #1
Had to take a walk on the wild side for about 5mins only. We’re finally able to see the majestic view of falls few steps past the cottages. It’s the highest falls among the three and it also has 30ft high cliff jump edge for those who seeks for extreme adventure. You can rent bamboo raft or better rent their life vest for just P50/jacket to enjoy more the entire clean and cold water.
The place is far from the plaza and you won’t see stores or eateries hence the locals will offer to cook your meals for cheap price only and that is quite a big help because you will surely need extra energy on this activity and of course you wouldn’t want to be hungry for the long period of time.
BOLINAO FALLS #2
After we ate our breakfast of grilled bangus, eggplants, stuffed squids and fried longganisa for less than P500, we waste no time and proceeded to the next falls. This time, it took us 10mins of walking which is kinda exhausting. But when we heard the falling water, our feet just instantly walked fast following the attracting sounds of it.
The second falls is not as high as the first one but the swimming area is huger. It is for me the most welcoming falls. Anyone can jump on its cliff because it’s not too high and there’s a bridge where you can just walk through it and dip into the bluish water. On the other side, you can just relax on the flowing water which can definitely give you a great massage. There are just some slippery rocks so be sure to be very careful in every step you take.
BOLINAO FALLS #3
Well, I must admit, despite the hard downward and upward another-10min-walk trails, this is the only one that leave me speechless. I feel like I just visited a paradise. Every corner seems perfect and compliments each other. The wide open surroundings with trees, fresh air, clear blue sky, unique rock formations and turquoise water.
We extended the trail by walking to reach the end of the flowing water but it seems like its a never-ending spring. What an amazing experience it really is. For just P20/head entrance fee each falls, you are witnessing more than a hundred bucks worth of pleasure by just seeing these heavenly place.
NATURE TRIPPING PART 2:
Floating Restaurant and Wonderful Cave
SEAFOOD LUNCH
AT SUNGAYAN GRILL
FLOATING RESTAURANT
Looking for place to have a good food? Surely, there is! One hour away from Samang Norte, you can found Sungayan Grill Floating restaurant of Balingasay, Bolinao. The most popular diner in town because of its great tasting food and floating kubos.
Such a very relaxing place to rest our feet and exercise our tummy. Lol.
We tried their best-selling Seafood Bilao good for 5-7pax for P1,000. It has sets of crabs, stuffed squids, grilled liempo, shrimps, seaweeds, okra, eggplants and from the diner’s name itself, their very own Sungayan fish which literally has Sungay or horn at the center of its head. Every food was a delight especially the Sungayan fish which is very delicious!
WONDERFUL CAVE
Another awesome experience you need to try when visiting Bolinao is to indulge yourself to one of their caves. Yes, there are lots of it just like falls but we decided to chose just one cave and that is the Wonderful Cave.
It cost P100/head for the entrance fee. It is not the typical cave-exploring experience, you just need to get inside where there is clean mineral water waiting for you to submerge in.
The ceiling of the cave is full of limestones, there’s no bats and you’ll feel like you owned the whole cave when you’re inside of it.
SIDETRIP: Bolinao Lighthouse
Beach of Bolinao is facing the west Philippine sea, assuredly, there’s a lighthouse. Not likely as huge as the popular Ilocos’ lighthouse but it is one full of history as well and considered as the second tallest lighthouse in the country.
NATURE TRIPPING PART 3:
Ocean Vibes
Few miles away from lighthouse, beach is calling. Patar white sand beach is considered as the best beach in Bolinao.
We have settled in for only P1200 in a traditional bahay kubo with double-decker bed good for 5 persons and quickly make our way to the beachfront to witness the fiery sunsets and how it beautifully reflects in the ocean. *sigh
After an hour of listening to the pleasurable sounds that waves are making, we placed ourselves in the cottage still in beachfront to devour our dinner by the beach and because the sound of the waves continues and the breeze became colder, we decided to stay a little longer with bottles of beer. Then we ended the day with restful night and sound sleep.
DAY 2: Whole day beaching.
We have slept very hard and woke up with such amazing views. It’s time to go beaching! I really love walking barefooted on its golden and soft sands. The heat is not too strong to have your skin finely tanned.
We had a great time enjoying the water as well as the waves. We had our lunch and their must-try delicacy called “Binungey” sounds like “Binung-ey” a sticky rice cooked inside a bamboo and to be eaten using bamboo-made spoon with some sweet sauce.
The time has come that we need to end our Bolinao trip and took the road on our way home to Bulacan. End of journey.
We are very lucky to be able to witness these wonderful places on such perfect not-too-sunny day and to have our trip safe the whole journey. I’m very lucky to have found these fantastic places I never thought existed; and to have great adventure with greatest of friends that I have, this trip became extraordinary because we have a shared experience on it and simply because I’m with them.
 |
| I don't have friends, I have family. #Truepa |
Many places, such as Bolinao, are blessed with stunning natures, we just need to have the courage and willingness to give our time to discover these places as well as to discover ourselves. For great things comes to those who take long drives, scenic route and road less traveled. Nothing but pure nature is what my heart desires. The more you bond with nature, the more you appreciate God. In every walk with nature we receives far more than we seeks.
 |
| Your jouneyer and official Nature tripper. |
To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles
-Mary Davis
