I was starting to get disappointed with places I’ve visited in Camiguin in the last two days. Maybe I was too critical or maybe the island’s famous attractions weren’t really that spectacular. One thing’s for sure, there was a moment when I thought Camiguin was bordering on being an overrated destination.

I’ve read high recommendations and seen amazing photos of different spots in the island prior to the trip. It definitely built-up my expectations of Camiguin. When I finally got to see the usual spots like Katibasan Falls, White Island, Ardent Hot Springs, Walkway to the Old Volcano, and the uber popularized Sunken Cemetery, I guess I just wasn’t WOWed. I also felt that these places were a bit too “touristy” because there were a lot of organized developments already.

After taking a P38 lunch at some random carinderia at the Catarman Public Market, I asked around about how to get to Tuasan Falls. It wasn’t as easy to get to as the ones I previously visited but the effort was indeed worthwhile.

I was very happy I got to visit the Tuasan Falls. Its raw beauty totally turned my experience of Camiguin around.

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Tuasan Falls in Catarman, Camiguin

Getting to Tuasan Falls

From Catarman Town Proper, I chartered a habal-habal to take me to Tuason Falls for P250 (roundtrip). The driver also became my trekking guide. Lucky me he knew the way to the falls.

It took us around 30 minutes to get to the jump-off point. A significant portion of the inland road wasn’t paved so expect a bumpy ride half of the way.

Then it was trekking time, which took another 30 minutes. Ours was a rather fast hike because the guide seemed to be in a hurry. It would probably take 45 to 1 hour on a more leisurely pace.

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Nice views along the way

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Cool stream

We had an easy hike up until crossing the river. A challenging part was one steep downhill slope. It was tricky because the path was mostly made-up of loose soil.

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Looking down

Tuason Falls - Catarman - Camiguin 11-10 (513)Steep part. This was taken on our way back.

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Tuason Falls - Catarman - Camiguin 11-10 (510)

Nearing the falls, the guide told me we were going to use a shortcut. We passed through the dense foliage of the forest (instead of following the winding river upstream). Even though I was a bit worried thinking “where the hell we were going,” I loved that we took the shortcut because of the verdant views. The path was surrounded with an abundance of bright green ferns … everything looked so perky :)

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Surrounded by verdant undergrowth

Some of the ferns were really tall. I was having trouble following the guide because he kept disappearing from view.

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Can’t see the guide

Tuason Falls - Catarman - Camiguin 11-10 (499)Oh there he is!

Raw Beauty of Tuasan Falls

Finally, the refreshing cascade of Tuasan Falls appeared. It wasn’t the tallest or grandest waterfalls I’ve seen but I was still drawn to it. There was a raw feel to the place that I loved … like the area has been kept in its pristine state.

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Walking upto Tuasan Falls

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Tuason Falls - Catarman - Camiguin 11-10 (493)
Calm shallow pool

Tuason Falls - Catarman - Camiguin 11-10 (489)With the smaller cascade

Tuason Falls - Catarman - Camiguin 11-10 (427)The main cascade

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I was totally digging this huge fern near the main pool of Tuasan Falls.

Tuason Falls - Catarman - Camiguin 11-10 (448)Under the huge fern

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The natural placement of the boulders and small rocks broke the strong gush of water so perfectly that I felt like being in a zen garden.

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Tuason Falls - Catarman - Camiguin 11-10 (432)Slowing down the shutter speed

I was so preoccupied taking photos that I totally forgot taking my usual self-portrait souvenir photos :(

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Tuason Falls - Catarman - Camiguin 11-10 (466)Perfect!

Visiting the Tuasan Falls introduced me to this totally different side of Camiguin. The one which comes to mind now when I encounter its exotic allure as the “Island Borne of Fire.”

Now I get excited thinking about the next time I’ll be visiting Camiguin. I want to get lost in its pristine inland forests … perhaps even conquer the active Mt. Hibok-Hibok Volcano.