Pagsanjan Falls is a popular day-trip about 100 km SE of Manila located in the Laguna province. The main attraction of Pagsanjan Falls aside from a view of the falls itself is the raft ride. Skilled raft men will bring tourists aboard bamboo rafts by pulling on ropes laid across the lagoon. They will bring you to the far end to have a glimpse of another cascade on top of the main falls. Another rope guides the raft behind and underneath the falls to the Devil's Cave. At the cave,visitors enjoy playing with their echo by shouting to their lung's desire. The lower part of the river is slow and meandering with local houses and palms crowding the banks. After a brief period,the river valley turns into a deep gorge,with a rainforest canopy,and the quiet waters become cascading rapids. The paddlers often jump out of the boat to manually carry it between boulders while dodging other canoes on their way down. This provides almost as much entertainment as the iridescent birds and butterflies flitting overhead. After a couple of hours,a dead-end box canyon is reached where Pagsanjan Falls tumbles over. Here you can take a raft-ferry across the plunge pool to the base of the falls.

How to get there:

From Metro Manila,Pagsanjan is best reached via the South Luzon Expressway. After Canlubang Exit,go around the cloverleaf to reach Calamba. From Calamba,follow the provincial road passing Los Baños,Bay,Victoria,Pila,Sta. Cruz and finally Pagsanjan.