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O F F T H E B E A T E N T R A C K
Waterfall country
What mainland Biliran lacks in
coastal pleasures, it makes up for with
cascading beauties inland. And for
an island its size, there’s a surprising
number of waterfalls, thanks to
abundant rainfall and steep slopes.
I hired a
habal-habal
(a single-
engine passenger motorcycle) for a
full day of “waterfall hopping”. Tinago
Falls in Caibiran is the most popular,
which, despite its name, isn’t “hidden”
anymore. Now promoted as a tourist
attraction, it’s easily reached by a
concrete access road from the highway.
Set amid natural surroundings,
Bagongbong Falls in Almeria was an
equally impressive find. This one, on the
other hand, required a half-hour hike to
get to. My waterfall tour ended at Pundol
Falls in Almeria, where I watched
daredevil children slide down the large
cascade and dive from a 60ft-high rock
ledge.
Of all the waterfalls I’d seen, I enjoyed
the refreshing Kinaraha Cascades in
Caibiran the most. They may not be as
majestic as the others on the island, but
Kinaraha has the clearest waters I’ve
ever seen. Gouging swimming holes
down rocky outcrops, the series of
waterfalls is fed by sulphuric hot springs
upriver, giving the water a slightly acrid
What mainland Biliran lacks in
coastal pleasures, it makes up for
with cascading beauties inland.
And for an island its size, there , s a
surprising number of waterfalls
One of the swimming holes at the
Kinaraha Cascades; (left) although it
means “hidden”, Tinago is actually a
popular tourist spot in Biliran