Our Quiet Candijay Quickie

Shhhhh! Quiet! No one’s supposed to know about this, okay?

Promise you won’t let others know!

On the recommendation of our friend, Atty Jun Amora, my wife surprised me with a trip to this nice undiscovered nature spot in Candijay, Bohol for my birthday! It’s called the Can-Umantad Waterfalls. The Can-Umantad Falls is hidden in a remote barangay called Cadapdapan, in the municipality of Candijay.

To reach the Falls, one takes the eastern coastal highway from Tagbilaran, past Candijay town proper, to the barrio called Lungsodaan. You won’t miss Lungsudaan as it has a newly-minted public market proudly fronting the highway. You then take the steep road up from the local market. The first 2-3 miles of the road is great, before it starts to get rough and a bit challenging. Best to take a motorbike on the way there. Just follow the road for about 30 minutes to the village of Cadapdapan, pretty much going uphill most of the way.

From Cadapdapan, you ask for directions to Eleuterio’s Mountain Resort. At Eleuterio’s, you find yourself ogling at a majestic view of the valley. Your eyes can see for miles reaching out to the distant Ubay Sea. Eleuterio’s Mountain Resort is owned by the Castanares family. They cook the best-ever Halang-halang (Spicy) Chicken I’ve tried in my whole life!!! Ever! Be sure to try it, before or after your dip at the Falls.

From the Resort, it is a nice downhill walk of about a mile to the Falls. It will be a bit slippery if it rains. So better check with Pag-asa before jumping off for this adventure. From the verdant green terraces, the small path will bring you to some pools that will tempt you to go take a dip. Don’t. Not yet, anyway. Cuz you want to preserve that for the big pool down there.

The path will bring you slowly down some winding steps. Take note. This is not for the faint of heart. Remember: if you go down those steps, you will be going up again later.

After a while, you hear the distinct sound of the waterfalls. It’s a pretty nice cool walk going down. The falls are spectacular, especially after a good rain when more water comes down from up above.

Can-umantad Falls is the highest Falls in the province of Bohol. It’s also certainly one of the more beautiful and impressive. Here is where you finally bring out your bathing stuff and take a plunge.

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Can-umantad’s waters take a sixty-foot plunge before hitting a rock ledge. It then drops another 20 plus feet into its plunge pool. The water is so refreshing for swimming, and wading isn’t difficult as the rocks aren’t slippery at all. The rocks are easy to climb and the water is not so deep or strong. After the largest plunge pool are more lower falls, also nice for wading and swimming.

Can-umantad’s allure comes mainly from its raw beauty and undisturbed environ. This hidden gem definitely is not for the faint of hearts. This is not your usual ‘touristy’ area with aircon facilities, million-dollar landscaping, and trimmed walkways. This is for the adven-tourists, the frontiersmen looking for virgin territories, the backpackers who won’t mind an occasional bug, and savor a surprise or two down the road. It is for the wanderers who love the pristine beauty of nature uncompromised.

The entire tour will treat you to a stunning upland view of the mountains and the terraces. Then as you go down the forested trail, you are awed by the waterfalls. Go lavish and love yourself in its cool waters. And feel it soothe not just your body, but your very soul.

Here are some more pics of the Can-Umantad. Listen to IZ Kamakawiwo’ole’s song while you browse on the pics. Just play the song and click on the pics for a better appreciation of the Can-Umantad. Let’s love our earth, man. It’s the only one we’ve got.

(Video courtesy of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, and Photos courtesy of cbholganza, trip advisor, brendansadventures)