Trekking with the Family - Tangadan Falls, San Gabriel, La Union

I love weekends! Simply because these past few weeks, most of my weekends were spent for travel with the people who matters most to me - family, cousins, the boyfriend, friends and of course, with my two favorite nieces who have all the energy in the world to run, swim, bike, hike and a never-ending activity. A time spent with them were an all-out fun and adventures under the sun and even on heavy rains, literally and figuratively.

Being frequent in La Union doesn’t mean that I have already visited most of the touristy spot in the area. Mostly, we were just lounging along the shoreline, watching the big waves in between surfing. Or just having fun chatting, talking and laughing on each other’s joke and whatnot. However, that would have not the case during my recent visit in the one of the surfing destination in the country.

With that having said, the family and I, together with the 2 kids, done trekking to Tangadan Falls located at San Gabriel, La Union. A day filled with adventures and wonderful experiences. One of the key destinations to visit when in La Union.

The Trail –

We passed rivers, falls, rice fields and walked uphill and downhill. Having a lifestyle like mine, it was a moderate trek because stones were too slippery and yes, I slipped twice but with no injury. We started trekking at around 7:30AM and reached the summit at almost 10:00AM which includes stopover and cliff diving - half-way to Tangadan Falls.

Wearing improper clothing can cause accident as for my case, slippers are a big ‘NO’ as there were muddy and slippery trails. Wear comfortable clothes, proper footwear, sunscreen and insect repellent for skin protection. And don’t forget to drink water to hydrate. Most of all, trek slowly and carefully. Appreciate the surrounding – it’s full of lush greens and every corner is perfect for photo ops. Which I guess, explains why we did it for almost 2-hours.

Whenever you pass by rivers, you may also swim since the water is as clear as crystals but not advisable to drink (bring your own drinking water!).

The 25-ft Cliff Diving –

On your half-way, I think after a 30-45 minutes of trekking, there’s a cliff-diving spot already. It is 25-ft high cliff where there will be locals or guide to assist you. It’s time to unleash those fear of yours. The guide will jump off first then, he patiently be waiting down there for your jump off. So it’s safe and recommendable but if you have heart condition then better not do it than to be sorry. Perhaps, grab a snack from the store located beside and have fun eating while watching those who have courage to jump off – the way I did!

The gigantic rocks were slippery so be cautious with your steps.

The Tangadan Falls –

Finally, we reached our final destination – Tangadan Falls. It was one fine day where sun was up and ready to give a brighter day to everyone. And yes, it was crowded! Lots of people were already there that’s why it’s quite hard to have a picture taken without photo-bombers. Tangadan Falls is majestic and the water is very very cold.

Tip: Early bird catches the worm, right? But in this case, being early means indulging yourself in the beauty of Tangadan Falls all by yourself or with your companions. The early you are, the less crowded the area is. So, make yourself a favor – be there as early as 6:00AM and enjoy the cold water of the falls without too much people.

The Expenses –

Entrance Fee is Php30.00 per person; Mandatory Tour Guide is Php500.00 good for 4 persons; Balsa is rented for Php100.00 per hour good for 10-12 persons; Life Jacket for Php50.00 each; and if you want to bring food and have a picnic there, Cottage rental starts from Php100.00.

Opens from 6:00AM to 6:00PM.

How to get there –

We went there via a private car, a Mitsubishi L300 van – we just followed the Waze and often, checking on Google Map. Tangadan Falls trailhead is at San Gabriel.

From San Juan, La Union (beside Mad Monkey) – you may rent a tricycle to take you directly to Tangadan Falls’ trailhead. Price starts at Php500.00.

And here are our Family and Places photos. Enjoy!