by Sherma E. Benosa
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Imugan Falls upcloseNueva Vizcaya is a home of falls. I remember swimming in crystal-clear waters in Kasibu, a town next to my hometown of Bambang, when I was a kid. The rivers we went to when I was a kid were no falls, but there were huge rocks through which waters flowed falls-like, from a height of about 2 meters high. I also remember going to a similar river in Salinas, Bambang with my classmates when I was a bit older.
But one of the more-promoted falls in Nueva Vizcaya is the Imugan Falls in Sta. Fe. We visited it last year — me, mom, dad, Kate, Doris and my nephew, Pau. The place is really a hidden sanctuary!
A hanging bridge about 10 meters below the trailThe falls is located about 7 kilometers from the national highway in Sta Fe proper. When you reach Imugan Proper (via vehicle), you will have to leave your car somewhere near the barangay hall, and walk by foot for about a kilometer. It’s not a long walk, if you ask me. When we went there, my then 1.5 year-old nephew was with us and he never complained. Of course, Dad carried him for most of the way, but there were parts of the way where he insisted on walking! Hmmm, good guy. :-)
The only problem we had then was that we couldn't stay because it started to rain almost immediately after we arrived (Talk about wrong timing.) We had to walk back to our car, mainly because we had a young kid with us, and also because I was carrying my laptop. Grrrr!)
Dad and Pau walking along the trail TIP: Wear comfortable slippers. Or better yet, hiking shoes. Don’t be like Mom who wore a two-inch sandals. :-)
