Batlag and Daranak: 2 Falls In One

After a summer of amusing and exciting trips, we wanted to go somewhere that would bring us closer to nature. Batlag and Daranak Falls were located in Tanay, Rizal. My friend, Aly, searched for many places (specifically waterfalls) that were just close to Metro Manila. Luckily, she came across Batlag and Daranak Falls. A good thing about it is that from Daranak Falls, it only takes about a 10-minute walk to reach Batlag Falls.

The day before our trip, my 2 other friends (Jamie and Aly) and I slept over at my other friend's house (Jamina). We set our alarms to 7am, and being the typical girls that we are, it took us an hour to get ready. We left the house at 8am. We passed by Robinsons Pioneer to pick up 3 of my other friends (Steff, Sheiji, and Sam). It was approximately a 2-hour trip, inclusive of the stopovers.

Welcome to Daranak Falls :)

Our trip was on a Saturday, and there were so many people. It took me a couple of minutes to get the right timing (where there were no people appearing in the background) for just one shot.

Left to right: Steff, Aly, Jamina, me, Jamina, Sam

#AlesaKera

There was an area where you could jump off a big rock and it would lead you to the plunge pool of the waterfall. Once we jumped, we tried swimming in the plunge pool, but it was way too deep. Thankfully, the lifeguard helped us out of the water. We asked him a few questions about Daranak Falls, which also led us to asking about Batlag Falls. Before we arrived at Daranak, we've agreed that we weren't going to see Batlag anymore, because we didn't wanna pay for other fees. But, once we realized how crowded Daranak was, we decided to go to Batlag. Besides, it was just a few meters away from Daranak.

The path to Batlag was uphill, which slowed us down. It was a bit tiring, but it was really worth it.

Aly Cuerdo

Jamie Mark

I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures, so here's a video that Jamina Cruz made. Hope you all enjoy! :)

https://vimeo.com/133012341

HOW TO GET THERE?

Private Vehicle

You may research about it, but Waze comes in really handy. Plus, it will calculate your (ETA) estimated time of arrival, plus it will keep you away from traffic.

FEES:

Daranak Falls
Entrance fee (Adult & children) - Php50
Picnic Shed - Php300
Picnic Table - Php200

We paid the entrance fee, and we chose the Picnic Shed because.

Batlag Falls
Entrance Fee (Adults) - Php100
Entrance Fee (Children) - Php50
Cottage - Php250
Table - Php100
Overnight Stay - Php200

We did not get a cottage or a table because we already had one down in Daranak. Just bring your valuables and place them in a ziplock or a waterproof bag.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:
It was great because it was close to Metro Manila, but I suggest that you visit on a weekday. It was very crowded, so we weren't able to enjoy and maximize the area. I also suggest that you bring a ziplock for you gadgets. Jamie brought her phone with her because she didn't want to leave it behind in the cottage. This resulted to her phone getting wet :(