I was hoping to visit the Agusan Marsh when I was still planning to visit the province of Agusan del Sur in the CARAGA Region in Mindanao, but because of shortage of time, I wasn’t able to. Besides, the tourism officer I was able to contact here highly recommended that we visit early in the day and on a weekday: two things I won’t be able to do. My friend and I would be coming from Butuan, and while we took the earliest flight, it would still be close to impossible that we get there just by riding public transportation. Besides, we have already planned of going to Agusan del Sur on a weekend. Changing it would change our whole itinerary. Anyway, we still pushed through in the province but focusing only in one municipality, the capital of Agusan del Sur, Prosperidad.

As the province’s capital, Prosperidad is easily accessible. Major roads and highways in and out of the province come through here. It took us about two hours of bus ride from Butuan, and I guess it would be faster if you have your own vehicle or if vans are allowed again to operate from Butuan to Prosperidad. You can also ride the bus from Davao City, though it would take about 5 and half to 6 hours of travel.

Prosperidad is home to three beautiful waterfalls: Tiger Falls, Bega Falls and Tugonan Falls. Let’s explore them one by one on this blog. Are you read? Let’s go!

AGUSAN DEL SUR

Let’s take a short look at the province of Agusan del Sur, one of the five provinces in the CARAGA Region. With a land area of 8,568 sq. km, Agusan del Sur is the 7th largest province in the Philippines. The province is essentially a land that consists of an elongated basin formation with mountain ranges in both its western and eastern sides. The Agusan River, from where it derives its name, flows from the highlands of the province of Davao de Oro, runs along the valley of Agusan del Sur, towards Agusan del Norte before emptying out to Butuan Bay.

The province is classified as having a Type II climate, which means it has no dry season! During our travel here, we’re really blessed because it didn’t rain that day. Our guides said that it was raining for the past week! And if there’s a time that you should avoid going here, it’s during December and January when maximum rainfall happens.

Meanwhile, Cebuano is the most common language used by the people here in Agusan del Sur.

TIGER FALLS

Our guide said that Tiger Falls is relatively new to the public, and that just might be the reason we were the only ones there when we visited!

It took us just about 15 minutes to reach the Tiger Falls from the jump off point. The pathway isn’t concretized yet, and that may mean it’s going to be muddy during rainy days. Thankfully, it was sunny all day long when we visited.

The place looked enchanting! Lots of trees surround the waterfall, and the gushing waters emit such calming sound that is just perfect to soothe the ears.

Tiger Falls isn’t that high, but it’s high enough to provide a pretty sight of water flowing effusively along its rocks. And look at how clear the water is!

BEGA FALLS

Located in the capital municipality of Prosperidad, it is the most accessible waterfall when you visit Agusan del Sur! Only about five minutes away from Tiger Falls, Bega Falls (also called Bega Falls Ecotourism Park as the place is already developed for tourism) is a great place for family and friends who need to have a breather from their busy lives. The roads leading to this park are paved, and once you go in, you’ll know that going to the falls won’t be too hard because it has concrete steps or cemented stairs. Getting tired after minutes of going up and down is another matter, though!

The eco park has cottages on all tiers of the waterfall, but most of the visitors stay in Tier # 1 cottages. Perfect for sightseeing and just relaxing with friends and family.

Tier # 2 may not be as gorgeous as Tier # 1 but it is still a good place to swim in!

Tier # 3 is actually the easiest to go to as it’s nearest one from the entrance. That may be the reason it has the most cottages among the tiers. Meanwhile, tier # 4 is located further down the stream and going there is rough supposedly.

The Legend of Bega Falls: Many stories have been told about Bega Falls. The one relayed to me by our guide goes like this: Story has it that there was once a very beautiful lady who walked and traversed the waterfall daily. Her beauty captured the attention of every man who saw her. They had this strong urge to and desire to go after her in the falls… never to be seen again.

TUGONAN FALLS

The third waterfall in our itinerary is none other than Tugonan Falls! It’s located in Bgy. San Lorenzo, still in the municipality of Prosperidad. The waterfall is beautiful, though it would have been more fascinating if there was more water flowing when we visited! Look at how alluring its water is!

What made our stay in Tugonan Falls memorable is were these kids enjoying the water the way it should be enjoyed. They wanted me to take pictures of them, and who am I but to oblige? Haha.

THE FALLS UP CLOSE. You’d think there’s dry weather here because the water doesn’t flow over half of the rocky ledge. And… did you notice the huge log in the middle? It wasn’t there before as it was only caused by Typhoon Odette late last year said our guides.

TIPS DURING YOUR TRAVEL TO PROSPERIDAD:

1. Touring these three waterfalls can be done in a day. Take your time exploring: swim and play with the clear and cool water of the falls!
2. If you still have a day or two to spare, it is ideal to stay in Prosperidad overnight then visit the Agusan Marsh the following day. Agusan Marsh is the largest wetland in the Philippines, and it was the place where Lolong, the largest saltwater crocodile was located!
3.  It’s a great idea to visit Surigao del Sur after visiting Agusan del Sur. Traveling in Hinatuan or Bislig would take about three hours from Prosperidad.
4. Clarify with your guide how much the tour would cost even before travel. We set it up at P1,500 (2 tour guides, 2 motorcycles for 2 travelers) but because we really enjoyed our time here, we gave an additional P100. You may contact Sir Aljon Adlaon in this number: 0907-401-6911.

***

I hope you had a great time reading and looking at my pictures here in this blog! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, don’t hestitate to write them down here!