With our exploring of the Batad Rice Terraces, it would seem that we do not have a destination in mind, in fact we do. We are actually on our way to see the spectacular Tappia Waterfalls also in Batad Village. Unfortunately for me, Tappia Waterfalls is it literally a just behind a mountain, a big mountain. We have been walking for more than an hour just to cross this mountain, of course stopping for photos and some rest.
Tappia Falls is beyond the main Batad Village, over a ridge and down the valley. As it was described previously, navigating the path through the rice terraces is not easy at all. I have to constantly keep my balance and be careful to where I am treading to make sure I do not fall into the rice plants and mud. The fall probably will not kill me but the farmer taking care of the field might.
All this time we were going a downward path starting from the ridge where the inn are located. After passing the cluster of houses in the rice terraces, we had to climb a small ridge to get to the other side of the mountain. By this time, I was already very tired, the thought of going up makes me want to go back to the inn.
The ridge only took a few minutes to cross, I was half expecting to see the waterfalls once we got to the other side of the ridge. To my dismay, there was another long path which will take us behind the mountain itself. This is where it get a little hairy. The path itself is carved out of the mountain and there are hardly any handholds to speak up. Worse, halfway through the path we came to a landslide area. The path was wiped out for a few meters. Apparently, there was a landslide a few days ago. To my horror, we would have to cross the pile of rubble to get to the falls. It was quite scary since I have no idea how stable the pile of rocks were. If I fall it will be a long way down to the river below. At least it won’t hurt.
Needless to say, I made it through alive. Since there were absolutely no handholds, I had to make sure my center of gravity is towards the mountain, not away from it. After the turn to the back of the mountain, we finally heard our destination. I still could not see it, but just hearing it already made me feel excited. I still have to conquer the long path still ahead of me. With my strength returning, I hurried on to the falls.
What we saw was a stunning waterfall of modest breadth. The water thunders into a natural pool below it and flows out as a river in the valley below at the same time spreading out a mist to the surrounding area. The immediate area of the falls is pretty impressive itself, it is surrounded by mountains and it was like the area as built for a waterfall. Interesting, for such a wonderful tourist attraction, there were hardly any tourists there, I guess it is all due to the difficulty of getting here. There was a bamboo hut near the falls itself where you can rest and probably have a picnic. I did my best to take photos of the majestic waterfalls but it was too majestic to be taken up close. The spray from the water falls kept interfering with my shot. It would be best if photographers have a zoom lens to take a photo of Tappia Falls.
After giving up on taking the photos, I didn’t really wanted to go back yet, since it will definitely be a hard slog back up to the inn. I soaked for a while to cool my heels in the fresh mountain water of the pool of the waterfalls, I dared not go near the falls itself, lest I be pushed down by the force of the water. I haven’t been to many waterfalls in my life but I am sure this counts as one of the best in the Philippines.
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