It was almost an hour into our hike when we reached the edge of a boulder ravine dropping to more than a hundred feet. I saw our guide take out his rope and instantly proceed behind the trees. “Wait for us; we’re just going to fix the rope,” he told us in Tagalog. I took a peek and figured it would have been a very hurtful fall—with major broken bone ramifications—if one slid down to the bottom.
This was just one of the many obstacle course-like trail characteristics of the path leading to Ambon-Ambon falls. It looks moderate when you consider the distance of two and a half hours away, but going through it all presents a set of challenging yet fun adventure moments.
Bataan Trail to Ambon-Ambon Falls
Kiss the Wall and Slide your Butt
Despite my many hiking experiences negotiating a variety of mountain trails, I still found the path leading to Ambon-Ambon falls an exciting one. After our guide fixed the safety rope, one by one we took turns passing through the steep wall I mentioned earlier. To go about it, we needed to hold on to our rope like our lives depended on it and carefully slide our feet sideways, positioning ourselves as close to the rock wall as possible.
“Kiss the wall, kiss the wall,” commands our guide. I found that part the most thrilling one—although falling a hundred feet below never crossed my mind, the slight sensation of lurking danger added another layer of excitement.
The last part consisted of cutting through an almost 45-degree slope of loose soil and slippery rocks. Keeping your balance is nearly impossible, so we found ourselves fully surrendering to gravity by letting our butts slide and purposefully stretching our feet to step on a tree root to break our momentum—otherwise, we’d slide straight into another deep ravine.
Ambon-Ambon Falls: High Drop, Small Basin
After two grueling hours of trekking, the soaring Ambon-Ambon falls finally appeared. Shrouded deeply in the dense forests of Bagac, Bataan, Ambon-Ambon Falls is situated near the more popular and much easier-to-access Limutan Falls. On most weekends, locals troop here to take a refreshing dip in the cool waters and gather for a casual picnic under the thick shade of the towering trees.
Ambon-Ambon falls is notably more bare—exactly how I would want it to authentically remain. The single straight cascade towers to approximately 60 meters high, flowing directly into a surprisingly small basin. It feels exactly like having a super-sized natural Jacuzzi right below a roaring waterfall. Since we were a fairly small group, we all fit perfectly into the pool.
I found the natural environs surrounding Ambon-Ambon falls an incredibly refreshing sight. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect as well; the skies were all bright and beautifully blue, plus the sun shining directly above us gave a highly appealing, majestic gleam to the cascading waters.
We had a filling lunch right by the waterfalls (you can do so too, as long as you make absolute sure not to leave any trash or leftover food behind) and took full advantage of the quiet opportunity to further bond with our local guides and get to know Miss Leslie from the Bataan Tourism Office.
Cashew Plantation
Our way back became significantly easier as we’d wisely learned from our silly mistakes earlier—such as foolishly holding on to thorny plants belonging to Dendrocnide for support. Before we eventually reached the CENRO office, we passed by a local cashew plantation. Known locally as Kasoy, it is one of the main agricultural products of Bataan. We picked up a few fresh ones to familiarize ourselves with the actual fruit itself, since most of us only knew about its roasted nut.
I found the raw taste of the fruit a little strong, especially the lingering aftertaste, but our friendly guide told us that once you get thoroughly used to it, people start loving eating them. Plus, it is a highly excellent source of natural minerals and vitamins.
A few strides and bouts of animated conversations and loud laughter later, we perfectly capped our little day hike with a warm afternoon snack at Choco Late de Batirol. It was a remarkably fun day that made me deeply appreciate the beautiful province of Bataan because, as I later learned, it has a lot of great outdoor attractions patiently waiting for adventure travelers to enjoy.
