Even before the two dogs moonlighting as our unofficial hiking guides plodded along the muddy trail, paused, and looked back at me, I had already figured out what they wanted to say. Surely, if they could talk, I would hear them tell me, “Here we go, look up.” Taking a cue from their excited body language, I directed my eyes upward. A massive wall covering the length of my vision revealed an unimpeded view of Asik-Asik Falls.
Asik-Asik Falls’ Sprinkle of Wonder
Our two canine companions wagged their tails, echoing my own enthusiasm and joy at finally being able to visit this spectacular waterfall.
A Hiligaynon word, “Asik-Asik” translates to “sprinkle-sprinkle” in English; the waterfall towers sixty feet and spreads more than 140 meters wide. Known only to a few locals before it was discovered as a hiking destination in 2010, Asik-Asik Falls wowed the world when it became the subject of a winning entry for a photography competition in 2012.
Since then, travelers have set out to this sleepy town of Alamada in North Cotabato for a rugged two-hour habal-habal ride and another hour of hiking just to reach this exceptional natural spectacle.
Irresistible urge to take a dip
Fortunately, nowadays, getting to the jump-off point for Asik-Asik Falls no longer necessitates an agonizing motorbike ride, thanks to the paving of the roads leading there. The waterfall can now be reached after a steep thirty-to-forty-five-minute descent over an established trail.
Hurrying ahead of the rest of our group, I picked up my pace right as I heard the streaming water reverberate louder in the mountain. Making my way across verdant meadows and into a forest, I soon realized I was drawing near the waterfall.
My two canine companions suddenly quickened their strides as they sensed our close proximity to our destination. True to form, the jaw-dropping image of Asik-Asik Falls that I had used to ogle at on glossy magazine pages and travel blogs uncovered itself to me.
Despite wearing hiking pants and only boxer shorts underneath, the temptation to gaze closely and enjoy the soothing cool waters of Asik-Asik became so irresistible that I hurriedly stripped down to my short-shorts and dove waist-deep for a pleasant dip.
Hearing nothing but the sound of the sprinkling water oozing from the cracks in the wall, I couldn’t help but marvel at the uniqueness of Asik-Asik, as there’s no body of water flowing from an upstream river. Instead, water emerges through holes on a curtain of rocks, much like how water from a balloon pricked with needles would flow while gripped tightly.
Asik-Asik, which is surrounded by the waving hills of Barangay Upper Dado in the town of Alamada, is Mother Nature's version of a valuable treasure, veiled in this case by a thick curtain of lush vegetation and steep cliffs.
One by one, members of our small group started arriving. I was already in the water when a couple of drones flown by content creators who were with us started flying overhead. I waved my hand each time they hovered over me.
Inching my way to the wall and waist-deep in the plunge pool, I started feeling the current getting stronger. Ditching the idea of at least touching the wall of the waterfall, I opted to sit on a rock and enjoyed dipping half of my body for a rejuvenating soak instead.
Lost in the exquisite harmony of nature—an orchestra of the cascading water, the chirps of the birds, and faint sounds of “ohs and wows” from our group—I remained in the embrace of the gushing water while deeply concentrating my stare on the majestic Asik-Asik Falls.
Even as I was in the middle of a Zen state of existence, the thought of the upward hike came to mind; I immediately dismissed it, and with good reason. Blessed to have finally seen the misty beauty of Asik-Asik Falls, it made sense to free my mind of all the worries in the world. For several precious minutes, I cleared my thoughts to soak in the moment and let a fantastic remembrance with Mother Nature be engraved in my memory vault.
