Tangadan Falls is a hidden gem in San Gabriel La Union. It passes through a really scenic trail that gives you variety of views. It brings you to the cold water falls that’s perfect for a good swim.
#TaleOfTheTrail
I’ve spent so many summer months in La Union when I was a kid. Seeing Tangadan Falls was a great chance to explore the place once again. It’s also be great to explore a trail in a different locale from my usual trail runs. The drop off point was Barangay Duplas, Bagulin, San Gabriel, La Union. San Gabriel town is just a few kilometers away from San Fernando and San Juan town so you can make your way their via bus that passes through the town and get a tricycle heading to Duplas (Tangadan Dropoff Point).
The Route and Elevation
The Route starts at Barangay Duplas and heads to a short ascent heading to the trail starting point. The trails goes on a steady ascent heading to Tangadan Falls passing through the Biroro River over the first kilometer. After the river, it shifts to fields and Forrest trails heading to Disuor Cliff at around 2.5 kilometers. It then goes through a mix of dirt roads and limestone formation heading to Tangadan Falls at around 4 kilometers. The route goes back to Duplas on a net descent on the way back.
Trekking Trangadan Falls
We started our hike after lunch at 1 pm. The weather was a bit overcast but it still felt hot and humid. We started on a short paved uphill road from the drop off point to the trail entrance. The trail heads on a short drop to enter the river area.
Upon entering the river area, the trail shifts to single track trails on mixed limestone formations and partly paved road. The view of the Baroro River is really impressive. The river looks so clean and the limestone formations were impressive.
The trail is a bit structured since it’s a local trail used by a lot heading to the falls. Of course, there were still some tough spots like climbing on big rocks and going through wooden rafts and river crossings. It’s not a technical trail but there are some points that you just have to be cautious. There were also a lot of tourist visiting the falls that day.
The first kilometer had us navigating the Baroro River. It’s an open trail so hello Mr. Sun. The river crossings had some stones where you can step from to avoid getting wet or not going too deep. Just take your time as wet stones are slippery.
The trails slowly shift to the fields where you get to navigate through dirt tracks while slowly ascending to the upper part of the trails. The field part can give you a view of the mountains on the side and the river below.
The fields slowly shifted to raw Forrest trails. It’s a bit covered on this stretch. It was way cooler because of the natural shade from trees, plant and bamboo shafts. It had us going up and down on uneven surfaces and the varying terrain.
It was about a kilometer and a half of Forrest trails before heading to the next major stop which is Disuor. It’s a cliff with a small falls and is popular among cliff jumpers. We took a break here to watch the brave souls jumping over the cliff and into the waters.
The limestone formation, the water and the brave souls really made this stop a good one. It also had a serene view save for a few screams from the jumper. It can also be an excellent place to just hangout. Find a stone corner, sit and just pass the time.
We continued heading to Tangadan Falls. It’s just about 15 – 20 minutes away from here. We shifted back to the dirt tracks and this time it had a long stretch of bamboo shoots and rafts enveloping the trails. One of the things I love about this trail is that it gives you different views and surfaces of the trail.
After a stretch of dirt tracks, we then descended the rivers once again. From a Forrest view, we’re back to being awed by the beauty of the river and the rock formations.
We had to go through another river crossings which had wooden rafts in between. We were nearing the falls and it was nice to see the limestone formation. It was also a challenge going over several stones and rocks as you’ll need to be strategic on this.
The route had us headed to several cottages. The place was impressive as you had a huge limestone surrounding the lower part of the falls. There was a lot of awesome viewpoints of Tangadan falls.
We then headed towards the lower part of the falls for a swim. It was nice that we brought along our own life jacket as Tangadan Falls was really deep. The waters at the basin of the falls were also really cold so it was a perfect way to cool down on this warm weather. They were renting out rafts that can bring you under the waterfalls for an hour.
It was really cool to be at the bottom of the falls as the strong waters hits you from above with its cold drops. I slowly got more comfortable moving within the raft and eventually in the falls. I got pushed of the raft and into the waters and that’s when I started enjoying the waters. After getting more comfortable with the waters, I was finally able to jump into the falls and swim back to the shore part and back.
I really enjoyed the falls. Tangadan Falls was definitely one of the better ways to cool down. It attracted a mix of locals and tourist who also came to find the hidden gem in Tangadan.
I then saw some people jumping from the top of Tangadan Falls. I got curious on the view from the top so I followed the road up. It was another majestic view from the top as from one end you see the higher part of the Baroro River and then you get to see the basin below surrounded by the limestone formations around it. It also turns up that there’s another access point from the top that’s nearer to the falls.
We then headed back to the start area and we were able to go back faster. It was net downhill and it was also much cooler in the late afternoon. I also just used my flipflops going back since I was lazy to put back my shoes on. That’s how friendly the trails are, you can navigate it even just wearing regular slippers or flipflops. It was a beautiful trail that gave you different views to appreciate and explore.
