What It’s Like to Visit Cambugahay Falls, Siquijor’s Most Iconic Waterfall

Just this summer, I had the chance to visit one of Siquijor's most visited place, the Cambugahay Falls. I first met Cambugahay Falls in the movie called "Ang Manananggal na nahahati ang Puso". I watched the movie not for the story plot, but for the beautiful shooting locations that is Siquijor. Although I liked the story of the movie, but I was more in love with Siquijor than the love team top billing the movie. In the movie, they featured a lot of places in Siquijor and one of those is the beautiful Cambugahay Falls. They have a scene in this place. And I said to myself, I must go to Siquijor.

The movie did not really make Siquijor popular because it was made way back 2021. It was Anne Curtis' Fairy Walk that has blown out of proportion on social media that made Siquijor a must go place to visit. Thanks to her shenanigans over at the Cambugahay Falls.

Cambugahay Falls is located in the town of Lazi on Siqujor Island. It has three tiered waterfalls with a striking turquoise falls. It actually reminds me of the Cheonjeyeon Falls that I visited in Jeju Island and you can read about it HERE, but this one has its own character and charm that feels like inviting you to go dive and swim in its warm water. No wonder both foreigners and locals swarm to this place because it is really worth it.

But I think people go to Cambugahay Falls not only to swim but to experience. There are a lot of water activities that you can do here. Just take for example on Tier 1, there's an activity they call a fairy walk. It is called as it is because when you swing around the rope, you look like walking on the water giving the visual impression of a fairy hovering over the torquise water of the pool. This is where Anne Curtis started the fairy walk trend. She has got that right influence to attract visitors to come and experience this. The donation fee is 20 pesos for the locals, and 50 pesos for the foreigners. I personally tried this because to be honest, I am now more interested in trying the hype than experiencing the falls itself. I did successfully finished it without even falling. The pressure is real because there are a lot of audience in the area. So the goal here is not to fall, otherwise you end up a laughing matter to people around.

Cambugahay Falls is not just all about the water and the fairy walk, because in the tier 2 of the falls, you can go rope diving as well as balsa riding. Tier 2 is not that high and not that deep, so for those who wants to go diving, you can try and experience it here. You can also rent a life vest for 100 pesos if you want to feel safe when you dive. The donation is only 20 pesos. You can also take your whole group to ride in their balsa. It will not take you anywhere but just near the water that falls through. I did say that we enjoyed this little fun we have at the bamboo raft. We were like kids enjoying the water, and most of all, each other's company.

The third tier is higher and has more extreme rope diving activity seeing that it's too high and the water is too deep. If you are looking for an adrenaline rush activity to satisfy your soul's craving, this is where you should try it. I did put a limit to myself and decided I cannot do it, so I did not try this activity at all. But happy to see all those who were able to fight their fears and enjoyed this activity.

Aside from all these exciting activities at Cambugahay Falls, the falls itself is a natural beauty. With the dense forrest surrounding the area, you feel like you are in a jungle adventure. The only downside of the popularity of the place is just the place becoming overcrowded. 

There are so many people that it is really difficult to maneuver around seeing that the pathways to the different waterfall tiers are not that established. But I think it's part of the adventure. Afterall, we are there for adventure.

And speaking of adventure, you might want to improve them stamina because the concrete stairway down to the falls is very steep. you don't need to really be physically fit, but at least make sure you have enough strength to access the area. Overall, my experience at Cambugahay falls is something I could definitely store on my core memory. I love it and if there's a chance, I will definitely go back.