My wandering feet took me to a green paradise in Tanay, Rizal…
The splendid Daranak Falls.
This nature beauty nestles humbly at the foot of the Tanay mountains, about 57 kilometers east of Manila and approximately 1 hour away from my hometown. Daranak (or dadanak) came from the Tagalog phrase ‘dadanak ang dugo’ which translates to ‘spilling of blood’ in English. I’m not sure but I’m suspecting the name has historic influences from guerrilla battles during the revolutionary government…
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| Dazzling Daranak |
The last time I was here was 25 years ago 🙂 I was 8 months then and understandably didn’t have any memory of the place. My mom told me she cradled me in a folding bed, while rest of the family enjoyed dipping in the cold waters.
It’s my fourth time to visit such a local cascade, and Ethan’s first…
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| Ethan goes to Daranak Falls |
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| ONK Radio family goes to Daranak Falls |
Local visitors and tourists are greeted by this wooden hanging bridge:
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| Ethan seems to enjoy crossing the bridge |
Walking along the hanging bridge gave me a sense of closeness to nature. Besides the breath of fresh air, I could see the foliage of several trees that seemed to invite us to a bigger earthy architecture on the other side. Below I could see clear water streaming over a rocky bed… So far my sight for Daranak was satisfactorily pleasing. At 12 noon the sun was directly above our heads but the heat was bearable. THANKS FOR OUR ALTITUDE AND THE TALL BUSHY TREES EMBRACING THE ENTIRE PLACE.
Many travelers came in with us, carrying their packed lunches and snacks. I was delighted to see a Korean family of 5 to spend a hot summer day there as well. Apparently they found this place through the internet and was convinced the place was good for picnic. That said, I felt prouder of my province and realized the greater need to blog about wonderful destinations to promote Tourism in Rizal at least.
The entrance fee for this natural escape is cheaper than an order of McFloat or a 1.5 ml bottle of soft drink, only Php 20.00 for adults and Php 15.00 for kids. Frequenters say it’s good the facilities improved even when the price stayed the same over the past two years.
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| If you need to buy some food or toiletries… |
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| Picnic shed for Php 300.00… Picnic table for Php 150.00… very affordable! |
LO AND BEHOLD…
Finally I got back here… This time my complete senses could appreciate the entirety…
The water was really cold… still we enjoyed swimming…
including Ethan…
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| Ethan liked the cold water…. only up to his waist… hehe |
Don’t forget your life savers… rental fee is Php 30.00
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| Kang diving the deep… |
A few minutes of diving and were ready to eat…
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| what better way to eat than to eat with bare hands |
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| You can freely grill….! |
These dazzling shades of green were seriously refreshing…
Oh here’s another wooden bridge… care for some pictures?
One last photo…
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| Two thumbs up for Daranak Falls |
Next time I will go to Batlag Falls and to the cave my friend mentioned… But for now I need to prepare for work. Hope you enjoy this post! Ciao!
