Sagada Adventure: Trek to Bomod-Ok Falls

Sleep had been very difficult to achieve during our whole Sagada Adventure which was very important to get in order to keep up with our itinerary.

From our Cave Connection activity, we were able to get to bed at around 3:30 AM already. However, we had to wake up at around 7:45 AM since our agreement with our driver was that we wout start with our Day 2 activity at 8:00 AM which is the trekking to Bomod-Ok Falls.

However, after preparing, it turned out that our driver was not there yet since he had to fetch the other group from Canaway. This did give us the chance to still have our breakfast since we were rushing as we were running late.

TREK TO BOMOD-OK FALLS

Bomod-Ok Falls or "Big" Falls is one of the most popular waterfalls in Sagada often visited by tourists. In order to get there, one must go through the 1-hour long trek going down the stoney stairs. So that means to get back, one needs to climb up the same stairs.

WHAT I WORE

  1. Dri-Fit Shirt 
  2. Sports bra - this made it so much easier for me to move and also serves as my swimwear.
  3. Mesh 3/4 pants
  4. Sandugo slippers

WHAT I BROUGHT

  1. My small backpack
  2. Xiaomi Yi camera with waterproof case and monopod
  3. 2 Bottled water - one for me and Ruel
  4. Snacks (some oat cookies and nuts)
  5. Wallet in Ziploc bag
  6. Cellphone in waterproof case
  7. Foldable windbreaker
  8. Swimming goggles
  9. Small spandex shorts for swimming

WHAT I SHOULD HAVE WORN/BROUGHT

  1. I should have worn the small shorts under my mesh pants so I didn't have to change
  2. I should NOT have brought any snacks since we ended up buying food there 
  3. I should NOT have brought our goggles since we ended up not using them
We started our trek to Bomod-Ok Falls really REALLY late. That was probably around 11:00 AM already when it was originally planned to start at 6:00 AM. The great thing about staying in Bangaan is that it was just a very short walk to get to the jump off point.


At the jump off, we met with our guide who looks around 50 years old! It's surprising that she has this kind of job but maybe I was judging too early then. 


According to our guide, it may take us around 45 minutes to 1 hour to get there depending on our speed.


As we started with our journey, we were told to give a heads up to the rest of the group if we plan to take pictures. 


But I guess I was stubborn not to follow it since I did not think we need to hold up the whole group just because I like to take pictures. Anyway, we were able to keep up with them despite pausing a bit to take snapshots.


Unlike our previous trekking experiences, the path going to our destination was already cemented so it was easier to walk. But if you're legs are not used to a lot of walking or running, they may tire easily.


Ruel was not happy with the climb down since doing so usually hurts his knees. But he was able to go through it just fine.


As we begun our travel, we had to stop for a bit so that one of our companions could change her attire. We took this chance to take pictures of the amazing view.




Our group agreed to start taking pictures on our way back. Since the trek then would be much harder, the picture-taking will also be our chance to rest. 

But I just could not help take pictures of the amazing scenery. We stayed behind the pack so we will just have to catch up to them.


I just kept saying "ang ganda!" again and again as we made our way to the most popular waterfall in Sagada. Everything was so green and just so pleasing to the eyes. Nature is just beautiful!


As we went down, we would often cross path with people going up. The rule was that the priority should be given to people going up as it was harder to break the momentum. So we had to make way for a lot of groups.


We hastened our way to the falls. There were several other groups in front of us who were stopping to take pictures, resulting to everyone behind them to stop as well. We requested to overtake them since our main priority was to get to our destination.

After several minutes of trekking, our gaze finally met the site of the well-known Bomod-Ok Falls. 

Photo from Angie San Jose

The trek going to the beautiful waterfall was definitely worth it! 


There were already lots of people there, almost as many people inside the cave! I guess this is what happens when you go to a tourist spot on a long weekend.


Our primary plan was to swim there so we prepared ourselves to get wet. It was difficult to get close to the falls because the water was so cold even if you have not dipped yet!  It got even colder when we finally got into the water!


We tested out the reliability of the waterproof case of our Xiaomi Yi camera. It definitely served its purpose of protecting the camera from getting any moisture inside the case but it easily got foggy, especially with the cold temperature of the water so our shots were mostly blurred. We each took an underwater shot just for fun.



The cold water was too much so we were not able to dip longer even though we tried to shake it off by swimming around. We tried to make the most out of it by taking pictures.




Around the area, there was a vendor selling banana-que for P20 each. The difference with this kind to the kind sold in Manila was that instead of using the usual sugar, they used a different ingredient to sweeten it. I was not able to get the name of that ingredient though. I was able to take pictures of the banana-cue but it was just too blurry you could no longer see anything!

After some time, we finally decided to depart the place. This was everyone's chance to take lots of pictures! First stop was the bridge we spotted along the way.


Photo from Angie San Jose

Nearby the bridge was a river that looks amazing!

Photo from Angie San Jose

As we climbed up, my eyes were met again with the relaxing view of the rice terraces. You just can't get over it in just a matter of minutes or even hours especially if it's not something you often see. 


The shots from my Xiaomi Yi camera just did not do it any justice.



We followed the same path we took on our way to the falls. As expected, the travel was harder but definitely bearable.


But I still enjoyed taking pictures!


Like before, we stayed at the back of the group so that I will have the freedom to take more pictures!


Somewhere at the middle of the trek, we had stopped over a spot where there's a vendor selling buko salad that costs P20 each. It looked like an ice cream made of lots of buko! It was really good and we were lucky to have bought the last two pieces!


Afterwards, we continued our trek back and spotted an old lady selling halo-halo. Ruel, having a childish mind that he has when it comes to food, he wanted to try everything!


The halo halo was very different though from normal because of the mixture of sago gulaman with sliced mango. A cup costs P20 though we ended up paying P50 for 2 orders and not asking for the change.

After that food trip of ours (we did not eat any of the snacks we brought because of this!), we continued back our trek to end our Bomod-Ok Falls journey.


I think the actual time it took us to get to the falls and to get back to the jump off point was so much better than the expected duration. This trek may be for those people who have never done something like this before. It is also a good test of GPP (General Physical Preparedness) for CrossFitters :p

The great thing about this is that your eyes will be filled with the picturesque view of nature which could be so soothing and could really help relieve stress. Added to this, your target destination has the amazing view of the waterfalls and one get to freshen up and enjoy the water (though it's too cold for me but I am the type of person that easily gets cold anyway).

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