Pagsanjan Falls
Dugout Canoes Hauled Up A Gorge By Hand And A Tipping Culture At The Top That Has Been Documented For Decades · Pagsanjan, Laguna
SHOOTING THE RAPIDS AT PAGSANJAN MEANS SITTING IN A DUGOUT CANOE WHILE TWO BOATMEN PADDLE IT UP A GORGE AND THEN PHYSICALLY HAUL IT OVER THE ROCKS, wading in the river, lifting the hull between boulders, for well over an hour of genuine hard labour. AT THE TOP THERE IS A CURTAIN FALL AND A BAMBOO RAFT THAT TAKES YOU UNDER IT AND INTO THE DEVIL'S CAVE BEHIND. THE RIDE DOWN IS FAST AND WET AND IS THE PART EVERYONE REMEMBERS. THE THING TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO IS THE TIPPING: BOATMEN RECEIVE A SMALL SHARE OF THE OFFICIAL FEE AND THE PRESSURE APPLIED AT THE TOP OF THE GORGE HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED FOR DECADES, sometimes aggressively. AGREE WHAT YOU ARE PAYING BEFORE YOU START, then pay the men properly - they have just carried you up a river. APOCALYPSE NOW WAS FILMED IN THIS GORGE. The falls are actually in Cavinti. You will get thoroughly wet rather than damp, the ride back down is the part everyone remembers, and trips are suspended outright when the river runs too high to be safe.
Pagsanjan Gorge, Pagsanjan and Cavinti, Laguna, Pagsanjan, Laguna, Philippines
PAGSANJAN IS ROUGHLY TWO TO THREE HOURS FROM MANILA by road through Laguna. CANOE TRIPS ARE ARRANGED THROUGH ACCREDITED OPERATORS AND RESORTS IN PAGSANJAN, and run in daylight hours with two boatmen per canoe; THE OFFICIAL FEE IS FIXED AND THE RAFT UNDER THE FALLS IS USUALLY A SEPARATE CHARGE. AGREE EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE BANK, including what you intend to tip - the pressure at the top of the gorge is real and has been for decades. THE TRIP TAKES ROUGHLY TWO TO THREE HOURS ROUND. WATER LEVELS VARY: too low and the boatmen haul more, too high and trips are suspended entirely. THE FALLS ARE ADMINISTRATIVELY IN CAVINTI, which has been disputed locally for years and occasionally affects access arrangements. You will get wet.