the waterfalls of Tago

Waterfalls provide a lovely panorama. And it’s easy to get hooked on these natural marvels as they drop from towering heights with stunning power.

Tago, a 2nd class municipality in the central part of Surigao del Sur, has many waterfalls. And three of these---Sola Gratia, Cagpangi, and Green Falls--- are now attracting tourists who seek out the sublime beauty of water in motion.

Set apart in a span of 15 kilometers and located just meters away from the paved highway, these cascades are configured differently they’re worth the special trip.

Sola Gratia Falls

Sola Gratia is a waterfall stowed in a pocket forest that exudes all notions of things primitive: vine-curtained trees, massive boulders and flat rock formations, and vibrant wild flowers strewn everywhere. Its area may be limited but its contour provides added challenge to daring thrill seekers.

The Sola Gratia falls discharges itself into a creek that snakes all the way to Tago River. A resort has been established along this watery path, featuring a kiddie and adult swimming pools that utilize the ever flowing, fresh, and clean emerald water of the falls. Sola Gratia in Pamugsukan, Gamut is about 7 kilometers from Tago.



Cagpangi Falls

Cagpangi Falls is small by any standards. And it doesn’t roar. But as it flows in whispers, it mesmerizes with its quiet charm and watery grace. Comparing it with another of Surigao del Sur's iconic falls using a musical analogy, Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig City is hard rock while Cagpangi Falls is rhythm and blues.

Like all other falls, Cagpangi is seasonal: at times it gushes; other times it trickles. And because it’s not lofty, it is not obscured by mists rising in vast clouds even when flowing at full volume. The better for tourists to have clearer selfies.

Canopied by a thick foliage that blows a cold mountain air, Cagpangi Falls, no matter how subdued, is a natural cocoon for restive souls. About 12 kilometers from Sola Gratia, it’s part of an inland resort that still evokes an old world charm even after it has fused natural and man-made attractions.



Green Falls

Secreted away in the lush interior of a primeval forest, Green Falls overflows with frothy waters as though a fairy brewing beer from an unseen giant vat forgot about it as she was busy twitting her “eyeball” with the firefly-man the night before last.

The water that leaps invitingly into the deep plunge pool will leave anyone with no choice but to get a free hydro massage. And the pressure is extremely soothing to the back it puts to shame the ministrations of masseurs in the best of urban spas.

Green Falls is composed of seven falls with the main being a ledge. The other six are mostly horsetails that come in multiple variations: slide, ribbon, chute, and fan.Green Falls offers limitless adventures. If lucky, a tourist may touch a dazzling rainbow forming in the spray at the bottom of the falls. Or he may send his adrenaline to orbit by clambering then crawling to the edge of the precipitous overhang and looking down at the roaring curtain. At the tiers where the other falls gush, shallow streams that mirror the skies flow over rock shelves. Small pools that could accommodate a number of tourists at a time dot the area framed by towering trees and crazy vines. It is here where tourists can take all the photos they want for Facebook and Instagram. Green Falls is located in Cabangahan and is about 3 kilometers from Cagpangi Falls.



Land of Waterfalls

Tago offers no claim for its waterfalls to be the highest, the heaviest or the most spectacular. A true tourist after all doesn’t chase waterfalls for labels and statistics, or for the tremendous roar of the rushing water, or for the luck of snapping a selfie beside a rainbow that hovers above the ground of the waterfall’s gorge. A real tourist visits waterfalls simply because they are sparkling visions of nature at its best.

The Local Government Unit of Tago is positioning itself as the “Land of Waterfalls”. And it is embarking on a reconnaissance project to discover more falls to develop and promote. But because the three banner falls can already hold their own, Tago is poised to launch “The Cascades Tour” this year.

Now, pray tell: Is there an adventure more exciting than visiting three separate waterfalls in just one go?

[Note: The Philippine Daily Inquirer published this article on 26 January 2014 under the title, "Tago, a land of falls". Here's the link: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/569403/tago-a-land-of-falls ]