Tappiya Falls: The other pride of Batad



Batad is not just about the scenic ampitheatre rice terraces in Batad. One of the tourist attractions in the village is Tappiya falls. It is said to be twice bigger than Pagsanjan falls. But there’s no easy way to get to this another majestic waterfalls.

Trekking to the waterfalls can be tricky, so hire a guide. Even mommy Earl, a fifth timer in Batad, is not confident to guide us through to the falls, so we asked Mang Ramon to lead us. Guides are available at the registration area, for 500 as the minimum charge.

Tappiya falls is likely located at the back of the terraces... and more likely at the bottom of the mountain. So after you succeeded the narrow ledges of the rice terraces, you need to walk through a steep and almost vertical slope to the falls.

It more risky than trekking to Bomod-ok falls in Sagada. But we’re less worried about slogging down to the falls, we’re more concerned on how we will endure trudging up.

Waterfalls never fail to mesmerize me. There’s just something about them that makes you say ‘wow’ after catching a very deep breath.

Hate to be so chizzy, but I asked J if it was all worth it – the trek, the waterfalls and me- he answered with a yes and a kiss. *wink*

But you don't think we came all the way to Tappiya falls just to stare the never ending flooding waters from the viewpoint, did you? We hiked some more to get near to the feet of the grand creature.

The place is perfect for recreating a particular Breaking Dawn scenes, but the waters are torturously freezing. Besides, we cannot go beneath the cascading waters, as it is said to be extremely dangerous. The current is very strong. Others would prefer not to take the plunge because it’s seriously cold. Brrrrhhh! But hey, we’re here, we’ve travelled this far, might as well, seize the moment.

We stayed in the waters for at least thirty minutes, before heading back to our trail. Bitin.

As mentioned, hiking up is far more complicated than going to the falls. It can consume all your energy, that you have to stop from time to time to regain an ounce of power to continue the climb.

We envy Russel, our little backpacker. He has Mang Ramon to carry him through difficult paths. If only J can carry me too. Haha. He was even complaining about aftermath muscle pains. Good thing, my beloved is shape to endure the trek back and forth.

And to add more adventure to our journey, we encountered a drunk man making his way back to the village. Seriously, I never thought I’d met a guy under the influence of liquor who can walk through this kind of life-threatening slopes. The drunk guy has a bolo in his waist. And we started to panic. Thanks to the adrenaline rush brought to us by the unexpected guest – mommy Earl was able rush her way up to the next waiting shed, where our guide and Russel were waiting. While the rest of us, were at the tail end, trying to think how to pass our way from the drunk man, safely. Inch and I tried to slow down from hiking up, while J who maintained his composure amid the panic moment insisted that we keep walking and just ignore the guy. This was the part that I was grasping my memory about Chyng Reyes’ isolated case in Batad. I tried not to tell them about it, to avoid horror in our almost-perfect-getaway. In all fairness, the drunk man, who seemed so drunk but not so much was kind enough to guide us through to the next rest stop. He kept on shouting that we move faster, and so we did until we reach the waiting shed. Haha.

While catching our breath in the resting area… we talked about our worst trek ever… as this superb experience to Tappiya falls can make it to the top of our list..

Me: Pinakamahirap pa rin saken yung sa Pico. Kulang na lang umiyak ako dun.

Inch: Ako, eto… kasi di naman ako gumapang sa Pico… dito, gumapang ako…

So if you plan to just stare the terraces in Batad, think again, there’s one beauty to behold behind the magnificent ampitheatre of rice fields.

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unamrked photos by Early Guanzon