ABW June 2017

hardly like that; the surrounding areas are mostly
flat and are generally composed of farmlands.
ALA- MINOS
Hundreds of the more
adventurous visitors
actually jump from the
top of the twenty plus
foot falls.
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According to the Bureau of Geodetic Surveys, the
land elevation is 250 feet (76 m). Visibility is 20 miles
(32 km; 17 nmi) at midsea towards the lighthouse
in Poro Point. The winding stairway has 6 platforms
with 20 steps or rungs for a total of 120 steps plus
14 more to the illumination room, or an over-all total
of 134 steps.
Bolinao Falls
A waterfall was something Active Boating &
Watersports least expected to see when we visited
Bolinao with the Department of Tourism. In my
travel experience with the
magazine, most falls we
have encountered were
found in mountainous
areas where waters are
expected to cascade down
into streams and rivers,
some of them creating
a spectacular cascading
water show. Bolinao is
Bolinao Falls is situated about twenty kilometers
away from the town proper and it takes at least
twenty minutes to reach the falls from the town. The
road en route to the falls is a newly concreted road,
but drive carefully as it is quite narrow and is still in
the stages of being completed with a sharp drop at
the edges. We were lucky, that we did not encounter
one of the many tourist buses visiting the area,
while negotiating the road to the falls. If you don’t
have a vehicle and you’re going to visit the falls, the
best option is to hire a tricycle in the Poblacion and
negotiate a reasonable fare with the driver.
The falls are accessed through a very short walk
from a clearing which functions as the parking area.
To get to the actual falls you traverse down some
old but strong stone stairs, just keep going towards
the gurgling sound of water that is the Bolinao Falls.
The pristine clear blue green water of the falls’ basin
presented a very nice opportunity for us to freshen
up a bit and get rid of some of the sweat and dust.
The water is shallow around the perimeter but gets
quite deep quickly as you start to meander towards
its center. Hundreds of the more adventurous visitors
actually jump from the top of the twenty plus foot
falls; Richelle Galvan who was photographing the
falls for the magazine was fortunate enough to see
and photograph some jumpers when we went there,
and was able to capture these excitement seeking
individuals as they headed to the water twenty feet
below. Since the water runoff is pretty moderate,
there is hardly any current. Bolinao Falls’ basin is