Trekking with Fireflies to Imugan Falls

June 07, 2011 Travel

I have always been a fan of night trekking.  I can't see much, but the air is much cooler, making trekking much easier.  But never have I experienced anything more enchanting than trekking with fireflies.  

Yes, magic exists!

Trekking with Fireflies

It was already dark when we reached our jump-off to our Imugan Falls campsite after trekking the historical Malico trails.  We wanted to switch our headlamps on, but too many insects were attracted to it, so we used them sparingly. 

We had about a kilometer to walk to reach our destination.  We were on our way to Imugan Falls, a thirty-five feet spring waterfall falling between two mountains in the Caraballo Mountain Range, which borders Nueva Vizcaya and Pangasinan.

It was an easy, breezy 30 minutes trek on an established trail.  The night was cool. We could hear the waters from the river beside us and see outlines of the trees surrounding us. But what really made it really memorable were the fireflies accompanying us.  Those tiny flickers that embellished our surroundings and made our trail glitter.  That was the closest I ever came to magic.

Our destination was our campsite near Imugan Falls.  We pitched our tents earlier then left to explore the Malico Trail.  We were part of a big group actually.  We joined the Pilipinas Sierra's friendship climb, one of the mountaineering world's most awaited events.

Imugan Falls

Imugan Falls is one of Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya's tourist attractions.  The jump-off is located about 7 kilometers of unpaved and winding road from the National Highway. 

Sta. Fe is actually a beautiful town to explore.




There are markers, so the trail to Imugan Falls is easy to find. 


The trail is established and in itself, beautiful. 


As mentioned, we established our campsite near the falls, so we were surrounded by greens and the sounds of nature.  



The waterfalls have several tiers. This one being the highest. There are also pools above this, which are also good for swimming. They carved the side of the mountain with stairs for easier access to the pools above.    

If you are up for cold, invigorating dips, you'll love it here.



Aside from swimming, our organizers also had fun activities and games for us, which kept us busy.   The team I joined won two of the challenges, and we got 2nd place.

We left our campsite mid-afternoon before the fireflies were out.  We said goodbye to them nevertheless and thanked them for the magic.

Kelly is a public relations professional and entrepreneur whose projects have assisted multinational organizations, small and medium enterprises, government officers, international organizations and non-governmental organizations. She is partner-consultant of RubyComm-K.Austria, a public relations management and consultancy company. Kelly is also a former government employee having served at the Department of Tourism for two years. Being mountaineers, Kelly and her friends travel by land, sometimes on rough roads and trek for hours to give a new lease of hope to students. She is co-founder of the group TREK or Trails to Empower Kids.

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3 comments

  1. ar'oJanuary 29, 2016 at 1:12 AM

    Hi ma'am, I'm planning to visit Nueva Vizcaya this first quarter of the year, I am a solo backpacker, and want to know where exactly is the jump-off point of Imugan falls? Is it the same jump-off going to Malico Falls? Do I need a hiking guide, how much the guide if ever? What are the other attractions can be found in Santa Fe (or in Nueva Vizcaya). Really appreciate any info you'll share with me. Thanks and let's travel more with God! :)

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    Replies
    1. UnknownFebruary 22, 2016 at 6:02 AM

      Hi AR'o, when do you plan to go there? Can we join you?

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    2. Kelly AustriaFebruary 26, 2016 at 6:54 PM

      you may also want to try this: http://www.kellyaustria.com/2011/06/finding-sherman-tank-on-top-of-mountain.html

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