There's nothing more thrilling than spontaneous adventure. It eases the burden of planning, alleviates the stress of packing and it can steer you away from all the mumbo jumbos associated to concocting a strategic game plan for a trip.
One Thursday morning, my niece and I were randomly discussing some of the coolest places on earth. Then from the recesses of her brilliant mind emerged her own list of 'must-see-places' near the metro. It was indeed a 'eureka' moment, when she blurted out this Masungi Rock Formation located in Tanay, Rizal.
I have lived in Pasig City all my life, a stone throw away from the Province of Rizal but I have never heard about the aforementioned rock formation. The adventurer in me awakened and my curiosity was piqued. The next thing I knew, my fingers were excitedly tapping away on the keypad of my phone searching for images and articles about Masungi to see whether it was as cool my niece claimed it to be. In my humble opinion, she was right.
Ultimately, we decided to check the place out the following Saturday. But I'd like to believe it was a spontaneous trip because after our verbal agreement we both spent the day and the next dealing with our own individual lives without any further discussion of the trip.
Saturday morning came in a blink of an eye, we pushed the plan through, not as prepared as we would have liked but not entirely without ammunition. Because baby, we were equipped with information gathered from travel blogs we perused Thursday morning. However, on our way to Tanay we had a change of plan, talk about spontaneity. Instead of Masungi Rock Formation, we decided to take a detour and chose Daraitan to be our first pit stop. And boy, was I glad?
In case I haven't mentioned it, Daraitan, Tanay is a hidden paradise on earth. And it is less than two hours away from Manila. Hence, if and when you decided to get away from your arduous city life, no sweat, take a day off and dash towards the loving arms of mother nature for solace and tranquility. Or if you simply wanted to pump your adrenaline, live up to your outdoorsy lifestyle, like stretching those legs and breathing fresh air, you can rally to Tanay and leave it all behind even just for a day.
HIKING
Hiking is basically the best treat Daraitan, Tanay has to offer owing to the fact that Sierra Madre stretches toward this region. You can choose which mountain to climb. The one for beginners or the one for the pros? Would you rather take the day hike or would you prefer to sleep on the campsite and commune with nature the next day? The choice is yours.
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| Base Camp |
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| The trail by the river |
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| Up-close and personal |
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| Sierra Madre Mountain Range under the clear blue sky |
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| A clear blue sky one minute, rain clouds the next |
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| Mt. Daraitan |
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| When the mountain is enticing you to climb her summit, it's hard to say no. |
SWIMMING
Beaches and swimming pools are somewhat overrated. Well, I guess because rivers in the metro aren't exactly inviting. To be blatantly honest, they are polluted. Luckily, you can take a dip into the clean and refreshing water of Tinipak River (that also goes by the name of Daraitan River) to your heart's content without worrying about your physical well-being.
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| The Boulders |
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| This is the swimming spot. As you can see, the water is calm and refreshing. |
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| Thirsty, eh? The water of this stream is safe for drinking. |
For someone who grew up hero-worshipping Tom Sawyer, caves have some sort of magnetic pull on me. Like it's calling me, inviting me to stroll along its damp and dark halls. At the back of my mind, while wandering inside Tinipak Cave, I was wishing to find some treasure the way Tom and Becky did. Sure enough I came across some priceless treasures, not jewels nor golds but minerals, stalagmites and stalactites that took hundreds of years to form. Not to mention the refreshingly cool jacuzzi (as the locals call it) inside the cave.
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| To able to reach the cave, you have to cross that foot bridge |
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| ...And rappel your way up the boulder |
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| You've reached the cave. |
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| This stream will flow right to the famous... |
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| Jacuzzi... as the locals call it. |
SIGHT-SEE
Feast your eyes on these great marble (or limestones) boulders. Climb some and strike a pose. Take some Instagram-worthy selfies.
THE PEOPLE
We Filipinos are known for our hospitality, but I've never experienced the warmth and welcoming attribute of our people until I went to Daraitan. From the boatmen, to the tricycle drivers, the locals and the hikers we bumped into along the way. There was nothing but sincere kindness and polite words.
Take this for instance... As we were making our way down the river the rain started to pour but before we got soak wet a tricycle stopped by and the driver invited us to hop in since his passenger was heading towards where we were going. We went on a ride for free, no charge whatsoever. Kuya Edgar, our tour guide informed us that the nice driver was the Baranggay Captain of Daraitan. Now, that was hospitality at its finest.
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| Kapitan Carlito Capco |
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| Kuya Edgar, our kind and knowledgeable tour guide |
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| The friendly and polite locals of Daraitan |
HOW TO GO
1. Edsa Crossing Terminal - Tanay Terminal / Starmall Terminal - Tanay Terminal
Jeepney: 58 pesos
Bus: 60 pesos
(Travel time: Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes but still depends on the flow of traffic.)
2. Tanay Terminal - Baranggay Daraitan
Option 1: Tricycle 500 pesos
(Due to the distance between the terminal to Baranggay Daraitan and the rough road-- according to some tricycle drivers-- they had to charge that staggering fee)
Option 2: Jeepney 100 pesos
(There's a jeepney bound to Daraitan but it starts boarding at 1 pm and won't leave until it's full. If you are travelling in a big group, you can probably talk the driver into renting the jeepney.)
Option 3: The option we took and the one I strongly encourage you to take.
Tanay - Sampaloc Jeepney 28 pesos
Sampaloc - Baranggay Daraitan 50 pesos
(Take the tricycle parked opposite Shell gasoline station not the tricycle on the side of the road.)
3. Ride the boat to cross the river... 5 pesos
4. Take the tricycle and head towards the Baranggay Hall for registration... 10 pesos
ADDITIONAL EXPENSES:
1. 20 pesos (environmental fee for the province of Rizal)
2. 20 pesos (environmental fee for the province of Quezon)
3. 500 pesos (tour guide)
THEM DOGS:
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