Palakol River, Floridablanca, Pampanga | Where To Bike Next?

September 3, 2020July 25, 2021 Rex Lim Lim bike, floridablanca, HOW TO, palakol river, pampanga, SCTEX, TRAVEL, TRAVEL GUIDE, where to go

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Under one of the tallest bridges in Pampanga lies Palakol River with cold flowing water all year round.

Aside from being the culinary capital of the country, Pampanga also hosts a number of destinations to visit for your next ecotourism fix. Come with us as we visit Floridablanca’s Summer Place!

Gumain Bridge

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An extensive river system snakes in and out of Pampanga. Moreover, streams and rivers traversing the land are fed and drained by the Pampanga River, which reaches out to the West Philippine Sea.

The name Pampanga itself were coined by the Spaniards who found the early natives mostly living near the river, “Pampang” meaning river bank.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Pulong Masle, Guagua, Pampanga

Floridablanca is one of the municipalities in Pampanga that lies near the footholds of the Cabusilan Mountain Range. Also, most of its rivers are fed by the mountain range including the active volcano, Mt. Pinatubo.

Cabusilan Range as seen from the Angeles-Porac-Floridablanca-Dinalupihan Road

Palakol River, Floridablanca — Gumain Bridge flanked by the mountains of Cabusilan

Palakol River, is located on the northeastern part of Floridablanca. This is 8 kms away from the town proper passing through the Basa Airbase. It is also known as Gumain River and called by the locals as the summer place.

Access road to the river lies under the towering SCTEX Gumain Bridge. The downstream which is under the bridge is filled with rocks and boulders.

On the opposite side, the upstream is like a pool that is free from boulders and gets deeper as you go up. There are also huts that one can rent if you are planing to stay longer.

How To Get There

Palakol River is located in Brgy. San Jose in Floridablanca, Pampanga.
From the City of San Fernando, it is around 32 kilometers passing through the towns of Bacolor, Santa Rita, Guagua and Lubao.

If coming from Angeles City, it is around 27.3 kilometers passing through Porac, Pampanga.

Then, if coming from Dinalupihan, Bataan, it is around 21 kilometers away passing through the Dinalupihan-Floridablanca-Porac Road.

Also part of this trip, read: 5 Haunted Places to Visit When in Pampanga

Biking Under The New Normal

This adventure is a part of my solo bike ride last August 30, 2020 under the new normal. This covers my 109 kilometer trip to the towns of Santa Rita, Floridablanca, Porac, and the cities of San Fernando and Angeles in Pampanga.