Vagina Falls – Man-Atong’s Quirky Gem
Vagina Falls what? Find out in this Ilocos Sur adventure!
When I first heard about Kaman-itil Falls, I was actually looking forward to seeing it once I visited Suyo. But as it turns out, they actually applied the quirky name Vagina Falls instead of the latter. So, in this blog post, we will visit Man-atong’s famed Vagina. Tee-hee
It was lunch time and we were already starving after a quick visit to Sangbay ni Ragsak and Dawara Falls. Along the highway leading to Cervantes, we stopped by an eatery and ordered Sinanglaw (beef offal soup flavoured with kamias and bile) and Pinikpikan (Cordilleran traditional chicken soup), quite a good meal combo of the Cordillera and Ilocos Region.
After lunch, we then drove a few more kilometers until we made a right turn after seeing that the signage “Vagina Falls – 4 kms”. Haha! Instead of Kaman-itil, which also means the female genitalia, they actually used Vagina. I see what you did there tourism folks!
Astraddled
Four more kilometers on a single lane cemented road snaking through the mountain side, we stopped by and continued on foot. The trail was nice, but there are no markers or signage leading to the falls so you really have to get a guide for this one.
Then before the hanging bridge, the waterfall came into view. Now, I did get it why it was named as such.
Two sharp peaked mountain ridges (with my imagination playing) looks like two legs astraddled, then at the bottom central portion, the waterfall flows seamlessly through a smooth rocky surface.
Then we eventually went down, crossing the hanging bridge and hopping over rocks along the river. It took us around 25 minutes before reaching the catch basin. But from there, you can’t actually see the first tier.
You can swim around the shallow pool and have your snacks in there. Then after around half an hour of dozing off, we immediately went back before the sun sets.
How To Get There
- From Manila, take any bus headed to the Ilocos Region, primarily Candon City, Vigan City, Laoag City or Bangued, Abra. (Partas, Viron, Dominion, Florida)
- Alight at Bitalag Junction in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur, just a few hundred meters from the Tagudin Yellow Market. Fare starts at 500-650php, travel time is 5-7hrs depending on the time of the day
- From Bitalag Junction, charter a tricycle to bring you to Suyo Municipal Hall. Please take note that these are the white and green tricycles, the yellow ones are for Tagudin. Fare is around 150-200php, travel time is around 20-30minutes (12.9 kilometers).
- Register first at the Municipal Hall so they can endorse you to Brgy. Tegteggamat.
- Then take the road going to Cervantes until you reach Man-Atong, then turn right after seeing the signage saying “To Vagina Falls 4km“
- I think single motorcycles are the only means to reach the end of the road
- The last part of the road will be by foot and will take you around 20-30 mins of hike going down to the falls
- There are no stores nearby, guides are optional, no registration fee to be collected
- Remember LNT Principles, please leave no trace, pack your trash
Check-out all the waterfalls the Municipality of Suyo, Ilocos Sur has to offer!
