Joining a group on the trip makes it much less expensive than booking privately. And more fun.
I’d sent in passport and a doctor’s letter confirming my health — but LFC still couldn’t put me on Pinatubo.
Who knows why? In my mind, just another example of how so many things don’t work in the Philippines.
LFC offered me an alternative for the next day ➙ Aw-Asen Falls at 142 feet (43 meters).
I signed on, still irked that it wasn’t Pinatubo.
Hikers are picked up in the middle of the night in a Hiace van.
Delivered to the parking lot first thing in the morning. About 5 hours of not sleeping / dozing for me coming from Clark. It’s about 8 hours from Manila!
Switched to the worst possible vehicle for the final 17km to the trailhead ➙ an underpowered Jeepney with not much suspension.
I was shocked to see a couple of hundred hikers out here on a Sunday morning.
I’d say 80% were women. Mostly young women.
It’s not a long hike. BUT there are 919 stone steps up and 919 down. 😀
First you cross 2 suspension bridges.
YES, Filipinos love a photo op.
We marched through some paddies.
Reaching the Falls, people relaxed for a couple of hours. We’d all arrived early in the day.
Drones are allowed. So there is plenty of footage on YouTube. And even more on TikTok.
Here’s our group. I only saw one other foreigner at the Falls. This hike seems to be quite unknown outside the nation. It’s not even on AllTrails.
On the return drive, we stopped for sunset at San Juan, La Union, a famed surfer beach. Consistent intermediate quality waves make it ideal for beginners.
Mebuyan’s Vessel, an homage to the Bagobo goddess of the underworld, is an installation of 21 interconnected, inhabitable pods.
Signage said it could be climbed — but it was inexplicably closed. I must be in the Philippines.
A good trip, all in all.
Plenty of night driving, however. Those coming from Manila got very little sleep 2 nights in a row.
I’ve mostly been very lucky with the weather over 4 months in S.E. Asia and Taiwan.
BUT it’s rained every day since I got to Palawan island.
A.I. enhanced photo. No actual lightning at the waterfall.
They have frequent earthquakes, cyclones, and volcanic eruptions here. Who knew? 😀
The dry season in the Philippines generally runs from December to May.
But 2025 has been wetter than normal. I spoke with one tour guide with a group of Romanian tourists who’s had to change plans most days for the past 2 weeks.
Many tours, especially those by boat, are cancelled by government order.
I started a day hike to Pamuayan Falls out of Port Barton in good weather. The rain pounded down for perhaps 20 minutes. Then cleared up again.
The Adventure Capital of the World, a gorgeous location on Lake Wakatipu opposite the saw-toothed Remarkable range.
If you’ve never been to New Zealand, start planning. Now. It’s our #1 hiking destination on Earth.
Queenstown is an international resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand’s South Island. …
According to the 2006 census, the usually resident population of the Queenstown urban area … is 10,416 …
… a centre for adventure tourism. Skiing, jet boating, whitewater rafting, bungy jumping, mountain biking, tramping and fly fishing are all strong promotional themes. …
Queenstown is the departure point for a large number of day trips to the similarly famous Milford Sound …
If you find it too much of a tourist trap, move away up the lake to Te Anau (pop. about 2000). It’s got everything you need to stage for an epic Kiwi hike.
Our favourite hike hikes out of Queenstown and Te Anau are:
These are the three on the list of Great Walks. (Kiwis avoid them because they’re crowded with international tourists. Locals can take you on hikes just as good, but unknown to foreigners.)
The longest, highest, most diverse mountain range in the continental United States is not the Rockies. It’s the Sierra Nevada range in California.
Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite … everyone loves these mountains.
In the summer of 2007 we met a hiker there who enjoyed 41 days in a row of perfect weather. Where else in the mountains can you get that? (Starting day 42 he had pounding hail and was at risk of death by lightning.)
The range is about the same size as the Alps, 430mi long, 40-80mi wide. It’s all great.
Many come here specifically to climb Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous States. Others come to see astonishing Yosemite Valley. And to scramble Half Dome.
Lower elevation hikes are accessible year-round. The Parks are within easy driving distance of major urban areas and, unusual for the USA, have good public transportation. Kids love this region.
In fact, everyone leaves John Muir’s “Range of Light” elated.
besthike.com 