Bulingan Falls

The place

Falls in Lamitan, Basilan

A short drive out of Lamitan, and the island’s best-known waterfall.

• Falls

  One of the guide’s own places.

• When to go

  After a few dry days: the morning after heavy rain in 2021 the water ran murky, while in a dry spell in August 2018 the flow was gentle.

• Safety in Basilan

  Basilan carries standing foreign-government advisories, and several countries advise against all travel to parts of it. The situation around Lamitan and the coastal corridor is markedly better than the advisories’ blanket framing, and Filipinos travel there routinely. That is not the same as it being unremarkable. Coordinate with the provincial or city tourism office, travel with local contacts, stay on the main corridor, and do not improvise into the interior municipalities.

About this place

What to do

• See the column-like rock formations

  The falls are less than 10 metres high but wide, and the water drops over rocks that look like stone posts set side by side.

  langyaw.com

• Swim in the pool below the falls

  The edges have been cemented and part of the runoff held back to form a pool, which is busiest at weekends and better for swimming outside the wet months.

  langyaw.com

• Go on to Calugusan Beach

  Visitors usually combine the falls with a swim at Calugusan Beach in the same city; coordinate with the city tourism office first.

  langyaw.com

Before you go

• Go with a local contact or through the tourism office rather than making your own way.
• Fuller and more dramatic in the wet months; the pool is better for swimming when it is not.

Where you’ll be

Lamitan, Basilan

Sources

• en.wikipedia.org
• langyaw.com
• transitpinas.com
• nomadicexperiences.com