Two faces of Tres Marias: Rivers and waterfalls, rocks and boulders

Hello, Hive!

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I will be going on another major climb this November (most definitely the last one for this year). But before I go on off-the-grid mode, let me share with you another fun major climb which, coincidentally, also happened a few Novembers ago.

The news of the upcoming La Routa Adventure Race which will be held in Biliran reminded me of my climb to the province's highest mountain.

After Ormoc’s Alto Peak, my friends and I immediately started talking about our next dream adventure: to climb Biliran’s Tres Marias. It remained a hanging idea since there was no definite plan or initiative from anyone to carry it out. It was not until a month before the event that we decided to make it happen. With a short time to prepare physically, mentally and financially, our all-time organizer Shiela looked for hikers to join the fun. Of course, the people from our Alto Peak climb were present, with the exception of some and addition of others. By November 23, fifteen individuals headed to Pier 3 all geared for another adventure.

A little background about the Tres Marias Mountain Range

Biliran is an island province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. It is one of the country’s smallest and newest provinces having been formally independent of Leyte in 1992. With its lush mountains, countless waterfalls, and pristine beaches, the province has unsurprisingly attracted many tourists, locals and foreigners alike.

There are actually three adjacent peaks forming the backbone of the Tres Marias Mountain Range — Mt. Sugo, Mt. Naliwatan, and Mt. Tres Marias. Unfortunately, I do not have a closeup shot of Tres Marias but here's a photo of the island I took from the ship. The three peaks peeking from the clouds are numbered. The other prominent mountain on the other side is Mt. Panamao, which I haven't scaled — yet.

According to local folktales, the mountains were named after three Maria fairies, two of whom are Maria Benita and Maria Canabe. The third remains a mystery, they say. Or perhaps it's me? HAHA! Anyway, since my friends and I only had the weekend — and climbing all three mountains require three to four days — we decided to just go to Mt. Naliwatan Peak, which is the highest of the three summit. This did not lessen our excitement though since all of us are setting foot on Tres Maria's trails for the first time. So into the unknown we went...

The long and exciting river trekking

After a 13-hour ship ride (YES, it was that long!), we headed to the jump-off point in Brgy. Sampao, Almeria. Hiking with me were Shiela, Chiarra, James, Zeke, An Jurvel, Shandy, La Yell, Paul, Jovy, Ate Lochie, Rell, Hardi, Renson, and Rhyan.

It was a perfect sunny day for a hike yet we still prepared ourselves for the unexpected. We had our stuff waterproofed in case of rain and brought raincoat ponchos to avoid getting drenched. What we did not know then was we were bound to get wet anyway.

One of the adventures that await Tres Marias' hikers is the long and exciting river trekking. Just a few minutes away from the start of our trek, one can already hear the gushing waters. At first, we tried to not get our shoes soaked but most of us changed to slippers or hiking sandals in the end. We crisscrossed streams, moved from one point of the bank to another, jumped from stone to stone — all while admiring the beauty of Biliran’s Sampao River.

Passing through the riverbed reminded me of Cebu's Budlaan Trail. There were huge rocks and boulders that added fun and thrill. Personally, I think these geologic features are my favorites in any hike.

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Of course, my friends and I seized the every opportunity to enjoy what the trail had to offer. We took several stops — taking a quick dip, snapping some photos, or simply feasting on the unfiltered beauty of nature that we were in the middle of.

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The beautiful cascades of Tres Marias

Biliran is surrounded by mountains which explains the province’s abundant rivers and waterfalls. In fact, two of its beautiful cascades even made it on national news. But before we get to them, I'd like to share with you this unnamed waterfall that I think deserves its own spotlight. I was amazed by the color of the its water which even became brighter with the ray of the sun. I would have loved to swim here but we had a long way ahead of us.

We then proceeded with the hike until we finally reached Ulan-Ulan Falls. It is a beautiful 90-feet cascade aptly named for the rain-like drizzle that would welcome tourists who dare to get closer. Being the only one who had seen it twice, I told my friends that the water was a lot wider before typhoon devastated many parts of the country.

Ten minutes away from Ulan-Ulan Falls is the Recoletos Falls, which was named after the priests who discovered it. Although it is not as picturesque as Ulan-Ulan, Recoletos Falls is perfect for swimming and cliff jumping. The pool here is calmer and deeper too.

As we hiked farther, we passed by more unnamed waterfalls. If only we had all the time in the world, we'd be swimming and jumping on each one of them.

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We also passed by the recently christened Urduja Falls (named after the 2017 tropical storm which created it) but we couldn't get near it. I actually had to zoom my phone camera to get this closer shot.

Later on, we reached the Nomads Falls (named after the Cebu City mountaineering group). My friends and I found it unique because it's isolated and has a diagonal slide.

Finally, after hours of river trekking, we reached the bend that marked the end of our adventures on the water. Time to get our feet back on the land. What awaited us was a forested trail that had a funny resemblance to Cebu’s Spartan Trail with its gradual ascent and canopied footpaths.

We reached the campsite at 3 PM, relatively faster than we expected. It was still early but we started preparing our meal for the night after setting up our tents and hammocks.

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Come nighttime, we had our socials over a bottle of alcohol while sharing stories, laughter and not-so-innocent puns. I had many fond memories from this hike that I wouldn't mind relive one more time.

Hmmm... perhaps a revenge climb? With all three peaks next time? 😁

_{Maria is a hopeless romantic who travels in pages and places. She is an INFP who loves sunrises and moonlight nights and reading books in between. On weekdays, she works for a self-publishing company as a copywriter. On weekends, she lives her life as a poet or hiker. She hopes to share her love for words and the world with you here on HIVE.}

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