Alamada is a town in Mindanao, the southern part of the three groups of islands of the Philippine Archipelago. Being judged as an unsafe portion of the Philippines to travel to, because of the Abu Sayaf (local terrorist), Mindanao's natural sceneries have been secluded to foreign tourists and even to the other countrymen. Good enough that the efforts of the local authorities and the national military deployed in the different parts of Mindanao are making sense now, keeping the country safe, especially those secluded places that are rich in beautiful sceneries with the vision to promote local tourism, such as Alamada- a top tourist destination in Cotabato region.

Traveling to Alamada is such a mind-refreshing experience! It is like having a road trip on the mountain ridges, just one cent trip to the clouds and sky.

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I could associate Alamada with Cebu's Transcentral Highway in Balamban which is located in the Visayas the mid group of islands of the Philippine Archipelago, on a longer and wider version.

Or perhaps to Tagaytay of Luzon, the top group of islands of the Philippine Archipelago.
As Alamada houses several amazing natural sceneries, I am thinking of sharing those places I've gone through a travel blog series. So, let's start with the best!

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Asik - Asik Falls_{The hidden gem of Alamada}

If you'll never go down, you'll never know that there's a streaming paradise below the mountains of Alamada.

Unlike most of the waterfalls, Asik-asik falls have not gotten its water from the river stream but from the inside of the mountains of Alamada! Locally known as "tubod" (ground water), the waters produced by the mountains of Alamada were secreted simultaneously and continuously through the ridge edge of the mountain creating a curtain of waterfalls.

Looking from above, a bird would never know from afar that there is a stream of waterfalls on the other edge. Although the mountains formation might give a clue to the bird that there is a big river down the hills where it can sip a water flying down to the ground.

Waterfalls meeting with the river stream, not from the above, but probably from the other falls have given the place a large water basin to anyone who wants to take a dip in the cold natural water. Cautiously, An and I took a quick dip at the time of our visit, we were so cautious because the water current that day was a bit strong, and it was quick because the water was sooooo cold for us to handle.

Asik-asik falls was incredibly beautiful, it was extraordinary! The lush green plants growing from the edge of the mountain have added to the beauty of the waters falling from the valley.

An and I had a great photo session in the falls, as any of its angles and side are photogenic! Just so perfect to match with our Instagram feeds.

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I planned to fly my drone and capture the curtain waterfalls from the ground to its tip, but unfortunately due to its hidden ground location, my drone didn't catch a good GPS signal, so I just took a low flight when got a chance to catch a little signal for a flight. Reviewing my footages, my captures have unraveled my curiosity about the water sources and the natural structure of the waterfalls.

Was so happy that Asik-asik has allowed me to capture its hidden beauty.

The falls' guests are not merely the adventure people, but there are also guests in groups who came as a family or tourist from the other destination in Alamada who made a quick stop over and check out of the falls.

How to get there:

Should I start at the airport? or from the highways?

Okay, I'll start with getting to Mindanao for anyone who might want to check out this part of the country for the first time.

There are two ways to set foot in Mindanao, either by ferry or by plane. The nearest port heading to Alamada, North Cotabato is the port of Cagayan de Oro, while the nearest airport going to Alamada is the Davao International Airport.
Then the following follows:

The best way to get there is to book or join in a group tour, as I have seen a van with group of tourists coming in and out of Sitio Dulao that day of our trip.

As per ours, we used a private vehicle as my cousins have been to the place before, so they took me and An, who were the tourists in the family that day lol, and tour us around Alamada.

Well, perhaps my cousins could host travel tours in the future, what do you think?

Getting to the foot of the falls is way more challenging. It took us around 15 mins walk downhill but a lot more struggling going home from the falls. Going up, it took us roughly around half an hour because of the steep trail, but the trail has already stairs so the way is good.

An and I have even joked that the hike was like a major significant climb, and our prior hike to Mt. Apo was just a pre-climb for this hike, Lol!

To wrap it up, our trip to Asik-asik falls was a little bit adventurous and incredibly mystical and beautiful!

About the Author

Hi! I am Kim- The Strolling Mind.

I love to travel, I have been traveling in my beautiful country- Philippines, and some Asian countries, as well. My pleasure to share them here in Hive.

I believe that our mind is so powerful that anything we think is anything we can reach and achieve.

It is our mind that'll lead us to where we are heading to, so....

Let's keep strolling!