Aliwagwag Falls

Aliwagwag is not one waterfall but a long series of them - the Cateel River dropping down a forested mountainside in a sequence of tiers, counted locally at eighty-four and often described as a staircase, with the whole run stretching several hundred metres from top to bottom. The lower sections are what visitors see: a viewing area, pools for swimming at the base, a hanging bridge across the river, and a zipline and skycycle strung over the gorge for those who want them. Above that the tiers continue up into forest that forms part of the Aliwagwag Protected Landscape, established in 2011, and the upper reaches are rarely visited. The area sits in a remote corner of Davao Oriental on the Pacific side of Mindanao, and getting there from Davao City is a long day's drive, which keeps numbers low outside local holidays. Flow varies sharply with rain.

What's there

• The tiered staircase - dozens of steps down the slope.
• The base pools - swimming water at the lowest tiers.
• The hanging bridge - the crossing over the river.
• The forest slope - protected woodland above the falls.

When to go

December to May for safer river conditions; heavy rain swells the falls dramatically but closes the swimming areas. Weekdays are quiet.

Good to know

It is a long drive from Davao City on ordinary roads. The tiers you can see are the lower few; the full staircase is not walkable. Rocks are slippery and flow changes fast after rain.

Nearby

Cateel town and the Pacific coast road run north; Dahican Beach at Mati is south.

Key facts