Ditumabo Mother Falls

Locals call it Mother Falls because it is the largest of the falls in the hills behind Baler, and the walk in sets the tone: from the small hydro plant at Ditumabo the trail follows the river up a narrowing valley, crossing and recrossing the water, balancing on the old pipeline and picking over boulders for about forty minutes. Then the gorge closes and the fall appears at its head - a solid white column dropping perhaps forty metres down a black rock wall into a churning pool, with spray filling the whole amphitheatre and the noise making conversation pointless. The pool is swimmable at the edges when the river is low, cold and deep in the middle, with the current under the fall strong enough that guides keep people back. Baler itself, an hour's surf town on the Pacific coast, is the base for the trip, and the same road holds the Ermita Hill viewpoint and the ancient balete tree at Maria Aurora.

The landscape

• The column fall - forty metres onto black rock.
• The river trek - crossings, boulders and the old pipeline.
• The gorge - narrow walls and permanent spray.
• The cold pool - swimming at the edges when levels allow.

When to go

February to May for the safest water and firmest trail; the falls are closed after heavy rain, and Aurora sits in the typhoon belt from June to November.

Before you go

Wet feet are guaranteed and rocks are slippery - sandals with grip beat sneakers. Guides are mandatory. The trek is moderate but continuous; flip-flops and bad knees will suffer.

Nearby

Baler's surf beach at Sabang, the Ermita Hill viewpoint and the Balete Tree are all within half an hour.