Hinulugang Taktak

Hinulugang Taktak sits inside Antipolo, a short ride from the hilltop cathedral that draws pilgrims from across Luzon, and it carries an outsized place in Filipino memory - the folk song about it is learned by schoolchildren, and generations swam in the pool below the fall on excursions from Manila. The twentieth century treated it badly: the river above became a drain for a growing city, the water turned foul and the site was effectively abandoned as a swimming spot. A long clean-up and redevelopment has given it back as a park rather than a pool - the fall drops around fourteen metres over a rock lip into a basin, with landscaped terraces, viewing decks, a boardwalk along the river and picnic areas around it, plus an events amphitheatre. Swimming is not the point any more and water quality still depends on what happens upstream, but as a green break in a crowded upland town it works, especially on weekday mornings.

What you actually see

• The fall - a fourteen-metre drop over the rock lip.
• The park terraces - decks, boardwalks and picnic ground.
• The song's setting - the place behind the folk standard.
• The river walk - the short path along the gorge.

When to go

November to May for the driest weather; weekday mornings for calm. Rainy-season flow is stronger but water quality drops after storms.

Honest expectations

Swimming is not permitted and the water is not the clear pool of the old photographs - manage expectations. It is compact, urban and best combined with Antipolo's cathedral and viewpoints.

Nearby

Antipolo Cathedral, the Pinto Art Museum and the Rizal ridge restaurants are all within twenty minutes.