Katibawasan Falls

Katibawasan is Camiguin's tall waterfall - a single thin column falling about seventy metres off a cliff face into a rock pool at the bottom, with ferns, orchids and moss growing on the wet walls around it and boulders scattered through the basin. The water comes off the slopes of Mount Timpoong and arrives genuinely cold, cold enough that most people get in for a few minutes and then sit on the rocks. A short flight of steps leads down from the parking area, there are picnic tables and changing rooms, and the whole visit takes an hour. Because Camiguin is small, it pairs naturally with everything else on the island: the Ardent hot springs a short drive away are the obvious counterpoint, warm volcanic water after the cold pool, and both sit on the standard circuit with the sunken cemetery, White Island and Tuasan Falls.

What you actually see

• The tall column - a single thin drop down the cliff.
• The cold pool - the boulder basin at the base.
• The wet walls - ferns and orchids on the rock face.
• The picnic area - tables and changing rooms above.

When to go

Year-round; flow is strongest after rain and thinner from March to June. Mornings are quiet before the island tours arrive.

Honest expectations

The water is cold enough to be a shock. Rocks around the pool are slippery. It is a short stop rather than a half-day, and it can get busy when tour vans converge.

Nearby

Ardent hot springs, the sunken cemetery, White Island and Mantigue Island are all within half an hour.