Casaroro falls is a stunning single plunge cascade in the mountains of Valencia on Negros island in the Philippines. It’s the most popular tourist attraction in the area because it is 15 minutes drive from Dumaguete and accessing the fall is down concrete stairs and a paved path along a small river.
Casaroro Falls – Valencia
In this travel blog I will cover everything you need to know about Casaroro Falls. From getting there to the entrance fee and what to expect once you get there. This way you can start planning your trip to Valencia on Negros Oriental because there are quite a few other tourist spots in the area worth visiting.
Good to know: Most tourists pass through Dumaguete for the ferry to Siquijor. And the majority are traveling down from either Moalboal (sardines run and canyoneering) or from Oslob (whale shark watching). In this case read this guide how to get to Dumaguete from Moalboal or Oslob.
Where is Casaroro Falls
Casaroro Falls is located in a mountainous region named Valencia on Negros Oriental island. Dumaguete, a small city on the eastern coast and only 20 minutes drive away is where most tourists stay for a night or 2 before moving on to other destinations such as Siquijor (just a ferry away) or possibly even Moalboal for the sardine run and Canyoneering adventure.
Casaroro Falls: Overview
- Getting there: Casaroro Falls is easily accessible from Dumaguete. Rent a scooter for around PHP400 or a hire a car with driver for the day PHP3000 ($60) for 8 hours.
- The hike: From the entrance the hike takes you down some 300 steps and then along concrete paths. The hike is relatively easy, but due to almost no sunshine penetrating the thick foliage, the paths and steps can slippery.
- Duration: Plan to spend at least 90 minutes. The hike towards the falls takes around 30 minutes, plus another 30 minutes admiring this gorgeous place and another 30 minutes back.
- Attention: In some cases Casaroro Falls may be closed to the public. The cascade is located at the end of a canyon and after heavy rainfall the area can experience a dangerous amount of water with increased water levels. If the staff at the entrance tell you not to go, just listen to them.
Casaroro falls Entrance Fee and Guides
There is an environmental fee of 30 Pesos ($0.60) which is paid at Limotakkna restaurant, right in front of the stairs down into the creek.
A guide isn’t necessary as the hike itself is relatively easy along the paved paths and concrete steps. I would only recommend going for 2 reasons, if you are going alone or if you are not comfortable walking on slippery paths and some rocks. Otherwise Casaroro falls is very accessible without a guide.
Our Experience at Casaroro Falls
We had traveled down from Moalboal to Dumaguete in order to take the ferry to Siquijor and decided to spend 2 nights here and explore all the nearby tourists spots which are mostly all located in Valencia.
From what we had seen, Casaroro Falls looked amazing and was high on our list. We drove from Dumaguete early in the morning, paid the entrance fee, and began hiking down the stairs into the dense jungle landscape.
There is 335 steps that wind through thick foliage with almost no sunlight coming through. We had to be careful because some parts are covered in moss and are slippery.
On the way down there isn’t much to see due to the dense landscape. Finally at the end the view opens up into this creek covered in boulders and a river flowing through. Casaroro falls is to the right but still not visible.
Most of the paths had been completely destroyed, a steel bridge seemed to have been smashed by a trunk or something and a makeshift bamboo bridge had been set up to cross over the small river. Now we understood why we had found to be careful after heavy rainfall.
We made our way further upstream with the path being more and more destroyed and often requiring to wade through the river or jump over boulders. I think there is just a single trail and the fall is not visible at any point.
Meanwhile the sound of the crashing cascade increases until a bend in the path. As we peaked behind a powerful gush of wind created a misty view with droplets from the powerful plunge. The fall is unbelievable dropping from around 30 meters in a single drop with cliffs covered in jungle wrapping around. Everything near the cascade of Casaroro is wet, slippery and not that safe to clamber on. We almost slipped a couple of times trying to take pictures. So it’s important to be careful and also avoid getting too close to cascade itself.
It was still before 8:00am when we arrived and we were all by ourselves. It was also a week day so maybe that also helped avoid any crowds. After all, Casaroro falls is the most popular cascade on the island, so I guess it does get busy on weekends and holidays.
The trek back to our scooters took about 20 minutes. It’s tiring up those steps but because of the higher elevation, and being still early in the morning, the temperatures are enjoyable. I suggest going early because during the mid day heat it does seem to get rather humid here.
Useful Information
After spending a week in Cebu and exploring tourist spots in and around Moalboal, we decided to make our way further South and headed over to Negros Island. (Dumaguete is located on Negros Island)
Getting from one island to another is straightforward but if you need more help we created this guide on getting from Cebu to Dumaguete. This guide is actually on how to get to Siquijior, but by scrolling down you will find a section specifically on getting from Cebu to Dumaguete.
In total, we spent 7 nights in Dumaguete and most days we were working on this blog. And when we weren’t, we cruised around. Here are the places we visited:
The Forest Camp (on the way to Casaroro Falls)
Pulangbato Falls (near Red Rock Hot Springs)
>>Check our Dumaguete and Philippines travel guides. It might convince you to extend your trip!!
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