In the highlands of Valencia there is Pulangbato Falls, a powerful cascade plunging into a pool below surrounded in pixelated rusty colored rock face. And the only way to get close to the waterfall is by crossing over a river on a photogenic rope bridge.
Although Pulangbato Falls is located in Valencia and outside the City, it is one of the popular tourist attractions to visit while in Dumaguete.
The ride from Dumaguete takes 30 minutes and as it happens, Valencia is home to numerous tourist spots worth visiting. In fact, Red Rocks Hot Springs is a short 5 minute downhill ride away.
How To Get To Pulangbato Falls
Pulangbato Falls is located in Valencia municipality. This tourist spot is a 13 km drive from Dumaguete.
For those already in Dumaguete City, the short journey could take less than 30 minutes. Travel time mainly depends on if you choose public transport or hire a car or scooter.
By Scooter
Scooters are generally the cheapest option to get around especially if you are like us and are all day on the go. We found all the streets, both in Dumaguete and Valencia are paved and well maintained which makes riding a scooter around the city and to the tourist spots in Valencia a straightforward journey.
A scooter rental in Dumaguete will cost php400 to php500 ($8-$10) a day
Hire Car + Driver
If travelling in a larger group (more than 2) or aren’t confident riding a scooter, then a hire car is a great option. And with a hire car, there is the option for a driver. Besides driving you around, your driver will usually suggest a route and popular tourist attractions to include in the day.
A hire car with a driver costs php3000 ($60) for 8 hours and can take 4 passengers + driver.
Local Bus and Habal-Habal
But the most interesting way to go is to do it DIY and use public transport.
From Dumaguete catch a multi-cab heading to Valencia from near the public market. Let the driver know you are going to Pulangbato Falls so he will drop you off as close as possible. If you are too far away use a habal-habal for the rest of the journey.
Multicab cost: php20 ($.40) – Habal-Habal P150 ($3) for 15 minutes ride.
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Getting Directions
With online maps easily accessible with a few clicks, the logistic part of getting to your destination is simple. The go-to maps we use are either Google.Maps or Maps.Me and use one or the other depending on connectivity. I will explain why.
Online Map:
Our go-to online map is Google.Maps. This is an online map that works great in urbanized areas and where there is steady mobile data connectivity. It is also straightforward to use. Simply enter the destination in the search bar and click directions.
You will get distance and also the journey time. Good to know is that most attractions will also have other useful information like opening hours, guest reviews and other places of interest nearby.
Offline Map:
However, when travelling in remote areas where connectivity is a hit and miss we resort to an offline mapping system named Maps.Me.
Maps.Me works offline however you will need to download the specific country you are in while you have a connection.
Using this app is also very simple. Enter your destination in the search at the bottom and hit ROUTE TO in the bottom section.
One downside to Maps.Me is that travel time isn’t always correct, and the system tends to choose the shortest route which at times may be more of a bumpy dirt road rather than an actual street. Therefore, the journey time will end up being much longer than you expect.
On the other hand, those bumpy and interesting rides are the adventures we remember.
>>Check our Dumaguete and Philippines travel guides. It might convince you to extend your trip!!
Dumaguete to Pulangbato Falls Map
Entrance Fee
Adult 50 pesos ($1)
Child (up to 10 years) 20 pesos ($.40)
What to Expect at Pulangbato Falls
While Pulangbato Falls isn’t hidden away in the jungle like Casaroro Falls, it is still worth a visit. In fact, it is one of the popular tourist spots to visit while in Dumaguete.
We left Dumaguete and within a 10-minute ride from the City centre we were already cruising along unurbanized lands covered in a tropical landscape and a river flowing right next to us. And at some point along the way, there is also sulphuric steam seeping out of rusty-looking rock face right beside the street.
The entrance to Pulangbato Falls is a short uphill ride from the river.
But when the directions on google.maps lead us to the entrance of a resort, both me and Jacqueline were confused.
As it turns out, Pulangbato Falls is at the very end of a resort and the main entrance is the resort. However, the waterfall area hasn’t been touched besides a rope bridge crossing over a river.
Jacqueline decided to take a dip in the chilly water while I took a few pictures.
There is a second, small cascade further up with a constructed pool beneath which is safer than Pulangbato. Keep in mind that Pulangbato waterfall is a strong cascade which could be dangerous if getting too close.
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 (same direction as Casaroro Falls)
Red Rock Hot Springs (near Pulangbato Falls)
To get a better understanding of where the attractions are located, below is a map with attractions marked in red.
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