Chilling Out at Mag-aso Falls, Antequera Bohol

*the picture was taken after the 2013 Bohol earthquake so the structure of the falls is somewhat altered. Also, this year, Philippines suffered El Nino so maybe that’s the reason behind the one active waterfall instead of two.

Mag-aso Falls is one of Bohol’s natural treasures. It’s an eight-meter twin waterfalls that situated at the bottom of a deep gorge. It has this magical turquoise water surrounded by tall trees and wild plants including giant ferns. Unlike other highly developed falls, Mag-aso Falls has no sounds except the roaring water which makes this place meditative, calm and very natural.

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The name of the waterfalls was derived from the local dialect word “aso”, which means “smoke”, it was used to describe the smoke-like mist obscuring the falls. It’s is not usually crowded especially on weekdays, as it is not covered in most itineraries of Bohol tours.

Chilling Out at Mag-aso Falls, Antequera Bohol | Blushing Geek

Safety

Aside from one lifeguard, there’s no visible security downstairs at the waterfalls, so tourists are advised to look after themselves and proceed with extra caution when dealing with money around locals. You can swim at Mag-Aso Falls, however take care because the main pool is quite deep under the falls. It does get shallower further away. There’s many rocks situated at the other side of the waterfalls, so be careful because most of them are quite slippery.

It is not advisable to enter the place in a rainy or cloudy weather. The beautiful waterfall will turn into a nightmare in a couple of minutes and sweeps away everything on its path. So keep an eye on the local weather and take care of yourself.

The lifeguard in the place is only a volunteer; they may not be watching the swimmers all the time so it is safe to be cautious while swimming.

Our Experience

We arrived there around 2:00 pm. Since we went there on a weekend, there’s quite a number of tourist at the place. There were two Filipino families at the cottage and one American couple swimming at the falls. An hour later there’s one British couple came to the site but only stayed to take pictures.

We went there using our own motorbikes and only brought three types of junkfoods to munch while staying and lounging at the falls. Just like other normal tourists, we took photos and selfies. Minutes later, we decided to take off our jackets and took a dip at the water. The ice cool water relieve me from the uncomfortable heat I’ve felt because of the scorching heat.

See more photos on our Facebook account.

Facilities

There’s a small Sari-sari store just beside the ticketing office. They only sell junkfoods, biscuits and drinks.

The only facilities you can see downstairs at the waterfalls are the cottage and a small toilet room that isn’t actually used because of some sanitary issues.

Getting There

For tourists who have booked to a day tour in Bohol, you may not experience seeing Mag-aso Falls because it’s rarely being included in the itineraries. The falls is located in Barangay Can-umay in the municipality of Antequera, and is only 20 kilometers away from Tagbilaran City. It can easily be reached by either getting a private vehicle (tricycle, motorbike), jeepney or by bus.

If you want to save some money, it is recommended to take public transport. There is a jeepney/bus that goes to Antequera from Cogon Jeepney/Bus Terminal. The fare to Antequera is about 25-30 pesos. The drop off point is at the Antequera Holy Rosary Parish Church and in there, you need to hire a habal-habal (or motorbike) to take you to Mag-aso Falls. The approximate distance from the town to your destination is 2 kilometers of dirt road.

Before reaching the falls, there is a checkpoint where tourists are required to pay an entrance fee of Php15 (for a vehicle, motorcycle or tricycle). At the entrance to the site, you will find a small ticket booth where you pay another entrance fee of Php20 per person.

After paying, you will need to walk down 197 steps to the main area of the falls.

Travel Tips

If you commute to Mag-aso falls by habal-habal or motorbike, you can inform the driver to wait for you while you’re at the falls. You could also ask them to come back for you at a later time (set a specific time or just ask his mobile number) to avoid the probability of being stranded at the place.
If you want more peace while visiting, it is advisable to go there on the weekdays.
The first payment at the checkpoint isn’t actually required. You can ask to stop before the toll bar and walk a few minutes to the ticket booth.