Pagsanjan Falls Tour with Abraham Manila
We’re back with another fun day tour! Recently, my boyfriend and I went back to Pagsanjan Falls via Abraham Manila. Pagsanjan Falls (or currently known as Cavinti Falls) is one of my highly suggested day trips from Manila. It’s a fun, beautiful destination and — best of all — it’s good for all ages so you can even bring your parents with you.
We got this Pagsanjan Falls tour via Abraham Manila, an affordable hostel in Poblacion, Makati, which offers excursions in and near the metro.
Here’s our experience with them!
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Our stay at Abraham Manila
Abraham Manila is one of the top hostels in Poblacion, Makati. They offer affordable rooms, are centrally located, and have various activities that you can partake in. As a hostel, they cater to budget tourists, digital nomads, and especially foreign visitors who would like to make the most of their time in Manila.
My boyfriend Hali and I stayed in the Quad Room. As expected, our room is space-efficient — there are multiple beds, a private bathroom with hot/cold shower, and lots of sockets. So there’s no need to fret about charging your devices when you’re in a group.
The hostel also has a rooftop area that overlooks the streets of Makati, a dining/co-working space, and a bar and lounge at the ground floor.
For leisure, you can see several local art displays and play various board games.
They have a resident cat named Pauline (if we heard correctly).
But the best thing about this hostel is the location. It’s literally walking distance to restaurants and bars in Poblacion! As someone who loves to eat, this is great home base. I’ve always wanted to explore Poblacion so we didn’t waste time in looking for good restaurants.
(We ate at Cosmic — a vegan restaurant with reasonably priced, delicious local food, and Hummus Elijah — a 24-hour restaurant that serves Mediterranean food like hummus, shakshuka, shawarma, and more.)
Overall, here’s our review of the hostel:
- Room: Affordable and clean rooms. Free WIFI and mobile data can sometimes get spotty though.
- Location: Great location at Poblacion, Makati. Walking distance to restaurants, bars, and shops. Perfect for those who want to explore the neighborhood, go on a food trip, or discover the famous nightlife in Poblacion.
- Value for money: Abraham Manila offers great value for money. Booking also comes with complimentary breakfast! We recommend this hostel if you’re looking for a place to stay in Poblacion, Makati.
If you are bringing a car in Poblacion, the best parking space for overnight is Century Mall. They have a small fixed rate for weekends, too.
Pagsanjan Falls Tour
The next day, we woke up early for the hostel’s Pagsanjan Falls joiner tour.
We made a stopover at Los Banos for a trolley ride experience in an old railway. It was actually fun — and honestly one of the most touristy things I’ve ever done as a local. The rest of our group were foreigners, and they seemed to enjoy it well.
At the end of the railway tracks, we had a quick brunch of buko pie and black coffee.
Then we were off to the town of Pagsanjan for the boat tour. For those of you who don’t know, the Pagsanjan Falls boat tour is also called Shooting the Rapids. It’s usually a 3-hour tour that goes from the town along Pagsanjan Gorge National Park to Pagsanjan Falls in Cavinti.
It is actually my third time in Pagsanjan Falls. And for me, it never gets old.
As it had been raining the past days before our visit, we saw several waterfalls alongside the canyon, filled with the recent rains. (During my past visit, it was hot and the waterfalls were dry.) It was a new sight to me — and it was breathtaking. In fact, I felt a sudden pride that I live here, in this country, and this is one of our treasures!
Unfortunately, the recent rains also meant that the upstream currents were too strong for boats to proceed. So our final stop was Talahib Falls (also called First Falls). We made the most of our time, taking pictures and also riding a balsa that goes near and underneath the waterfall.
The stream was so strong and cold. I was exhilarated and terrified. Haha.
That’s the thing about visiting the Pagsanjan Falls. If you visit in the summer, it is safe to proceed from the town to Pagsanjan Falls. If you visit in the rainy months, the scenery along the route is much more beautiful because the waterfalls lining the mountains have a lot of water but it’s possible that you may not be allowed to go further upstream to Pagsanjan Falls.
Anyway, it was still amazing and I’m glad that I get to experienced it with my boyfriend.
Afterwards, we ate at El Panchito’s Fil-Mexicano Restaurant for a delicious late lunch. Kudos to Abraham Manila for finding this gem!
Overall, we had a great time at this Pagsanjan Falls tour. The tour was properly coordinated and everything went smoothly. If you’re looking for a day trip from Manila, Abraham Manila offers this tour along with many others for reasonable rates.
Here’s a short video of our hostel stay and tour:
Book your Pagsanjan Falls Tour
You can book your Pagsanjan Falls tour, as well as other excursions in/around Manila, via Abraham Manila.
Use our promo code TARALETS10 to get a 10% discount for tours in Manila and Bohol via Abraham Manila!
Abraham Manila offers the following tours in Manila:
- Pagsanjan Falls Day Tour
- Pinatubo Day Tour
- Manila City Tour
- Sagada and Banaue Rice Terraces 4-Day Tour
- Pangasinan Island Hopping Tour
- Intramuros Tour (free)
They also hold regular boodle fights and pub crawl in Poblacion.
Disclaimer: Our hostel stay and tour was free c/o Abraham Manila. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own.
Do you have questions about Abraham Manila or this particular day tour? Let us know in the comments section below!
What to read next:
Staying in Manila? Don’t forget to read these guides!
- Insider Guide: Best Things to Do in Manila
- Best Hotels in Manila
- Best Staycations in Manila with Pool
- Best Things to do in BGC Taguig
- Best Restaurants and Cafes in BGC
- Binondo Food Crawl
- Poblacion Food Crawl
Venture outside of the city for fun and adventure:
- Best Beaches Near Manila
- Affordable Beaches Near Manila
- Best Waterfalls Near Manila
- Best Farm Staycations Near Manila
- Best Day Trips from Manila
Get discounts on your travels!
Enjoy discounts with KLOOK using our promo code: TARALETSANYWHERE
Katherine Cortes is a long-time backpacker and a freelance writer/editor. She likes beaches, snorkeling trips, and relaxing staycations (preferably with bath tubs!).
