The whole canoe... - The whole canoe experience was memorable. From the beautiful scenery to the ride on the raft at the waterfalls. The trip back with rapids was great too. We had fantastic tour guides for the drive up and back from the location and with their local expertise, we got some great duck at a local store and a Buko pie at the original pie shop for this delicacy.

A show before the show! The ride UP the river is worth the price alone!! - What a great adventure! My tour guide, Fernando, was a wealth of information on the road trip to Laguna from Makati! Once I got to Casa del Rio resort, I was outfitted with a life vest and a safety hat. Then I met my heroes, Dennis and Toto, my boatsmen. THAT was the most unique part of this amazing adventure! The boatsmen don't just row the boat UP river, but they literally climb down on the rocks along the rapids and navigate and push/pull the boat UP the river... 16 rapids, some more fierce than others, some where the water level was too low, and the men literally pulled and lifted the boat UP and onto the rolling pins set up at certain low water passages! I was the only passenger on this canoe, and I can't believe that these men do this every day with up to 3 adult passengers PLUS themselves to go UP the river! We finally made it to the first fall (mid-April, before the rainy season) at the midpoint of the tour and the men took a break. At the stop, there are folks offering you drinks and food, not only for yourself but for your boatsmen too. After seeing how hard Dennis and Toto worked, I felt no hesitation in saying, "Yes!" even tho I was warned by my guide about this venture. Again, the fact that these men were literally carrying me and the boat UP the friggin river, was worth the PH$500 tho I could probably have haggled them down. Aintnobodygotimeforthat! Off we went, continuing UP the river, more rapids, more pulling/pushing/carrying, and I was in awe of how these men maneuvered us UP the river until we finally got to the big falls. Then it was off the canoe, and a short walk on a man-made rock walkway to the other side for the Fall. There, a flat bamboo raft takes the tourists to the actual Fall, UNDER the Fall to the cave behind it and they drop you off so you can swim and play in the water. It was quite surreal for me to be in there, listening to the cascading water and bobbing up and down in my life vest. Later, they come back to pick you up, and they take you UNDER the rushing water and out again to the landing. Yes, they will ask for a tip as well. Be prepared with cash and smaller bills are best. Then it was back on my canoe with Dennis and Toto and the ride DOWN the river was a lot less harried nor stressful for my boatsmen, tho at a few of the low-water spots, they did have to get out, and push the boat down the rolling pins and back on the river to head back to Casa del Rio. What an amazing ride! But the tour wasn't over. At Casa del Rio, I was met with a huge plate of food for lunch and a cold San Miguel beer! You'd think I was the one that had done all the hard work! But nope, I enjoyed my rice (#riceislife), noodles, chicken, a delicious mushroom soup, spring rolls! It was good and most filling! Then we headed back to the city; no lie, I took a nap on the ride back! I highly recommend this! And I did it solo and just so happened that I was the only guest on my particular tour, so I had undivided attention!

Relaxing trip to the falls - This was a great relaxing trip not high energy. Transport was on time and comfortable. The guide was very knowledgeable and great to talk to. The trip is pricey but they made the whole process painless so I think it was good. The lunch was good they offered fish, fried pork, or chicken. You do have to tip the boat people but they deserve it very hard work pushing and padding us up river towards the falls. Overall beautiful views and great experience.

Great Refreshing Day Trip - Get Wet !!!! - Great day trip. We had hotel pickup from Manila. Lunch included after trip to the falls. Definitely recommend weekday trip to avoid crowds. We went on Monday. Only one other canoe there. All guides and boat drivers highly respectable and we had great time.

Great day out - This trip was well organised and really enjoyable. Fortunately for us we were the only ones on it, so had minibus and friendly, knowledgeable female guide to ourselves. The lunch was nicely cooked and presented, served in a pleasant setting. The boat trip was through a breathtaking gorge and up some quite tame although long rapids and the boatmen worked hard to get us to the waterfalls. Although this is no reflection on the trip organisers, it was rather tarnished by the boat men’s frequent reminders to tip them well. We tipped as per the suggestion of the guide so were surprised at their attempt to haggle and increase it!!

River rafting - I didn't go to the top because the water was muddy. Somehow, it wasn't satisfying, but it looked like it was going to be hard to get upstream.

Exhuberant - Nature surroundings, effort of canoe men applied to the trip on the water. I didn like the food. I dudn like the harasement offering pictures. Tour leader and driver were excellent

Riding the Rapids - My kids and I rode a raft that brought us inside the cave behind the waterfall. It was scary at first as we approached the waterfall. Once inside the cave, it was cool and refreshing. Riding the rapids was exhilarating.

Experience was brilliant although be... - <p>Experience was brilliant although be prepared to get majorly wet and ensure you have amply tip money as the locals can be a bity pushy!</p>

Not an "Adventure" - First I'll start with the positives. The scenery enroute to the falls is quite beautiful and you pass a lot of families enjoying the river along the way, all of whom are quite friendly. There were lots of children who wanted to wave and greet the passengers and some even ventured close enough for a "high five" on the way by. Now for the rest of it. The only "adventure" I experienced was the occasional sudden fear that the canoe was about to capsize because of someone's movement. When you embark on these craft at the side of the river, you are given a lifejacket, a helmet and a thin cushion to sit on. These canoes are designed to hold a maximum of three tourists in the center of the boat along with one guide on each end. Passengers are instructed to sit in the center, literally between each other's legs. The person in the back has a wooden back rest. They are told to sit upright with their legs on the outer edge. Now imagine sitting like that for an hour and a half up the river and an hour back. Not at all comfortable. When you arrive at the falls you get off the canoe, traverse over a stone walkway and climb aboard a flat bamboo raft where you will sit cross legged with about 20 other people (combined from other tour groups). You are then pulled along by a fixed rope to for about 30 meters to the "hidden cave" behind the falls where you are given 5-10 minutes to disembark and take pictures. The cave is about 7 meters deep, so set aside any thought of exploring. You are then herded back onto the bamboo raft where you are dragged directly under the falls to get wet prior to getting back on your canoe and heading back downstream. The "dunk" is actually refreshing since it is quite hot and humid. Set aside any thoughts of "relaxing and enjoying a swim" since, for the boat operators, this is a pure numbers game. Get them up, get them down and collect the tip. All of these things are part of eco-tourism and I am willing to accept a certain amount of discomfort to visit "off the beaten path" locations. However, the thing that spoils it all is the constant pressure to tip. The boat operators are constantly reminding you that this is how they earn a living and they mention that they are only allowed to operate about once per week due to the number of them that are registered. The "tour guide" who brings you from Manila to the launch point also reminds you of this along the way. That said, I don't mind giving the boat operators something extra because they certainly work hard to drag you up river. However, don't be surprised if the men operating the bamboo rafts at the falls also ask you for money. When I got back to the "resort" which is essentially the launch point where they serve you lunch and luke warm beer, the gentlemen who met me at the river's edge and walked with me back up the hill asked me for a tip. All in all, the constant pressure to give extra from what you have already paid is a real turn-off. So for the tipping pressure, the mediocre lunch, the uncomfortable ride and the lack of any real adventure (there will be no "shooting of rapids"), I can say that this tour was worth neither the price nor the 5 hour round trip from Manila. I can only assume that the positive reviews of this trip were posted by the tour operators and their friends.