Nov 19, 2024
Amazing and unique - The traffic in and out of Manila was the worst but when you get there, the Pagsanjan paddle and swim are incredible! The boatmen experience was so unique from other paddles I’ve done and the work they do is impressive.
The stop in Los banos to ride the train track was a really unique experience as well, something we weren’t expecting.
Make sure to bring a change of clothes because you’ll get wet.
Highly recommend this trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 22, 2024
Amazing experience - An amazing fantastic canoe boat ride through scenery something out of Jurassic park. It is well worth the 2hr drive from Manila to see this spectacular river. The staff are also very friendly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Apr 20, 2024
An amazing activity! - Such an amazing activity!
My tour guides were Jay Z and Faith and they were really nice. I think they had just finished their tour guide training, but they did a good job and really took care of the group.
We took a “trolley” ride which lasted about 20/30 minutes where Jay Z and faith gave us buko pie and some liquor (forgot the name, but it was nice and strong haha).
The main event, which was the boat ride to Pagsanjan Falls, was just amazing and the boat men did a great job as they have to row against the stream and use their own strengths to pull the boats up and down through the rocks. It is recommended that you tip them PHP 250 each and I attest that they deserve it. The ride itself through the mountain was so calming and relaxing. At the falls, you are pulled through the waterfall on a bamboo boat and you can do a bit of swimming. I felt completely safe throughout.
My one and only gripe is when it came to lunch. The choices were beef, chicken and pork. I chose the chicken. What they didn’t tell me was that there were two types of chicken to choose from: chicken breast or chicken leg. If I had known, I would have chosen the chicken leg. The guides told the waiter to give me the chicken breast and I didn’t like it because it was sooo dry, so I asked the waiter to swap it to the leg. At the end of lunch, I was given a bill for the leg because it was seen as extra (LOL). I am not sure if the “fault” was with Jay Z/Faith or the restaurant, but I recommend asking them to clarify what the exact lunch options are before confirming.
Overall, this is definitely a tour you do not want to miss.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mar 7, 2024
Worth the price - When I originally booked, I thought this was a little pricey. But there are only so many options out of Manila. After seeing how it all comes together, I understand the pricing a little better. The drive is long but the guides are accommodating. They bring you to the falls and hand you over to that company, which consists of ticket office / safety vest and helmet and canoe guides. The boat guides work their tail off bringing you through the most beautiful canyon upstream. We stopped half way and had a beer (or you could do soda and/or chicken). Alot of reviews said they were pushy but we didn't experience that. However there were vacant table/huts along a journey that may have been full of people selling things if ypu went a different time of year possibly. The waterfall it's self was underwhelming. It was fun to go directly under it on the bamboo raft pulled by a rope. Makes ypu understand the need for hard hats! When returned our drivers were waiting to bring us to our next tour. They stopped along the way and got us a delicious snack. They called it a rice cake but it was more of a pastry probably made with rice flour, is my guess. At this point, it was only my husband and I, so the drivers stopped and let us grab a couple drinks from the convenience store. When we got to Hidden Springs, they dropped us off again. The grounds are gorgeous. The lunch buffet was ok, nothing great. The springs were relaxing and just what we needed. The drivers did offer to take a detour on our way home to stop at the lake in Tegatay (or near Tegatay, I'm not sure) for another boat ride. That cost us another $100 usd, give or take. I think that they offer this frequently because when we did the half day tour to the Peoples Place, they tried to take us into it also. This time we had more time and it was our last day, so it worked. That was ok. It's a fishing lake, so not the cleanest. And the tour was a bit short because it was so late in the day. I did get to take a lava rock home, which is cool because in Hawaii, it's illegal. It was a long day but definitely worth it if your stuck in Manila like we were for my husband's job.
Review provided by Viator
Mar 4, 2024
Pagsanjan Falls Day Trip from Manila - This was a really nice escape from Metro Manila, allowing you to see some of the beauty of the Philippines on the way to Laguna. Our tour guides took great care of us. We enjoyed the entire experience. The trip to the falls was both peaceful and exciting.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 27, 2024
Must do local experience away from the city - Our guide Ross was great and got us through all the traffic safely to all our stops and gave us good information. . The trolly cars through the village was a unique experience that added to the tour along with the fresh Buko coconut pie . The canoe ride was phenomenal- watching our boatmen maneuver up and downstream with such strength and precision. The raft under the waterfall was a refreshing surprise. Nice restaurant for lunch . The only part that was difficult for us was sitting so much all day . It was worth it though ! Thanks to Faith and Nina too .
Review provided by Viator
Feb 4, 2024
Worth it! - This trip was wonderful, Paul was very informative about the Philippines. It was a very small group and showed us the country outside Manila. The boat trip to the waterfalls was beautiful, and the boatmen were very impressive paddling upstream. Well worth the trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 3, 2023
Memories That Will Live On - My friend and I had an amazing day. The journey to the falls was amazing, we stopped along the way to interact with the locals and experience taking their local mode of transportation,
which was a trolley ride. At the end of the ride, we got this amazing coconut pie and ate this mystery fruit. The canoe ride to the fall was another wonderful experience. Being surrounded by nature and its beauty is an experience I won't forget. To top it off, we were able to eat some local cuisine to conclude the tour. The tour guides were absolutely amazing as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 23, 2024
Amazing falls - It was an amazing adventure into nature using boats paddled by manpower. Might go again if God permits. Encourage nature lovers a must go spot.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 15, 2024
beautiful falls, tour guide Paul is awesome! - Overall I think the tour was good value and I had a great time. Paul was my tour guide and he was amazing! He shared fun facts and was very knowledgeable on The Philippines / Luzon. The falls were beautiful and it was cool to have different stops like visiting the local community and eating lunch.
I took off a star because the tour was much longer than anticipated due to the bad traffic (holiday season). We were in the car for about 7 hours when I went last month (December 2023). I think the anticipated end time was around 5pm, but we did not get back until around 7:30pm. Very appreciative that Paul was able to drive that entire distance even with terrible traffic. Please give him a raise and also pay him overtime if he is not yet already!
A couple things to note:
- make sure to have cash on you to tip the boat men
- bring an extra pair of clothes
Review provided by Viator