The sky was the color of mud, raindrops pelting us sideways and the wind growing stronger. All we could hear was the rambling of the hardly visible river. Our guide told us what we were expecting to hear the moment we arrived at the brook’s edge; “Negative, the water is too strong we cannot ride the boats,” he told us in Tagalog.
Nobody protested at the obvious correct call of our guide. While there was an ounce of disappointment, I just chalked this place in my “see you next time” list despite the uncertainty of my travel schedules.
Lo and behold, two years later, I got another crack at cruising the vigorous stream of the Governor’s Rapids. This time, though, we’re under a canopy of bright blue skies exposing the green waters of the river as it cuts a path through the lush foliage of Sierra Madre.
Governor’s Rapids, named after a Japanese Governor General who disappeared in these waters during World War II, is a picturesque tributary of the mighty Rio Grande River of Cagayan that slices through the gravelly knolls of Maddela in Quirino province.
Limestone cliffs edging both sides of the river are known for hiding a system of caves and waterfalls, as well as some dwelling sites of our Dumagat and Agtas brothers and sisters. We wasted no time as our small party boarded two colorful canoes and immediately proceeded to tackle on a few rapids en route to a giant boulder island for our first pit stop.
Cliff jumping
Because we opted to cruise a short length of the river, we only passed by a few rapids but we made up for it by spending more than an hour taking turns cliff jumping into the clear waters. We docked our canoes at one of the biggest rocky mound in the middle of the river and climbed over it at around 15-20 feet high.
The second time’s indeed a charm since there’s no way I could have experienced this during my first trip to the Governor’s Rapids. At that time, I was also with Ferdz and Kara among a group of more than 10 travel bloggers. This time around, the three of us returned with another group. It was a good thing that we finally got to explore and enjoy the gifts bestowed by Mother Nature to this adventure attraction in Quirino province.
Before we head back, I heard our guide telling us about another side-trip we shouldn’t miss. Locals simply refer to it as “Cave Falls.” Listening to our guide describe got me injected with another dose of excitement. Even though I’ve seen the spectacular natural pools in numerous caves in Sagada and Samar, this is the first time I would venture inside a cave with a waterfall.
After a few minutes of the canoe ride from the cliff diving spot, our guide motioned for our team to disembark at the side of another massive limestone wall. A few steps away is a narrow pathway leading to a cave. After entering the passageway, I immediately heard the sound of water like a beast growling inside a cage. Following a few moments of struggle while inserting my body through slender openings, an expansive space like being inside a cathedral with high rocky ceilings greeted me.
There it was, a waterfall of 12 meters high streaming cold fresh water into a basin wide enough for all of us (10 people) to swim. With only a few minutes to spare I jumped right into the cold pool and frolicked like a kid again. If it weren’t for the falling of dusk, we would have stayed a bit longer.
As darkness starts biting the remaining sheen of sunlight, we hurriedly trekked back to our canoes. Drenched and freezing, I came out of the cave just in time as night crept in. Back in our canoes, we took a leisurely cruise toward the dock at the jump-off place in Maddela. The deafening sound of the river’s still waters echoes a peaceful Zen state of mind as I’m having a full one, since finally I was able to see the grandeur of the Governor’s Rapids.
