Mesmerizing ENCHANTED RIVER & Marvelous TINUY-AN FALLS

BY: NINO A. CALAMBA, RN


During the Holy Week, most people always grab the opportunity to see places and have the time to reflect on the loving goodness of God for mankind. It is also the time when most people go to sought-after tourist destinations wherever in the country, or even in the world, it may be. Because it is during the Lenten season that all folks have one of the longer vacations in the entire year.

For my friends and I, we chose to see natural tourist spots found in Caraga Region – the Enchanted River in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, and the Tinuy-an Falls in Barangay Burboanan, Bislig City. After spending our times reflecting on the sacrifices of Jesus Christ by visiting nine churches on Holy Thursday and commemorating the Way of the Cross on Good Friday, we headed to Wow Caraga! to prepare for thanksgiving early dawn on Black Saturday.

The Enchanted River (named as such because it seems enchanted by fairies and other spirits), the more popular one because of the unstoppable uploading of pictures by friends on Facebook who have been there (whether by themselves or through an educational fieldtrip), is a 12-kilometer drive away from Hinatuan Proper. It is a river located in the mouth of an underground cave, and its stream rushes towards the seas of the Pacific Ocean. Some islands and islets can be readily found outside the Enchanted River, where one or a group can hire a pump boat to go to the island and islets and enjoy the fish cages and turtle sanctuary found in there. One island named Pangasinan White Sand literally stands by its name because its sands really resemble the sands in the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan.

What is unforgettable in the Enchanted River is the “fish-feeding” time. Authorities assigned to take care of the river have to ring a bell for several times at exactly 12 o’clock in the afternoon. This informs people to come out of the water for a while to make way for fishes to go up the water surface and eat their lunch. And when the caretaker starts to throw fish feeds like bread crumbs, small and big fishes alike competes in slurping on the water surfaces to catch their feed. The sound of slurping fishes is really audible, even if you are standing up the hill a little far from the river. This event draws people to become awestruck and starts to capture what they have witnessed on camera.

The Tinuy-an Falls is 15 kilometers away from Barangay Mangagoy in Bislig City. Like I said in the anecdote I have made in my “Tinuy-an Falls” photo album in Facebook, we passed through barrio after barrio, bridge after bridge, hill after hill, ricefield after ricefield, and one wide Lake, before we have reached the foot of the Tinuy-an Falls. When we were already down on our last slopes going to the foot of the Tinuy-an Falls, we can already hear the water falls like heavy rainfall, even if the falls itself is not yet visible. The name of the Tinuy-an falls is derived from a local term “tinuyu”, which means intentional. Therefore, if one must decide to go and see the Tinuy-an Falls, one must have the conviction and greatest of intentions.

At the foot of Tinuy-an Falls, four layers of waterfalls can be seen. The third layer is the tallest and the strongest. It is where we have enjoyed pulling ourselves on a bamboo raft we have rented for an hour to get ourselves nearer the waterfalls. There immediately below the waterfalls, we have experienced a natural massage from the water, a heavy and strong massage at that. After enjoying the water massage and diving and swimming in the third layer of the waterfalls, one can go further up the second layer through a man-made steel stairs (which is for another fee). Up there you can see the best view down below the waterfalls. You are like up in a mountain looking down on people who are swimming and enjoying.

These recent Lenten vacation me and my friends have experienced is a basketful of inspiring and enlightening situations. There were times that we almost meet accident while riding a habal-habal en route to Hinatuan after swimming at the Enchanted River. Memorable and happy moments were always printed on our minds even up to this very hour. Bloopers and funny experiences never fails to brought us into laughter everytime we remember them. But the most important thing of all, we were able to realize that God who can never be outdone in generosity and loving kindness always protects His children from harm. And lastly, we were able to strengthen our faith, that God who made heaven and earth is the source of all that is good and marvelous! We praise and thank the Lord for giving us such wonderful natural treasures in our very own land!


P.S. Thank you very much to Roy Vencent Miano and his Mama, Gladys Calo and Family, Aladhin Repollo, and Alrish Dar Joy Romero!