Do you have that delightful feeling whenever you see those images from your books in person? If you studied in the Philippines, Maria Cristina Falls is definitely a familiar sight. Or when you were exchanging letters to your pen pal back in the 70s and 80s, you may have sent a postcard of Maria Cristina Falls.
But Maria Cristina Falls is not just one of the most popular falls in the Philippines, it is a main source of hydroelectric power, giving cheap electricity all over Mindanao. Funny that I spent almost every summer as a child in Lanao del Norte, but I’ve never seen Maria Cristina Falls.
It took me decadesto come and see this beautiful falls in Iligan.
Tourists and guests can view Maria Cristina Falls by visiting the NPC Nature Park. If you don’t have a car, there are golf carts for you to ride. It is a beautiful park and how I wish more and more people will come to visit it.
Iligan City has 39 waterfalls. Open to the public and a great place for families, the nature park has plenty of activities from Zipline to kayaking ( up in Agus River).
We toured around and saw animals like wild boar and crocodile. From the entrance to every corner of the park, it is covered with lush vegetation and water flowing from the mountain side. We spotted a small monitor lizard too. Totally relaxing. This is definitely one of the places for families visiting Mindanao.
Unlike other falls in Iligan like Tinago Falls ( which I have visited when I was 13), you can’t swim at Maria Cristina Falls for obvious reasons. The water current is so strong that I have morbid images of what will happen if you accidentally fall into its currents. Yikes!
The water is from Agus River which also came from the Great Lake Lanao, an ancient lake. This water has generated power in Mindanao for decades.
The strong water flow along with the verdant forests impressively created a cozy ambiance. The park has a nice area for picnic or coffee..check out the strong current.
My kids enjoying their ice cream and hotdog sandwiches while we adults including my parents and uncle had a nice nook for our afternoon coffee.
Safe even for little kids. Kudos to the local government for creating this Nature Park, an educational destination for kids and adults. It has been around for years and looking at it, it is well-maintained.
At 5pm, we saw two military trucks arriving, our cue that it is time to go home. As the main power source of Mindanao, Maria Cristina Falls is a security hotspot. It was a fan-mode moment for my boys to see our honourable soldiers.
Thank you Sir for letting my boys have a photo of you. Kid2 stole a touch of his gun after we took this photo. Hehee.
Thanks for reading!
Related stories..
2 Comments
wow nice review! help me a lot of my homework since i have not yet visited maria christina!
Thanks, Ruth!