Cavinti is a humble and quaint municipality in Laguna that offers numerous man-made and natural wonders as well as thrilling and exciting outdoor activities. The town is is situated in the Sierra Madre mountain range, which is home of Cavinti Falls popularly known as Pagsanjan Falls.
Recently I joined the #CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour, a Tourism Advocacy Campaign organized for the Municipality of Cavinti, Laguna to help promote and raise online awareness about magnificent wonders and wonderful landscapes that tourists could enjoy when they visit the municipality. There are many man-made and natural wonders of this vibrant town as it position itself as an ecotourism, eventful, and falls capital not only of Laguna but of the whole CALABARZON area.
A total of 20 bloggers and online influencers including Pinoy Manila were invited to to explore and experience different eco-adventure activities and destinations around the municipality.
The first stop was in Bumbungan Eco Park, where the Cavinti’s LGU Tourism Office is located. You can find here an overflowing water coming from the Bumbungan River down to a man made waterfalls. We saw some locals washing their clothes beside the flowing water. This spot conducive for group bonding, party area, and rest area even for overnight stay after conquering the Cavinti Falls.
Ms. Nitzshell Dela Torre and Herald Canter Bebis together with their colleagues prepared a delightful breakfast. There’s fried eggs, hotdogs, puto and dinuguan. If you’re going to visit the town, ask for dinuguan. It’s different from the regular dinuguan we have in the Metro. Their dinuguan is really great.
After we took our breakfast, the group headed to Kalakal (Pandan Weaving Center) to see their “sambalilos”. All the hats are very colorful with different designs. Price of the hat starts from P60 to P200.
The #CavEAT tour’s highlight is the alternative route going to the Cavinti Falls, formerly known as Pagsanjan Falls, by way of trekking through the thick and forested El Pueblo del Salvador Eco-Park and rappelling down to the falls. This route tested our balance, endurance and patience. This route is really safe. There are harness and rope as well trained guide that will help you to go up and down safely.
Did you know Pagsanjan Falls or Magdapio Falls is also known as Cavinti Falls. If you’re thinking the Falls is located in Pagsanjan, you’re wrong!. The majestic falls is located Cavinti.
To get to Pagsanjan Falls, you can either take a boat or by way of trekking and Jimmy John Shark advises to go on boat ride if you really want an adventure. The locals brought us inside the devil’s cave behind the falls using a long rope and bamboo raft. Please be advised you’re be bounded to get wet. This activity was really fun and exciting.
After the very tiring yet fun tour around some of the must-see spots in Cavinte, we went to Villa Oliveros Resort. It is managed by Mayor Oliveros. They prepared local cuisines such as ‘Pinais’ (mixture of coconut of shrimps) and ‘Tinuto’ (mixture Taro/Gabi leaves, coconut milk and fish). They’re all delicious.
On the next day, we went to Cavinti Church also known as Transfiguration of our Lord Parish Church for an early morning mass. It is the only Roman Catholic church in Cavinti with the patron saint named El Salvador del Mundo (Divine Savior of the World).
For golf enthusiasts, you can enjoy the amenities of Mountain Lake Caliraya Spring. It features a golf course with world-class nine-hole and eighteen-hole affair designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer. I must say playing golf is not easy. It takes time to be a natural golfer.
The resort also offers exciting activities for family, friends, employees, students, among others. It has obstacle courses from basic to advance, zipline, hanging bridge, boating, kayaking, fishing and a lot of outdoor activities.
Near the resort is Caliraya-Lumot Lakes. The twin man made lakes were constructed as a reservoir by the American Govrnment in 1940s to be the water source that supplies the nearby Caliraya Hydro Power Plant. This destination is best for different water sports activities.
A lot of unique fishes can be found in Lago Fishing Village. The whole are is very relaxing. You can find here lushes trees and big fish ponds. For those who want to stay overnight, the fishing village offers rooms in different themes.
One of the must-see spots in Cavinti is the newly opened Cavinti Underground River and Cave Complex. You can reach the cave by walking, horse back riding, 4X4 ride or mountain bikes. The cave features stalagmite formations resembling a giant pawikan, cathedral rock formations, and “fountain of youth”. One needs to go through several chambers, underground river and mini falls in order to see the beauty of the cave.
To cap off our CavEAT: Cavinti Eco-Adventure Tour, we trooped to Japanese Garden in Caliraya. It’s developed by the Philippine-Japan Friendship Society as a memorial to the fallen Japanese soldiers who have fought and died during the World War II. The place is a great picnic area for family bonding and group activities.
