General Vicinity Maps
Pagsanjan Gorge National Park
This is a popular day trip from Manila but few realise that
153 ha of Pagsanjan Gorge was set aside as a national park in 1939. The
main attraction here is the boat trip up the lush gorge in a canoe-like
banca handled by a pair of nimble banqueros who paddle and
push the banca upstream to the falls. After a break to ride a raft
to the falls they guide the boats downstream in an exciting rush through
rapids.
The town of Pagsanjan is the start of the boat trip and
is located a few kilometers beyond the Laguna Province capital, Santa Cruz.
Buses from Manila take a couple of hours to reach Santa Cruz and jeepneys
continue the short distance to Pagsanjan. Boats are hired at some of the
lodges located on the river.
"Running the rapids" at Pagsanjan has been given a black
eye in recent years because of some boatmen aggressively solicitng tips
and the "tourist trap" atmosphere. To avoid this, join a trip arranged
from some of the hotels in Manila. These will include the bus, boat and
lunch in a package price. Avoid weekends if at all possible.
Also of interest near Pagsanjan are the recreational resorts
on the shores of Caliraya Reservoir.
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