Rizal is a province located in the CALABARZON region, just 16 kilometers east of Manila.  The province was named after the Philippine Hero, Jose Rizal.  Rizal has been my favorite spot since the beginning.  It offers wide variety of activities and nature tripping to people.

It was a random Saturday when my buddy and I decided to go for a relax trip. No plans, no itinerary – Nothing! but just our itchy foot and courage to go outside of our comfort zones.

How to go there?

From Mcdo Crossing, we rode a jeep bound to Tanay and traveled for three hours. When we reached Tanay Public Market, we hired a tricycle and asks for a great deal – He will take us to different tourist spots in Rizal.

We met at 8am and arrived at the market at around 11am due to traffic. It only takes 2 hours, usually, to reach the market from Shaw.  It is almost lunch time, so we took an early lunch first before going anywhere.

From the market, we rode the tricycle and traveled for 40 minutes to reach our first stop – Regina Rica.

I’m not a believer of such but I find the place too pretty not to pay a visit.  Aside from the clean and organized place, you can also find the place peaceful.

From the time we visited, it is not yet fully developed, as there were few parts that are closed.

You need to walk from the gate going to the statue because vehicles are not allowed inside.

We were asked to remove our foot wear before we enter the Regina Rica Statue.  The Sulod is place inside of the statue. Picture taking is also not allowed inside.

After saying a prayer, we went to our next stop – Calinawan Cave.

The cave is known because of the proximity from the metro and its easy access.  The cave was also been used as a place in different movies.  It is saddening because the people who have visited the cave weren’t able to maintain its charm.  As of the time of our visit, getting a local guide is mandatory to avoid any misuse of the place.  They are trying to protect now the place and retrieve its vanished beauty.

Entrance of Calinawan Cave

We have completed 1-5 stages of the cave.  Stage 3-5 is a little bit challenging in compare to the first two stages but they are both average.

The end of Calinawan Cave

After the little tour inside the cave, we have thought of going somewhere unknown to many of the tourists.  The locals mentioned a place where is less crowded – Paglitaw Falls!

It is 10-15 minutes away from Calinawan Cave. We paid P30.00 for the entrance and descend to the place.

The falls wasn’t really the falls everybody thinks. The place is not yet developed but the owner of the place said that the water flows through Daranak and Batlag Falls comes from this place.

We were the only people in the area. Yeeeeaaaa!

We stayed in the place for around 2-3 hours. We rode our tricycle again and head to the 200-step Grotto located near the area.

Nothing too special on the area unless you haven’t been into any Grotto before.

At the end of the stairs, you will find a statue of Mary.

We felt that the day is too short to discover all the good stuff in Rizal.

Catching the Sunset at the top of the Grotto

But this short trip somehow gave us an idea how imaginative, religious and rich the people of Rizal.

Breakdown of Expenses:

Crossing to Tanay – P60.00

Tricycle – Depends on your haggling skills but range should just be P380 – P600

Guide at Calinawan Cave – P100.00 (you need to add if you are going to take the stage 3-5 of the cave)

Paglitaw Falls Entrance – P30.00/each

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