Laiban Quatro: Mt. Lobo, Mt. Ngusong Kabayo & Tangwa Peak + Four Falls

The province of Rizal never failed to amaze me with its mountains and waterfalls. Last August 4 and 5, I have witnessed the enchanting beauty of Brgy. Laiban in Tanay, Rizal. A thank you to another failed attempt to hike Mt. Irid actually because it leads us to the discovery of Laiban Quatro and the four waterfalls. My 19th hike and also my 23rd and 24th mountains respectively, left me enchanted.

Our group met around 3:00am at Farmers Cubao where we rode a jeepney going to Cogeo 2. We met our contact for the rented monster jeep going to Brgy. Laiban which was slightly smaller than the monster jeep going to Mt. Irid. We shopped at the nearby market for our food and other necessities for the overnight hike. Around 5:00am, we departed from Cogeo and started our journey towards Brgy. Laiban.

As the sun started to rise, the sea of clouds was already visible to our eyes. They were food for the eyes, really. How much more if we were at the top of the mountain, right? Then, the river crossing started.

There were nine river crossings going to Brgy. Laiban which technically two fewer river crossings from Mt. Irid. We decided to ride onto the top of the jeepney by the way and saw that the water in the rivers was quite high. We arrived at Brgy. Laiban around 7:00am. After we registered and secured our guides, we ate breakfast first and then got ready for the day! There was a mini-seminar by the way by Ate at the registration (I forgot her name. Sorry!).

We started our trek towards the falls around 9:00am. Our route was reversed, meaning instead of hiking the mountains first, we explored the falls instead because of our overnight stay. The trek towards the falls was not really that hard except that we have to go against the current of the water which was mildly strong at that time. The first one we encountered was the Kalaparan Falls where we stayed for about 15 minutes for pictures and of course getting wet! Haha!

To get to our next destination, we needed to rappel up. Imagine, with our heavy backpacks and the strong current of water, of course, I got scared I might slip down. Fighting!

After some time, we reached this wide and deep body of water which I presumed is also a catch basin of the Panat-In Falls which was the next falls. We only stayed for 5 minutes for pictures and only those who knew how to swim got in the water.

Please take note that the falls’ distance from one another would only take 10-20 minutes of walking and that the current of the water was strong, therefore it was slippery. So be careful! We reached Panat-In Falls around 12:00pm where we stayed for 3 hours for our lunch, swimming and nap time. Panat-In Falls is such a beauty and the water was bone-deep cold!

The current was getting stronger as we walked towards Mahangin Falls. It stretches farther from its catch basin with a mesmerizing view of its turquoise water. Moving on, we need to rappel again upward. The difference between Kalaparan and Mahangin Falls rappelling was that Mahangin Falls has stairs so it was not that really hard to climb, unlike Kalaparan Falls.

The last falls, Tagpuan Falls is a perfect place for pictures! Also, at the far edge of it, tourists can slide down the water. It was exhilarating! I really thought the water was deep but to my surprise, it only reached my waist. The turquoise water was deceptive.

Moving forward from the four falls, we were welcomed by the unlimited assault that was also slippery because the soil turned into muds already. There was nothing to hold on to except the branches of trees that were far to reach. At some point, we reached the last body of water we will encountered until the next day so we decided to take a bath there. To everyone’s surprise, the place was abundant with limatik, lots of limatik actually, and they were so eww. Haha! I even screeched like a girl when I saw it crawling on my toe. EWW! But we were ready for limatiks and brought spray alcohol for them. Haha.

As we were getting tired from all the assaults, the sun started to go down. The assaults started to mild as we near the camping site and the trail was covered with tall grasses. The nearby mountains, like Mt. Binutasan, are can be seen at the top and they were a mesmerizing sight. Around 5:30pm, we reached the 4th station of Mt. Lobo which is 2 minutes away from the camping site. After dinner and socials, the lights were officially off around 10:00pm.

We woke up around 5:00am and was amazed by the fog that surrounded the campsite which only means that there was a sea of clouds at Mt. Ngusong Kabayo and Tangwa Peak. Well, one can hope. There were already other hikers who passed by the campsite going to the two mountains early in the morning.

We started our hike around 5:30am and the mud was already thick as we walk because of the mild rain the night before. It only took about 30 minutes before we reached Mt. Ngusong Kabayo where we stayed for also 30 minutes for pictures. The sea of clouds was already seen and it was really an amazing sight.

Going to Tangwa Peak was slightly tricky only because of the mini-cave we needed to pass by. But it was safe and actually cute when you look at it. It took around 15 minutes of walking from Mt. Ngusong Kabayo to Tangwa Peak. But we stayed somewhere below Tangwa Peak first because there were other hikers at the peak taking their time for pictures. I cannot blame them because the sea of clouds was really fantastic! After 30 minutes, it was our time for pictures! Luckily, there were no other hikers waiting so we took our time taking pictures.

The sea of clouds at Tangwa Peak was mind-blowing and heart-warming indeed. I never wanted to leave. We were so blessed to witness such beauty.

The descent, with the combination of slippery trail and mud, was also unlimited until we reached the campsite. Upon reaching the site, we ate our breakfast before breaking the camp and then we started our trek towards the jump-off. At this point, the sun was already high up in the sky and caused too much heat upon us.

The trail going down was dry and has a lot of little rocks. It was exhausting actually, going down seemed endless. From the 4th station, it took around 10 minutes to reach the 3rd station, another 10 minutes to reach the 2nd station, 20 minutes to reach the first station and another 20 minutes to reach the jump-off.

The Puting Bato River was an only 5-minute walk from the jump-off. We went there to wash off the mud in our clothes and shoes/slippers. It was vast and the current was so strong. Kuya Allan, our guide, said that there was also river rafting all the way to Tinipak River whenever the current was strong. And I, being an adventurer, decided to cross the river which was only knee-deep. But because of the strong current and rocky terrain, I got out of balance which can be resulted to my death. Haha. Luckily, Kuya Allan was holding me and Jay immediately came to the rescue because I cannot get up and once they accidentally let go of me, I will be off towards Tinipak River if ever I came out alive. But because of those two, I am still alive now. Haha. What an adventure indeed!

Our overnight adventure at Brgy. Laiban was overall superb!