Airborne at the Cambugahay Falls, Siquijor Island, Philippines

---

During a recent getaway to Siquijor Island in the Visayas region of the Philippines, I got the special opportunity to take in some of the local culture while sampling some of the main tourist attractions. Before arriving at the island from Dumaguete city, I had heard that the water surrounding the island was extremely clear and that many of the beaches were still free of mass tourism. In retrospect, I could not argue against these claims as they are indeed correct. The attraction that definitely exceeded my expectations, however, was a set of waterfalls called the Cambugahay Falls. After three or four stops along my tricycle ride around the island, I decided to walk down a steep set of stairs only to find an extremely picturesque staircase of waterfalls. The fresh air coming off of the splashing water tempted me to take a dip in order to see if the water felt as nice as it looked.

I noticed a few of the locals doing miraculous dives and flips into the water, so I approached them and quickly asked if the water below was free of stones and other obstructions. After being reassured, I jumped into the air and felt only gravity pull me into the chilling turquoise water below. The first jump was enough to encourage me to follow through with multiple leaps into the deep pool.

The only thing that could pull me away from the top of the falls was my intrinsic desire to capture this striking location on camera. After an hour or two I began to ascend back up to the tricycle in order to see the next attraction on this undeveloped isle. Now that I look back at the photos, I know that the Cambugahay Falls will be my first stop when I return back to Siquijor Island. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find such beauty without bumping into thick tourist crowds in South East Asia. Thank you Philippines and thank you Siquijor Island for offering frontier travelers a welcomed breath of fresh air!

---