SOLCOC Falls

 "Hitting two birds with one stone. 
While visiting my father on Father's Day in Vintar, Ilocos Norte, I might as well see their waterfalls"

-pagnapagna

Please practice the leave no trace outdoor ethics when going to these nature places.

Let us not vandalize, put graffiti on their rocks and stone walls. 

Manage and dispose our waste products properly.

 FATHER"S day 2


Later that afternoon after coming from Engkantadora Falls, we (my brother-in-law, my Father, my Niece and his cousin, and i) went to their "farm". It is where here my brother-in-law helped me get someone to accompany me going to the second waterfalls of Vintar which is Solcoc Falls.

He asked the caretaker of their farm to ask somebody with a motorbike to bring me to the said waterfalls. I told him, I'll be meeting him at my brother-in-law's house the next morning at early 7 o-clock in the morning.

Came 7 o'clock in the morning , so did my companion did came with his almost brand new motorbike (I've known that the motorbike was just some few months old).

With me back-riding, off we went eastwards then northwards on the road along the irrigation canal (same road i went going to engkantadora falls) passing by the bridge at barangay #23 Barangobong (all of their barangays in Vintar have a number). The view along the way is quite impressive, it must be that it was just early in the morning and everything is fresh and green. The sunshine is just okey and it was a cool morning. With the distant hills and mountains covered with young eucalyptus trees and pine trees (my brother-in-law told me that it was the product of "tree-planting" program activities).

 

One of the streams that we crossed

We passed by from barangays to barangays and at times i went down from the motorbike so we can cross some streams.

Kids having fun rafting passengers. 

  

Then we came across a stream where there were children manning a bamboo raft and paid them 15 pesos to raft us to the other side. We passed by a group of people and one of them was one of the municipal councilor of Vintar whom we asked for directions.
 

a spillway along the way

Still on the road, we came upon a cemented spillway (the river/stream crosses the road) we went down  and looked around to see if the waterfalls where in that area but it was not, so we went further up the road passing a road intersection. As we travel further we met a husband and wife on a tricycle and we asked directions. They said "ay nalampasan yun a, daydiay dalan nga sumina dita baba, isu daydiay" ("oh you just passed it, the road branching down there was the one"). So we went back and finally we were on the right track.

Another stream along the way

  

It was a rough and muddy road going up

It was a rough and muddy road this time (it rained late afternoon yesterday and the previous days). Many times the motorbike skids that i have to get down and just walk while my companion maneuvers the motorbike. These roads has makeshift wood and bamboo gates to keep cows and carabaos from wandering away which we opened and closed as we passed through. 

The road then was covered with a very thick mud which  made it more slippery. We decided to just park the motorbike and walk on our way. Finally at a clearing we saw what we did came for. 

The waterfalls from afar (at the center of the photo).

  
At a mountainside not far away we can now see the falling waters in whites, cascading down and partially obscured by forest growth.

For more photos CLICK HERE

Walking with excitement, we finally arrived at its base to a pool area. It is a tiered and segmented waterfalls. 

A carved steps on one of its rocks will lead you to the second level and still you can't see the main waterfall at the top. We managed to take some videos and photographs.

After enjoying the waterfalls and its shady areas (trees and bushes grows providing shades within the falls and pool areas), we decided to go back (10:00 am).

We walked our way to where we parked the motorbike(10:20am).

Along the way on a motorbike, we stopped at the spillway area (the river/stream crosses the road) to clean the motorbike from the thick mud that stuck to it.

We finally arrived at my brother-in-law's house (12:00 noon) and paid him 500 pesos for his services. 

Later that afternoon, i packed my bags, said my goodbyes to my father and everyone of them. My brother-in-law together with his wife (my sister) accompanied me to the bus terminal at Laoag City and went home.

Subject   : SOLCOC FALLS

Location : Barangay #30 Saricao

                 Municipality of Vintar

                 Province of Ilocos Norte

How to get there:
From Manila take a bus bound for Laoag City. 

And when in  Laoag City, take a tricycle ride going to the jeep terminal bound for Vintar located at M.H.del Pilar street corner Don E. Ruiz (16 pesos jeep fare) or just hire a tricycle going to Vintar for around 80 pesos. 

At Downtown Vintar, again hire a tricycle to get you to the nearest drop-off point to the falls (which is surely costly-few tricycles ply this route). (Best if you ride a motorbike or a sturdy automobile)

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