One of the many attractions in the sleepy lakeside town of Lake Sebu in South Cotabato is the series of 7 majestic falls collectively called the "Dongon 7 Waterfalls" or simply "Seven Falls" (there is some confusion as to which of the falls is really called the "Dongon Falls"). The falls and its related river system passes through the hectares of land under the care of the Dongon family (pronounced as "don-gon" and not as "do-ngon").


I hiked here with my dad decades ago. There was no dirt road back then and we had to slash our way through dense undergrowth. I remembered passing through a bamboo forest with really huge bamboo trees. Nowadays there is a passable road (still rough but passable) going down to the 2nd falls. Its downhill all the way to the falls, with a deep ravine to your left and a mountain wall to your right.

Now its my turn to bring my kids there, on board a habal-habal (motorcycle). Since its monsoon, rainfall is much more frequent (considering the area is already in a rain forest!). The road is very slippery with mud and the rocks/stones are loose (we had to walk some sections of the road). It made the ride more thrilling - the thrill you get with roller coasters. My wife was pretty scared but the kids absolutely loved it :).


The area near the falls is covered with mist from the spray of the falls. It was a challenge getting near and getting a decent shot. Most of the time my filter is covered with droplets. Lighting is also very tricky - sunny for few seconds then suddenly overcast and drizzling without notice.


The falls is much tamer during the summer and the water much clearer. The provincial government has developed the surrounding areas of the 2nd falls. There are established walkways and as I was hiking up (to ease the load on the motorcycle hehe) I passed by a winding stairway being constructed near the top of the falls.

Of the 7 waterfalls, the 1st and the 2nd are the most accessible. The first being just a few minutes hike from the fork near the 2nd falls.

Name Game

So which one exactly, of the seven falls, is called the Dongon Falls? Well the series of falls is actually referred to as the "Dongon 7 Falls". There used to be huge sign board at the start of the trail, bearing that name, that shows directions to the 2nd falls for hikers.

Of the two accessible falls, Falls #1 is in much closer proximity to the Dongons' house. There was no man made structures in Falls #2 before. Naturally hikers (and bloggers) came to refer to Falls #1 as the Dongon Falls and simply call the other Falls #2, Falls #3, etc.

Nowadays, its the Falls #2 which is being "aggresively developed" by the provincial government. Its the tallest and most majestic of the 7. The area around 2nd falls is much more "roomy" - which means they can put up cottages and I heard they even plan to build a swimming pool nearby. A real eco-disaster in the making.

The 2nd falls has now become the "face" of the Dongon Falls as seen from travel brochures and huge ad boards.

More photos here

Nowadays the each of the 7 falls have official and politically correct T'boli names (see this post: http://lantaw.blogspot.com/2009/04/lake-sebu-falls-2-up-close.html