Camiguin has two waterfalls worth your time, and they are almost opposites.
Katibawasan is a single seventy-metre thread of water falling into a round, cold, ferny pool — vertical, elegant, easy to reach, and busy by mid-morning. Tuasan is wide, wild, unruly and up in the island's quieter north, down a rougher road, and there's a decent chance nobody else will be there.
If you only have time for one, that choice is the whole article. Here's how to make it.
Written by the family at Txaleta de Camiguin. Last updated August 2026.
The short answer
| Katibawasan | Tuasan | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | One tall, narrow ribbon, ~70 m | Wide, low, powerful curtain |
| Where | Inland from Mambajao, near town | Catarman, the island's quieter north-west |
| Access | Easy, paved, short walk down steps | Rougher road, more remote |
| Fee | ~₱75 | small, similar range |
| Pool | Deep, cold, ringed by ferns and orchids | Shallower, rockier, stronger current |
| Crowd | Busy after 9am | Often empty |
| Best for | First-timers, short trips, photographs | Second visits, people who want it to themselves |
If you have one morning: Katibawasan, early. It's the more striking sight and the easier trip.
If you have four or five days: do both, and save Tuasan for the day you want to be alone.
Katibawasan Falls
The island's signature waterfall and the one on every postcard.
What it is: a single ribbon of spring-fed water dropping around seventy metres off a cliff face into a deep, circular pool. The rock walls around it are hung with ferns, moss and wild orchids, and the whole thing sits in a bowl of green with the spray drifting across it.
The water is cold. Genuinely, immediately cold — it comes from high on Mt. Timpoong and hasn't had time to warm up. Swimming is allowed and entirely worth the first thirty seconds of regret.
Getting there: a short ride inland from Mambajao town, about fifteen minutes, on a paved road. From the parking area it's a set of steps down to the pool — easy, but slippery when wet.
Fee: around ₱75 per person.
Go early. This is the single piece of advice that matters. By nine or ten the tour vans have arrived and the pool has people in it. Before that, the morning light comes through the spray and you might have it to yourself. It's also cooler, which matters for the walk back up.
Facilities: basic — changing areas, some food stalls, picnic tables. Bring your own water.
Tuasan Falls
The one most visitors skip, which is exactly why you might not.
What it is: a wide, low curtain of water pouring over a rock face into a shallower, rockier basin, up in Catarman on the island's north-western side. Where Katibawasan is elegant, Tuasan is muscular — more volume, more noise, more spray.
Getting there: further out and down a rougher road. It's perfectly doable on a scooter or in an SUV, but it's not the smooth run that Katibawasan is, and after heavy rain the approach can be messy.
Fee: small, in the same range as the other sites.
The water: shallower than Katibawasan's pool but with a stronger current, especially in the wet months. It's a place to stand under the falls rather than swim laps in a pool.
Why go: solitude. Tuasan gets a fraction of the traffic, and on a weekday morning there's a real chance you'll have a waterfall entirely to yourself. On an island already known for being uncrowded, that's saying something.
When the water runs heaviest
Counterintuitively, the waterfalls are at their best in the months everyone avoids.
July to December is when they run hardest — more volume, more drama, more noise. Tuasan in particular is a genuinely different waterfall in the wet season than in April.
March to May, the dry season everyone books, gives you gentler falls but calmer seas, which is the actual trade-off on this island: dry months for the boats, wet months for the water on land.
So if you're here in the green season and the sea has cancelled your banca to White Island, the falls are having their best week. Our best time to visit Camiguin guide covers the seasonal trade-offs in full.
Fitting them into a day
Both sit naturally on the ring road, and the sequence that works is:
- Katibawasan early — before nine, while the light is good and the crowd hasn't come.
- The western sights late morning — the Sunken Cemetery and the Gui-ob Church Ruins.
- Sto. Niño Cold Spring through the midday heat.
- Ardent Hot Springs at dusk.
Tuasan slots in on a fourth or fifth day, or replaces the western sights if you've already seen them. Our three-day itinerary maps the whole loop hour by hour, and every attraction on the island is in the things-to-do hub.
What to bring
- Water shoes or sandals with grip. Wet rock and mossy steps are the only real hazard at either site.
- A towel and a change of clothes. You will get in.
- Small cash for entrance and any stalls.
- A dry bag for phone and camera — the spray at Katibawasan reaches further than you'd think.
- Water and a snack. Facilities are basic.
Don't bring anything you'd mind dropping into a deep, cold pool.
The honest notes
Katibawasan is a twenty-minute stop, not a morning. You look, you swim, you take photographs, you climb back up. It's spectacular and it's short. Plan around that.
Tuasan's road is the point of difficulty, not the falls themselves. If you're nervous on a scooter or the weather's been bad, take an SUV or skip it.
Neither is a hike. Camiguin's waterfalls are drive-up-and-walk-down sites. If you want effort, that's Mt. Hibok-Hibok.
And swimming depends on the season. In heavy rain the current at both — particularly Tuasan — gets strong enough that going in is a bad idea. Look before you commit, and listen to anyone local who tells you not to.
Frequently asked questions
How high is Katibawasan Falls?
Around seventy metres — a single narrow ribbon of spring-fed water dropping off a cliff face into a deep, cold, circular pool ringed by ferns and wild orchids. It's Camiguin's tallest and best-known waterfall.
How much is the entrance fee to Katibawasan Falls?
Around ₱75 per person. Tuasan Falls charges a smaller fee in a similar range. Both are collected at the gate — bring small cash.
Can you swim at Katibawasan Falls?
Yes. The pool is deep and the water is genuinely cold, coming down from high on the mountain. It's bracing rather than refreshing for the first thirty seconds, and completely worth it after that.
Which is better, Katibawasan or Tuasan?
Katibawasan is the more striking sight and much easier to reach — the right choice if you only have one morning. Tuasan is wider, wilder, further out down a rougher road, and far less visited, which makes it the better choice if solitude is what you're after.
Where is Tuasan Falls?
In Catarman, on Camiguin's north-western side, further from Mambajao than Katibawasan and reached by a rougher road. It's doable on a scooter or in an SUV, but the approach can get messy after heavy rain.
What is the best time of day to visit Camiguin's waterfalls?
Early morning, before nine. Katibawasan in particular fills with tour groups by mid-morning, and the light through the spray is at its best early. It's also cooler for the climb back up the steps.
When do Camiguin's waterfalls have the most water?
July to December, the wetter half of the year. They run hardest and are at their most dramatic then — the opposite of the dry season everyone books for the boat trips. If rough seas have cancelled your sandbar trip, the falls are having their best week.
Are the waterfalls suitable for children?
Katibawasan is manageable with children — steps down, a deep cold pool, basic facilities — but supervise closely, as the rock is slippery and the water is deep. Tuasan has a stronger current and is less suitable, especially in the wet season.
Do you need a guide for Camiguin's waterfalls?
No. Both are drive-up sites with a short walk in, clearly signposted on the ring road. Neither is a hike and neither requires a permit, unlike the Mt. Hibok-Hibok climb.
How long do you need at Katibawasan Falls?
About twenty minutes to half an hour, or an hour if you swim and linger. It's a striking but compact site — plan it as a stop within a wider ring-road day rather than as a morning in itself.
Come home to Camiguin
Get to Katibawasan before the vans and it's one of the loveliest twenty minutes on the island. Drive out to Tuasan in the green season and you'll stand under a waterfall with nobody else in it.
We'll tell you which one suits your day, which road is passable after the rain, and pack you something for the drive. Then come back to the cliff and rinse the river off in a pool over the sea.
Browse our rooms, book your stay direct, or message us on WhatsApp. Reach us anytime at +63 917 770 4656, or visit us at Purok 6, Puting Balas, Mambajao, 9100 Camiguin.
Come for the views. Stay for the feeling. Welcome home.
More Than a Resort. A Place to Belong. — Txaleta de Camiguin
