We decided to head on to Wawa Dam. See that falls over there? Will visit that later. Wawa Dam (also known as Montalban Dam) is a gravity dam constructed over the Marikina River in the municipality of Rodriguez in Rizal province, Philippines. The slightly arched dam is situated in the 360-metre (1,180 ft) high Montalban Gorge or Wawa Gorge, a water gap in the Sierra Madre Mountains, east of Manila.
It was built in 1909 during the American colonial era to provide the water needs for Metro Manila. It used to be the only source of water for Manila until Angat Dam was built and Wawa was abandoned. Due to insufficiency of water supply for Metro Manila, there was a strong clamor to reuse the dam.
Mang Frank said that he got a cottage in the place at the top of the dam, so we headed there. It was only 11 am when we reach the place, so we had an early lunch at the cottage.
One of my friends forgotten to bring some food so he decided to purchase some at the food stalls near the place. There were lots of families and group of friends taking a dip at the murky water of Wawa River. Each tent only cost Php 150 for the whole day.
More Snaps from our Trip to Wawa Dam
After eating I took a dip and try to feel the water. I was told that the river have an irregular depth with 20 feet as the deepest. So I took caution swimming through for its a skill i posess.
For the sake of taking photos, we headed to a manmade falls at the side of Mt. Pamitinan. It’s a bit difficult to reach this area with large boulders and slippery rocks to pass through.
We decided to go home around 2pm and arrived in Quezon City before 4pm just enough time for me to rest for another trip the next day .(Aquaria Beach Resort)
Should you visit Wawa Dam?
- Mt. Pamitinan would really be hard trail for beginners; we were lucky enough that we are all fit to take the trek we pass to. Don’t forget to bring gloves I really recommend for you to buy the ones use by construction workers, I bought mine for only Php 10.00.
- Wawa dam was a great sight at far, its even more beautiful in photos. Thou I’m bothered by the tent system the locals have set up there. It kind of ruined the whole scene.
- Get an experienced Tour guide, just like Mang Frank, his been doing this since 1990. And already know all the ins and outs of the mountain, it will be beneficial to a lot of ways.
- The Wawa river is brownish/greenish in color (I kind of remember the flood water in our place in Valenzuela) this maybe is cause by the muddy ground of the river. There are lots of moss in the dam making it slippery and felt a bit yucky (for me).
- On our way up on the mountain, there is an instance where in we can still hear the Videoke sound system down which bothers me a lot. I felt somehow it ruined the nature tripping.
- And because its already commercialize, there are a lot of waste materials like cans and plastic that you’ll see at the corners of the river, sad but true.
If you plan to visit Mt. Pamitinan and Wawa Dam the estimated budget would be Php 400-600 per head. Here’s a proposed itinerary that you can follow.
Proposed Itinerary to Wawa Dam: (this was our plan but we did some revisions in between)
- 0600 meet up Jollibee Cubao in Araneta Center EDSA northbound area
- 0630 Take van from Cubao to Eastwood, Rodriguez, Rizal
- 0700 ETA Rodriguez, Rizal; take trike or jeep to brgy. Wawa
- 0730 Arrival at Brgy. Wawa. Register at barangay hall / tourism office/Secure Guide
- 0800 Start trek up Mt. Pamitinan
- 0900 Arrival at Hapunang Banoy junction
- 1030 ETA Summit / Early Lunch
- 1130 Start descent
- 1300 Back at Brgy. Wawa. Explore the area / Sidetrips
- 1430 Tidy up then take outbound trike
- 1630 Back in Manila.**Estimated Budget: 400-600/pax
