Lake Sebu: Dongon waterfalls of the seven waterfalls
The Dongon Falls, first of the 7 Falls in Lake Sebu
Aside from Lake Sebu being the name of the natural lake, Lake Sebu is also the name of the whole municipal area in the province south west of South Cotabato. The lake is not the only attraction in the area as there are 2 more lakes and 7 waterfalls in which visitors may explore. So early the next day, we rode our habal-habal and headed to see two of the 7 waterfalls. First one of which is the Dongon Waterfalls.
The humble symmetry of Dongon Falls
Access to the waterfalls is a mere 15-20 minutes ride by habal-habal from the Punta Isla Lake Resort. We arrived at the a house where they ask for an entrance fee of 10pesos per person. It turns out that this house is where the Dongon Family lives and the whole area including the waterfalls itself stands on their property. Before we headed to the falls, we were able to chat with this friendly family. We learned that Mrs Mila Dongon is actually a Bicolana and she was really glad to find that my province on my mother’s side is also in Albay. It’s quite interesting how she got here on this place as Bicol is further up there. We also learned that all the seven waterfalls are multi-step or interconnected to each other. Unfortunately due to time constraints and the difficult trail since it rained the day before we will only be able to see 2 of the more accessible waterfalls.
Shell gatherers wading through the waters
It was a short downhill walk towards the waterfalls from the Dongon residence. We could already hear the loud gushing flow of water and is excited to see how the waterfalls looks like. We followed the river left of our path that led to the waterfalls itself. Dongon waterfalls is a humble beauty in my opinion. It’s height is not towering as it seems to be only around 40feet high and the falls of the water is simply symmetrically pouring down like a woman’s perfectly straight silky hair falling at her back. That’s how I can describe this waterfall, simple yet beautiful. Standing out from the lush greenery surrounding it.
To where the river flows
The Dongons seems to be developing the area real well. Mrs Dongon hires some people who would sweep the leaves that fell from the trees and also checks if there are any trash around to keep the area clean. They also provided two huts near the waterfalls which visitors can rent. There is also a concrete bridge being built to cross to the other side and also give you a grand view of the waterfalls over the river. Perfect spot to take that posterity shot. For the meantime, there is the wooden bridge where you can cross and head to more picnic grounds on the other side.
A wooden bridge across the raging waters
At that time, it was a drizzling and there wasn’t much light coming in. The contrast from the surroundings and the waterfalls was something to deal with. I think I had to drop my exposure level down to two stops there to compensate. Also to protect my gears since my lenses aren’t really splash proof, I had my invincible 6 years old umbrella with me to protect it from the elements. Waterfalls is a tricky subject as more often than not, it’s splashy moisture scattered in the air could easily fog your lens. At that time there were drizzles and I couldn’t tell which is coming. Still, I think we managed to capture this waterfalls satisfactorily.
The Dongon Family, owners of hectares of land including the Dongon Falls. A future hilltop restaurant being built behind them.
On our way to the next falls, we chatted more with the Dongon family. We were able to meet Mr Teofilo Dongon who is a proud royal blood of the Dongon clan who have lived in this mountains regions for quite a long time, hence his family’s ownership of a large portion of the land here. The family is fairly simple yet who would have known they are very rich in land property and all. Mrs Dongon, enthusiastically showed us some of the structures they themselves are building. There is this hilltop restaurant being built with a great view of the Surallah area and also some lodgings for their resort as well in case people would want to stay nearby the falls. Such friendly friendly people. They also insist that if ever we come back, they would give us free lodging. Well isn’t that great. We are really fortunate to have met these friendly folks
Tags: Dongon Falls, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, Waterfalls
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Saturday, August 25th, 2007 at 12:34 am 
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August 25th, 2007 at 1:59 am
Cool site!
Dude, you’re so lucky you get to do things I’ve always dreamed of doing in PI.
I agree though … Mindanao gets a bad rap from all of the negative media it gets. The region has so much potential and so much to offer …
August 25th, 2007 at 6:27 am
^ I agree totally. Always seems to have time for adventure!
August 25th, 2007 at 7:31 am
those first two photos literally took my breath away! there is something baout waterfalls that seem so mysterious and mystifying .
August 26th, 2007 at 1:53 am
what a lovely waterfall! Nice to hear you’ve enjoyed yourself with the Dongon Family. Well, Filipinos are really hospitable, di ba??
August 26th, 2007 at 2:24 am
What a wonderful place thi s is. It’s what I enjoy most about your site. The beautiful pictures and info which goes with it.
Thanks for sharing Ferdz.
August 26th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Did you swim? It looks like a perfect place to do that.
Impressive waterfalls.
I am always surprised to see how hospitable people are in the Philippines.
August 26th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
wow! ang swerte naman kung may property ka na kasama ang water falls.
superb water shots!
August 27th, 2007 at 12:24 am
napakapalad ng may ari ng property n ayan, di lang dahil sa P10 na entrance ng bawat isang nakatira kundi ang ganda ganda ng falls. murang mura na sa 10 pesos na entrance.
August 27th, 2007 at 11:12 am
Nice, shots of a tranquil, quiet place. Glad to see that the place is being maintained and the water being cleaned !
August 27th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
sa unang basa ko akala ko “dragon.” dongon pala hehehe.
ang gaganda ng mga kuha as always 
August 27th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Such beautiful pictures. You’re so lucky you get to travel often. I love this blog really. Made me ’see’ the ‘other side’ of the Philippines. My cousin in the states told me she will never come here because it was filthy and dirty and… So I gave her the link to this website as well as other flickr photos. Maybe (and hopefully) she’ll take it back. Again, nice pictures. Someday, I wanna do what you’re doing now - travel and take pictures
Good Luck!
August 27th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
That’s a cool trip out there, Ferdz. This place is one of the place I haven’t visited yet in Mindanao. Once I can go home to Mindanao and stay there for long, my brother and I will invoke for a series of trips to Mindanao key points of interesting destinations we haven’t visited in the past…
And, as always, nice photos you got here…
August 27th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
wheeww ganda ah… naalala ko naman ang mga waterfalls sa amin… di man lang ako nakapunta ng umuwi ako dahil umuulan lagi… ferdz, walang entrance fee dun hehehe… sa cantingas river meron atang entrance fee na P5…
August 28th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
wahh, ang ganda naman dito! ang galing, kuhang-kuha yung tamang texture ng flow ng falls. anong shutter speed ginamit mo dito? parang ang hirap nitong mga shots kase hinde maganda ang spread ng light, and yet, kuhang-kuha mo yung damatic effect ng place. it’s like we’ve been there. nakakabilib. all the 6 shots are superb, but i am in awe with the 5th shot…
kelan yung lecture mo sa photography? open to all ba yan? paano kami makaka-attend?
August 28th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Free lodging? wow. How nice.
You guys must’ve been quite the charmers. hehe
7 waterfalls, huh? Well, I guess you gotta go back for the other 5.
August 28th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
astegg man!! ganda talaga ng lugar!!!
August 28th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
nice, ganda naman ng falls… just got back from iloilo… thanks for the info ferdz…
August 28th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Wow, I love the waterfall … It’s really nice.
Is it possible to do water rafting there?
August 28th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
grabe! sinabi ko na nga ba eh! i should have gone to Lake Sebu. I just came from Davao and South Cotabato for our Mt. Apo Climb and was thinking of were to spend the rest of the week in Mindanao.. we ended up going back to Samal Island lang.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:57 am
di ko alam to ah.. and i admit havent been to falls like these here in Minda… kasi naman di ata mahilig parents ko. hehe. pero i will one day visit this……
lovely falls… i really love waterfalls….
August 29th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
hala! how come i dont remember a waterfall when i went to lake sebu ages ago? hmmm…
August 29th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
[...] second falls, simply named as Falls 2, is not far from the first waterfall, Dongon Falls. Just a short habal-habal going down the road from Dongon falls, you’ll reach the entrance [...]
August 29th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
di ba nakakatakot pagpunta ng south cotabato? graaabe ferdz, with this sight, i can only think of the word “bliss”.
are you not looking for an additional travel buddy? i wanna apply kase!
August 30th, 2007 at 11:23 am
oist! travel buddy ferdz! nice, nice images! panggulo lang nga ako because my yellow shirt stands out like a sore thumb sa greens
September 5th, 2007 at 12:58 am
Wow! I can’t imagine living in such beauty. The Dongons are truly blessed!
September 21st, 2007 at 4:25 pm
…NICE SHOTS…VERY COOL AND REFRESHING….HOW I WISH…TO SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE…ITS SO AMAZING….i love my hometown ..south cotabato..esp..lake sebu….
November 9th, 2007 at 8:29 am
thank you for posting such a beautiful place which remind me of my high school days,i used to go there with my friend emily dongon and we used to climbed the hills and gather shells together,i miss her though
January 30th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
jhing ikaw ba yong classmate ko sa nds bacth 94′ punta naman kayo sa amin punta tayo kay JL sa punta isla pag vacation ko ngayong summer ligo tayo sa falls. God bless and regards sa lahat na classmate natin.
July 29th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
There is some confusion with the name Dongon waterfalls now. It seems to refer nowadays to the more popular 2nd falls (as the huge signboard suggests). Some even come to refer to the 7 falls as the Dongon Falls. Anyway the 2nd falls is now under the provincial government’s care - which may account for its greater popularity over the 1st falls (and the rest).
Next time bai sama sama tayo pumunta dun
August 11th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
actually, di naman talaga Dongon ya, LENON FALLS yan. it so happened that their family bought a piece of Land, taking advantage to the ignorance of our ancestors… Pero, beleive me… no one owns tha falls of Lake Sebu… its a gift from Almighty to the T’boli ethnic group of the town. kaya ako… proud T’boli ako,,, B’lay Dwata kum yo hikong! 09066697635
October 13th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
kaano-ano nyo po bah c RAMDOLF JAMES DONGON na nag-aaral sa General Santos City High School ngaun.?
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:38 pm
The development of the waterfalls is through the effort of provincial government of South Cotabato.,The dongon family has nothing to do with any beautification of the waterfalls. I am from Lake Sebu and i dont agree that Dongon family owns the waterfalls. It is just that ridiculous for them to claim it. They might have been living near that waterfalls but it doesnt give them any authority to own it. It is a public property, owned by the town.,and no one will claim it. I guess the owner of this website should consult the right people for the interview and for a for a piece of information. As far as I know they don’t own the waterfalls.. It is not right to own a property which is intended for the public use and owned by the town itself. Anything you see there for improvement is through the help of NEw Zealand and Province of South Cotabato.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Hi Hanzy,
Thanks for leaving a comment on ironwulf.net. Are you from the tourism office of Lake Sebu? Might you be referring to Falls 2 which they also now refer to as Dongon falls as I was told by a friend who lives in Koronodal. Anyways, we’re casual travelers and there were no local tourism officers or representatives present there except for the jovial Dongon families who accommodated us well. Mr Dongon and hsi family as well as ancestors lived off the piece of land as he claimed and they may claim at as their birth right but it’s not written on paper as you see. We’d be happy to get updated information on this site as well as clarifications to information that’s why we have a comment box here.
Thank you very much for commenting and am hoping to return to Lake Sebu in the future.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:00 am
I am T’boli, and i know how things are going. I just hate when they specifically state that the Dongon Family owns the waterfalls., it is just an act of selfishness,greediness and trying to own a piece of nature’s bounty that is by far too impossible for them to have it. I always fight for what is right and no one solely owns it.,esp. the Dongon family.,who brag that they own it. It is just so annoying,that these people trying to claim it where in fact it is not theirs. We are the new generation of Tboli people and we will have to protect our land. If they can manipulate our ancestors,well..not today.. We have a good education and know where to stand. What I am trying to emphasize here is that the Dongon Family is not the owner of 7 waterfalls..that is just a startled ownership.. how come they own all of it..or i may say,not even 1 of it is theirs.. Thank you..
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 am
HI ferdz, i am not from local tourism office. I am a resident of lake sebu. The reason why I am commenting here it is becos the peice of information is not
accurate. I just dont like if these people are claiming that it is theirs.,cos nobody owns the waterfalls.. they are too greedy to say it is theirs. My ancestors
live in that place longer than the Dongon family and you cant here them saying it them by birth. I am a proud Tboli and they cant cheat us for saying it is
theirs.. thank you
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:07 am
I was just surprised to read the articles here, that the Dongon family owns the waterfalls, well,
it is the sadddest truth, cos they actually dont own it. It is just easy for them to say that it is theirs but
the mere fact it is just their wildest imagination that they own it. Some people are just so boastful to own the cascading
waterfalls.. How come they are the owner,where it is just a falacy,..They just like to daydreaming owning it.
I am a proud Tboli,and any one trying to claim they own it..Well i tell you,who are you to say it is yours. Who are you
to claim God’s gift,a gift for everyone not for a certain invididual. Almost all people who know the story behind this will
really disagree on the ownership of the Dongon family.
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:14 am
Hi Hanzy and Uriel. I have high respect for the T’boli people and really appreciate your comments here. Thank you for stating your views regarding the Dongon’s Ownership of the land. I will be keeping your comments here for everyone to read as well. I am open to hearing both sides of the stories.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:10 pm
wow kuya lam mo ba npuntahan nadin namin tong 7 falls me with my family,, wah super ganda, kaso nga lan hindi na namin kinaya ung tapusin illang araw pa kc ung aabutin sa pag lalakad pero super ganda talga!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tnx sa mga additional pics! LOL