Dupagan Falls: Heart Of Eco-tourism And Community Vitality In La Union’s Highlands- New Destination Alert

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Hidden successful nan serene highlands of Barangay Lon-oy successful San Gabriel, La Union, Dupagan Falls is not conscionable a beautiful oasis. Its value goes beyond its spectacular beauty to nan basal usability it serves arsenic a cardinal supplier of life-giving h2o to nearby… villages. The h2o rushing down nan falls amidst unadulterated situation is nan life support of much than a 1000 families depending upon nan outpouring h2o of nan falls for drinking, cooking, nan toilet, and mundane life.

This spectacular waterfall is simply a awesome of harmony wherever nan beauty of quality coexists pinch quality needs. The earthy outpouring waters of nan falls spill disconnected into nan the area’s watershed, which is jealously guarded by section residents to beryllium saved for posterity. That nan adjacent barangays and moreover nan metropolis of San Fernando could use from this earthy gift is testament to nan interlocking of nan province’s earthy residence pinch these economies.

Dupagan Falls is much than conscionable a tourer spot; it is nan bosom of nan highlands, a root of life for nan environment, nan economy, and nan civilization of San Gabriel. While nan municipality of San Gabriel pushes itself towards sustainable tourism, Dupagan Falls is simply a lighthouse of eco-tourism that balances nature, preservation, and organization development.

A Model for Sustainable Eco-Tourism

Once known for its fertile soil, nan San Gabriel area is becoming a fast-rising fame arsenic an eco-tourism oasis. The spot is simply a onshore of earthy beauty and Dupagan Falls is 1 of its gems. Together pinch different attractions specified arsenic Palpalaidan Falls and Bakes River, Dupagan Falls is now receiving visitors who are looking for bid of mind and those who want to acquisition quality astatine an friendly level.

Local authorities has made affirmative efforts to create sustainable and responsible tourism successful nan area, which benefits some nan visitors and nan section people. One of nan successful measures has been to enforce an ordinance that each tourer has to beryllium accompanied by a licensed circuit guide. This regularisation is not only for nan information of nan tourists, but besides an opportunity for acquisition connected nan section ecosystem, civilization and why biology resources are important to protect. More than 100 licensed guides person been trained to travel treks and tours, and they person travel to beryllium stewards of nan area’s delicate ecosystem, school incoming travelers not conscionable to respect it, but to understand nan greater implications of tourism, and nan urgency of maintaining nan biology equilibrium successful nan area.

Aside from nan guides, San Gabriel besides collects a minimal biology interest of P50 from each visitor. This levy is utilized to salary for tract maintenance, sustainable improvement and organization tourism initiatives thereby making judge that tourism gross is fed backmost into nan section community. The money maintains nan trails and facilities, and costs an array of biology acquisition programs whose ngo is to create an moreover greater emotion and respect for nan situation among visitors and locals. These initiatives are a testament to [the ASP’s] committedness to build a exemplary of tourism that will uplift and respect nan situation and nan section community.

The Trip To Dupagan Falls: Once In A Lifetime Experience

Getting to Dupagan Falls, is an escapade too. Unlike nan mostly of tourer spots that are pedestrian-friendly, nan travel to nan falls allows guests nan opportunity to spot nan terrain successful its purest context. The journey, which takes 30 to 40 minutes, isn’t conscionable astir nan destination; it is nan acquisition on nan way. Tourists traverse a hanging bridge, sojourn a micro-hydro powerfulness works that’s harvested nan area’s earthy power and stroll connected cool wood trails, each measurement taken gratified pinch a greater consciousness of entrenchment successful nan land.

The trek ends successful a position of nan Dupagan Falls and nan cascading h2o tin beryllium heard while you smell nan scent of nan woods — a genuinely quality experience. It’s an lawsuit wherever visitors are reminded that this isn’t conscionable a photogenic spot — it’s an existent tract of significance, for nan section organization and for nan environment. Says Daryl Dacumos, San Gabriel’s tourism officer: “You don’t conscionable travel to aquatics — you spell location to learn, to link and to appreciate.

It’s much than a beautiful sight, but besides learning astir nan underlying meaning of it. “It leads to nan very humbling experience,” said Manila visitant Erika Villanueva. “When I discovered that these waters support full communities, I realized it’s not conscionable a spot to go, it’s sacred,” she said. Her emotion sums up what a sojourn to Dupagan Falls is—a learning acquisition arsenic good arsenic a ocular treat.

Stimulating Environmental Consciousness and Cultural Conservation

At Dupagan Falls you don’t conscionable witnesser nature. It’s besides a chance to admit nan symbiotic narration shared betwixt nan people, nan land, and nan recreation trade. This consciousness is bolstered by nan policies of nan section authorities and by nan acquisition efforts of nan circuit guides. Visitors are besides provided pinch friends proposal astir nan area’s ecology, including its watershed strategy which provides indispensable outpouring h2o for nan surrounding communities. Tourists depart, not only pinch photographs, but an knowing of nan biology challenges for section communities and nan portion they tin play successful conservation.

As of writing, nan Dupagan Falls and its environs are not yet managed by an existent conservation guidance plan, however, nan Environmental and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) of nan La Union Provincial Government claimed consciousness of its worth and is presently aiming to return steps for its sustainable protection successful nan future. The astir salient of these is nan integration of Dupagan Falls pinch nan Bokashi Ball h2o curen run designed to protect and amended nan h2o value successful nan area. This statement is expected to beryllium a cardinal facet successful preserving nan purity of nan h2o of nan falls for early generations of section residents.

Aside from nan truth that nan Department of Environment and Natural Resources—Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-PENRO) successful La Union is actively supporting nan protection of ecosystems successful nan area. By organizing coastal clean-ups and nationalist consciousness campaigns, nan DENR-PENRO has worked to create an biology consciousness, and group nan reside for further conservation activity successful nan upland territories of nan Northern Central Angat Rainforest, for illustration Dupagan Falls.

Towards a Sustainable Future: Envisioning Long-Term Growth

The improvement of Dupagan Falls arsenic an eco-tourism attracts opportunities and challenges. Like truthful overmuch of nan increasing tending being paid to nan falls, nan economical bonanza that comes from each of nan attraction besides carries a load of trying to negociate tourism successful a mode that preserves nan resources that tie group to travel spot nan falls successful nan first place. With further assistance from nan section government, organization and responsible tourism, Dupagan Falls would beryllium capable to beryllium enjoyed for different generations to come.

While nan metropolis of San Gabriel continues to grow, it realizes its earthy treasures merit to beryllium kept and should use from eco-tourism. Dupagan Falls, arsenic beautiful arsenic it is and arsenic important it is to nan local, tin service arsenic a powerful reminder of really quality and tourism tin activity together, not conscionable for profit, but for nan amended bully of nan situation and its people.

Dupagan Falls is much than conscionable a falls for locals and visitors; it’s a reflection of nan heavy relationship nan onshore has to nan people- and nan value of it being respected and looked after. And arsenic much and much study astir this bonzer place, they are not conscionable visiting, they are joining successful a shared responsibility to protect it for generations to come.

References: La Union Provincial Government, Environmental Protection and Eco-Tourism Initiatives, 2025, San Gabriel Municipal Government, San Gabriel Tourism and Environmental Policies