Siitan River – The River You Should Add To Your Bucket List
I remember asking a Quirinian what siitan means and he said it’s a place with thorny plants. Siit is an Ilocano word for thorn, he explained. Once upon a time, the riverbanks of Siitan River used to be thorny that they call the place “siitan.” I read from another blog though that siit means fish bone and that’s where the river got its name. Whether the word refers to thorny plants or fish bone, I cannot tell for sure. What I do know for a fact though is that Siitan River is beautiful with giant limestone formations that would rival those in Coron.
Siitan River, just like the Governor’s Rapids is section of Cagayan River. While Governor’s Rapids can be found in Maddela, Siitan River is in Nagtipunan. They share physical similarities, most especially the giant limestone cliffs on the side of the river. The river’s most famous feature is the Bimmapor Rock Formation, which we only saw from afar.
Read: Governor’s Rapids: A Piece of Cagayan River in Quirino
Just as you can do a boat-ride tour and river tubing at Governor’s Rapids, the tourism organizers of Siitan River offer the same activities. Because we were more concerned about taking OOTD shots, we skipped river tubing again and made do with the boat tour.
Even when the place shared similarities with the other river, my sense of wonderment wasn’t in any way, diluted. I said wow many times and I couldn’t stop from taking photos. Everywhere I looked, there’s beauty to be appreciated. The view is too lovely for words so I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
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If you want to go swimming, the boatmen will take you to this secluded area. We rode a twin boat with the other tourists to get there. No one in our group felt compelled to go swimming because we still had somewhere to go that day.
If you want to go swimming here, you should wear you life vest at all times, even if you know how to swim. The boatmen are strict about this; it’s part of their protocol to ensure the safety of the visitors.
I am left smitten and convinced that this river should be added into anyone’s bucket list. Â
Rates:
Entrance fee: Php 10
Boat ride: Php 80/pax
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It looks very calm and certainly beautiful there. would love to go there soon! Thanks for sharing Cheers!
It really looks so beautiful and calm in there. To be honest never heard about this river but just felt in love right now 🙂
Added to the bucket list 🙂 This place looks beautiful, especially the backdrop of rocks and trees. A truly magical place
Wild nature and beautiful landscapes! The perfect ingredients of a successful trip!
Ahhhh! My bucket list is getting too long, but I think I will make room for this river. You’ve sold it to me with your gorgeous pictures.
What a lovely place to visit! I just love your photos that convey your narrative so well. I would love to visit here when in the Philippines and you certainly can not complain about the cost to experience such beauty.
The limestone formations seem very mysterious and interesting. This definitely goes in our Philippines bucket list! Looks quite peaceful and not too harsh for swimming. And the price is unbeatable.
The place looks amazing with the stones and the river and loads of beauty. Seeing the pictures, I think I am ready for the next place and adventure. Yes, I think at such places, only locals could take the best care of the tourists. It is great that people are concerned and made the life jacket a vital part.
Definitely fun! Is this all the water that is always there or does it get filled up with the rains? I sure would enjoy splashing around here.
I’ve noticed that your pictures become more and more beautiful! I wouldn’t mind wasting my day away dreaming next to that river! ESPECIALLY WITH THOSE RATES I MEAN COME ON 20 cents!!!
The blog post draws a beautiful parallel between Siitan river and Coron. Both seem like must-visit destinations indeed! The pics of the Siitan river remind me of the valleys in Leh-Ladakh region in Kashmir.
Any ways it was a delight reading the post! As always, Marjorie Gavan has described a place beautifully yet again!
Those photos show off how much fun you had. Cagayan is a dream province for me but I need to plan well my visit to Region II and most of our northern provinces.. the commute must be shorter than my stay or I’d just remember being dizzy. Hehe.
It looks lovely, but I think I would be annoyed if the boatmen insisted that I keep a life jacket on while swimming. The twin boats look really cool…I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those before. Thanks for sharing!
This place looks so different and gorgeous. The rock formation is really fascinating. I already have a long list ready for Philippines’s and this too will go into that. Thanks for sharing this
Love your photos girl! Looks like such a chill place. First time hearing about it actually, will def. add this to my Philippine Bucket List. Ahhh, just keeps getting longer and longer hehe.
The river kind of looks mysterious. It reminds me of river Kaveri back home in India , around Hampi, an ancient kingdom. Definitely, one should visit here.