We found paradise by accident.

I planned a day-trip in the Rizal province as a surprise for my wife's birthday. Included in my list of places was Daranak Falls which has countless good reviews around the web. Being foreign to the area, I used Google Maps to get around the whole day, and when it was time to go to the falls, I simply typed away and followed the directions.

After an hour of driving, we were taken to a rough road with only one lane. It seemed normal at first, 'til the path just suddenly stopped - the car would no longer fit. Fortunately, there was an old lady in the middle of nowhere, so I asked for directions. She told me to just park my car and pointed toward a trail to the falls.

Being with two kids - a nine-year-old and a four-year-old, we decided to leave the swimming gear in the car in case the kids needed our help through the trail.

When we finally got to the falls, we found out that we weren't in Daranak Falls, but in Batlag falls instead. Daranak was just a few hundred steps away, but Batlag being the less known destination, had less people so it felt like we owned the place.

If you decide to go to either Daranak Falls or Batlag Falls via Google Maps, make sure the path you take ends up along Daranak Falls Road especially if you have kids in tow.