Kalinga Province, Philippines

By James Barcelona

Tourist Attractions

Palan-ah falls.

Palan-ah falls. This waterfalls is located at Tulgao West, Tinglayan. The name is derived from the native term Pinalpallang-ah which means chair.

The falls spray down from approximately 100 meters above forming a pool where during a sunny day, one practically swims at the end of the rainbow.

Mt. Mating-oy Dinayao

Mt. Mating-oy Dinayao (Sleeping Beauty). These fabled mountain ranges in the border of the municipalities of Tinglayan and Tanudan and they take the form of a sleeping lady supinely lying at its back. A vantage view of the profile can be seen from the Sungang view or from Basao.

Chico River

The Chico River (Spanish, Rio Chico de Cagayan) is a river system in the Philippines in the island of Luzon, encompassing the regions of Cordillera and Cagayan Valley.

The most extensive river in the Cordillera region, it covers the provinces of Mountain Province, Kalinga and Cagayan. It is one of the major tributaries of the Cagayan River.

It is referred to as a "river of life" for the Kalinga people who live on its banks, and is well known among development workers because of the Chico River Dam Project, an electric power generation project which local residents resisted for three decades before it was finally shelved in the 1980s - a landmark case study concerning ancestral domain issues in the Philippines.

Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Cordillera Administrative region in Luzon. The province consists of 1 city and 7 municipalities. Tabuk is the provincial capital which was proclaimed as a component city in 2007. But in November 2008, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled that its cityhood was unconstitutional. However, Tabuk had its city status reinstated by the Supreme Court on December 22, 2009.

Kalinga borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north. The topography of the province is rugged and sloping with mountain peaks ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 meters in height. Large portion of the lower regions of the province are open grassland suitable for pasture, but the highlands have extensive areas of tropical rainforest.

About 24% of the populations of the province are Kalinga and Ilocanos. Other ethnic groups living in the province are the Kankana-ey which is about 2.5%, Ibontoc with 1.6%, Tagalog with 1.3% and Applai with 1%.

Prior to 1995, Kalinga and Apayao used to be a single province named Kalinga-Apayao. But because of the many sub tribes in the province, their strong sense of tribal membership and filial loyalty resulted to frequent tribal unrest and an occasional outright war. This prompted the separation of Kalinga-Apayao into two provinces.

Due to the mountainous terrain and warrior culture of the people, the Kalingas were able to maintain their culture despite the attempted occupation of the Spaniards, Japanese and Americans. The people of Kalinga are the most extensive rice farmers of the Cordillera, having been blessed with some of the most suitable land for both dry and wet rice farming. They are one of the most extensive rice terrace builders in the country. They are also skilled potters and excellent in basket and loom weaving.

With Kalinga’s elevation of 300 to 5,000 feet above sea level and a north-south span of mountain ranges within the Cordillera Central, Kalinga is dubbed as the “Prince of the Highlands.” The best time for tourists to visit the province is during November to April. This is a good time to experience the Chico River whitewater rafting, a 4-hour exasperating challenge on the Chico rapids. There are many rice farms in Kalinga Province, including some rice terraces built on the mountains. Trekking tours are offered through the terraces and provide stunning views of the surrounding landscape.