okay so here's the thing - i landed in iligan (well, technically near it, the coordinates said 8.3281, 124.9783 and my phone was confused) in december 2020. yes, during The Times. yes, my mom called me seventeen times. no, i don't regret it.

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Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: if you want waterfalls, real Philippines outside the tourist bubble, and cheap living - absolutely. but you need to be cool with no hostels and figuring stuff out as you go.

Q: Is it expensive?
A: cheapest place i've ever lived in southeast asia. i'm talking 200 pesos for a full meal, 3000 pesos monthly for a decent room. that's like $6 and $60 for americans reading this.

Q: Who would hate it here?
A: people who need air conditioning everywhere, people who want english menus, people who think every trip should have a pool. this isn't that.

Q: Best time to visit?
A: honestly? december to february. it's dry season, less humid than usual, and the falls are still running strong. i showed up late december and the weather was basically perfect - 24 degrees, felt like 25, humidity at 85% which sounds scary but honestly you get used to it.

the weather data from that day (dec 21, 2020 if you're curious about the timestamp 1608478133) said 24.15°C with pressure at 1012 and sea level at 1012 - basically stable, no storms coming, just that classic mindanao warmth that hits different at night.

local told me: "you white, you go church first, then waterfall" - i think she was joking but i did both anyway

i'm a digital nomad, so my whole thing is finding places where my wifi works, my budget stretches, and i don't feel like a walking atm. iligan delivered on all three, but it wasn't easy.

the city has like zero digital nomad infrastructure. no coworking spaces, no hostels that cater to foreigners, no coffee shops with reliable wifi. i worked from my guesthouse room, used globe data as backup, and figured out which malls had the strongest signal. sounds chaotic? it was. but that's kind of the point.

if you're looking for the polished southeast asia experience, go to bali or chiang mai. if you want something that feels like 2005 but with 2020 internet speeds, iligan is your spot.

the waterfalls - okay, this is why anyone actually comes here. iligan is called the city of majestic waterfalls for a reason. there's like 20+ waterfalls in the area, some famous, some that only locals know about.

limunsudan falls is the highest in the philippines - 870 feet or something ridiculous. i went there and honestly? the hike down was harder than expected and i got attacked by leeches, but the view made up for it.

cost breakdown for fellow budget travelers:

- accommodation: 2500-4000 pesos/month for a room (fan only, bathroom shared usually)
- food: 150-300 pesos per meal at local carinderias
- transport: jeepneys are 8-15 pesos, tricycles are 20-50 depending on negotiation
- data: globe or smart sim, 300-500 pesos for 10gb which is enough if you have wifi at home
- waterfalls: some are free, some charge 50-100 pesos entry

total monthly budget: 15,000-25,000 pesos. that's $300-500 usd.

honest truth from a local: "pandemic time, not many tourists, good for you, bad for us"

safety wise - i felt fine. obviously as a foreigner you get stared at, but i never felt unsafe. the city is working class, lots of factories and industry, not a resort area. at night i stayed in, not because it was dangerous but because there wasn't much happening anyway.

the tourist vs local experience here is basically nonexistent because there are so few tourists. you're not going to find english-speaking guides or tripadvisor-rated restaurants. you're going to find real life, real people, real Philippines.

i met a guy who worked at one of the waterfalls as a guide - he spoke a little english, had been doing it for fifteen years, and told me that before pandemic, there were maybe 50 foreign visitors a month. now there were like five. he seemed happy to have someone to talk to.

nearby cities: you can do day trips to cagayan de oro (about 2 hours, known for white water rafting), or even further to dapitan if you want historical stuff. i didn't make it to either because i was lazy and the wifi at my guesthouse was finally working consistently.

some random tips i wish someone told me:

- learn basic bisaya phrases, not tagalog - locals appreciate it
- bring mosquito repellent, like actually strong one
- don't expect anyone to speak english outside tourist areas (which barely exist)
- bring a power bank, power outages happen
- the humidity at 85% will ruin your paper receipts, keep stuff in plastic

the thing about iligan is that it's not trying to be anything. it's not cute, it's not Instagram-ready, it's not comfortable for foreigners. but it's real, it's cheap, and it's there. if you're a digital nomad who wants to disappear for a few months, learn a new culture, and spend basically nothing - this is the place.

i stayed three months. i left with better spanish (lots of locals speak it here for some reason), a newfound appreciation for leech avoidance techniques, and exactly $1,200 saved compared to what i would have spent in bali.

would i go back? honestly yeah. there's something about places that don't want you that makes me want to prove i can handle it.

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check iligan falls here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g317098-Activities-c-zf7-Iligan_City_Mindanao.html

for cheap stays: https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?ss=iligan

local food spots: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Restaurants&find_loc=Iligan+City

more waterfalls: https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/iligan_waterfalls/

digital nomad forum discussion: https://www.nomadiclist.com/iligan

cagayan de oro nearby: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/philippines/cagayan-de-oro

I showed up to this Filipino city during a pandemic and honestly? Best decision I made in 2020

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