Eden Nature Park: Davao City's Version of Baguio

If you're in for an adventure of a lifetime, there's no need to travel to the other side of the world. There are so many places to choose from in our country, and one of the most worthy destinations is Eden Nature Park and Mountain Resort in Davao.

Eden is a mountain resort that was discovered in 1971. The whole 80-hectare property that used to be covered with patches of wild grass has now over 100,000 pine trees covering the whole area. The whole resort and most of the forests here were manually cultivated and structured making the whole park 95% man made!

The resort offers a plethora of amenities which include the Basketball Court, Flower Garden, Deer Park, Prayer Garden, Lola’s Garden, Seminar Village, Amphitheater, Vista Kiosk, Garden Hall, Cafeteria, Mountain Trail Playground, Campsite, Swimming Pool and my personal favorite, The Aviary! 

As for the food, where do I even begin? Eden is located 28 kilometers away from the city and 3000 meters above sea level. It takes 30 minutes to an hour to reach this place by shuttle so instead of transporting the ingredients from the city, the owners make their own patches of organic vegetables and fruit tree orchards.

Everything you eat in Vista Restaurant is freshly handpicked from their own gardens. That's organic, baby! From the vegetables in your favorite salads, to the herbs and spices used in your favorite dishes, everything’s concocted in there. If you plan on spending your vacation the healthy way, then this is the right place for you. Having dinner here at night will offer you a fantastic view of Davao City and the Davao gulf. 

If you want to try something new, you can also try out fishing for your own food at the Fishing Village. Their ponds are abundant with tilapia (St. Peter’s Fish) and catfish. Every thing that you catch is weighed and cooked fresh. You have 4 different choices on how you want them to cook your fish: pinaputok, inihaw, fried, and paksiw. My personal favorite is the pinaputok. They wrap the fish in banana leaves and deep fry it. The banana leaves give the fish a different aroma, making it more mouth-watering to eat, especially with freshly cut onions and tomatoes, dipped in soy sauce. It's like having a full course buffet. It's unbeatable. *Definitely nom nom*

I am an adrenaline junkie and adrenaline junkies like me would never want to miss the zip line aka Skyrider. But if you are not warmed up for the ride yet, then you can try out your rope gliding skills at the Indiana Jones. Yes. Ze Indiana Jones. The only difference between Jones’ swings and yours is that there’s solid ground with fresh grass just 2 feet below you. Falling off won’t hurt that much. 

Eden is perfect for seminars, congresses for student organizations, family vacations and even weddings! You won't ever get bored in this place and, temporarily, you might be able to forget everything that’s been bothering you at the office. It's definitely a place worth visiting in Davao and is beyond doubt one of the best places to go to if you want to find peace or just bond with your friends. 

 

(Photos by: Sham Leonora)

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Eden Nature Park

For additional Information:
Eden Nature Park Tel. No:
(63)(82)299-1020
(63)(82)296-0791

Email:
info(at)edennaturepark.com.ph
 
Web Site:
Eden Nature Park

Conquering Sibalom's Dense Jungles

Sitting over the edge of a cliff.

Our hiking trip in Sibalom, Antique was something that we never really planned out. We got tired of spending too much on premeditated trips and air-conditioned hotel rooms and cottages. We thought that for once, we should try getting ourselves lost in the middle of nowhere - just us, our food, a big bag of clothes and the great outdoors!

We started our trip on a cold Friday morning. It was raining hard and that got us even more excited. After buying some dried fish and some pork from the wet market, we went to the tricycle terminal to catch the second trip for the morning and waited for 5 more passengers before leaving the town of San Jose.

We reached Inabasan in less than 20 minutes and got off at the start of the dirt road going to Barangay Inabasan. The road was inaccessible even for tricycles due to the heavy rains for the past few days. We had no choice but to walk for a 1-2 kilometers before reaching the starting point for the hike. By then the three of us were already panting even though we were just warming up.

We rested for a few minutes and after quenching our thirst, we started with the real hike.

We asked for directions whenever we saw people from the low lands but when we reached the middle part of the mountain, we were on our own. We passed by springs, thick vegetation and rice terraces. It was a muddy hike and we went through rough terrain, navigating our way through dense forests, across bamboo bridges, muddy slopes, and rejuvenating streams of fresh flowing water. It was the ultimate adventure and it was really fun.

Crossing an old bamboo bridge.

I was relieved when we reached the base of the first mountain. From there, we hiked for another 15 minutes across another set of rice terraces before reaching the campsite where Nong Edel (the caretaker) and his family lived in a small nipa hut.

We had lunch, slept for an hour and after regaining our strengths, we stocked up on water and asked Nong Edel or rather The Super Nong Edel, to guide us to the summit.

It really took us some time to reach the top because the path was relatively difficult to pass. We literally crawled up on some slopes, holding on to anything we saw for our dear lives. We went through hell! Aside from the slippery mud, we walked on terrain that had sharp cogon grass, barbed vines that scraped the skin off of your feet, dead tree trunks that easily broke off and slippery rocks.  We crawled down steep slippery slopes while Super Nong Edel was literally whistling his way through the dense jungles of Sibalom. When we were on our last 20-30 steps from the summit, we ran and squealed like little kids.

From where we stood, we saw the great mountain ranges of Antique going north, the famous Mt. Madiaas (the tallest mountain in the Island of Panay) as well as a good 360 degree view of everything surrounding the mountain. The air was cold and there was fresh grass everywhere. To the west was the sea, glistening in the afternoon sun. It was something that we only saw in National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. The view was simply breathtaking. We felt like we were on top of the world. It was paradise!

From where we are standing, one could see the town of San Jose.

This is the highest point of the mountain which can in fact be seen from San Jose's town plaza.

When it was already dusk, we decided to hike back up to the campsite and call it a day. We washed ourselves and prepared for dinner. We stayed in a small hut a few meters from Nong Edel’s house.

While waiting for our food, we noticed a firefly fly past the door of our cottage. I went out and tried to catch it, but I was astounded when I saw hundreds of them hovering around a nearby tree. The view was magical. It was like Christmas. I saw 2 or 3 fireflies flying around the area before but never in swarms.

We had KBL for dinner, a classic recipe because of its main ingredients: kadyos (pigeon peas), baboy (pork), and langka (jackfruit). It was mouth-watering and was perfect for the weather and the place. The fire cooked rice was also delicious and complemented the taste of the fried fish tocino and home-made, salted eggs.

We slept at around 1 in the morning because it was raining real hard and water was dripping all over the place. We heard different animal noises around the cottage, including that of the goat living under our hut. What made it worse were the mosquitoes that were still persistent enough to find holes on our mosquito nets. The bites were tolerable and we dozed off when it got really cold.

We had native chicken adobo for breakfast.

The small hut where we slept. It was especially cold during the night.

The next morning, we woke up with freshly brewed coffee on our door step. Nothing beats the taste of kapeng barako on a cold morning. We had breakfast and after waiting for the heavy rain to stop, we had our traditional photograph taken with our host family. After a few shots, we expressed our gratitude to Nong Edel’s wife and his kids, said our goodbyes and went on our way with Nong Edel guiding us down the mountain.

It was a very memorable adventure and I sure wish that the next time we go back to the mountains, there will be more of us coming. The scratches, insect bites, mosquito bites and muscle pains are all worth it.

Walking over slipper rocks

Washing the mud off at one of the small waterfalls.

The team with Nong Edel's family

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Brgy. Inabasan, Sibalom, Antique

The Sulfur-rich Waters of Siraan Hot Springs

The Sira-an hot springs, which is located at the south point of Anini-y, Antique, is probably the only place in the whole island of Panay where you can find the perfect bath with warm water that reeks of sulfur. Yes, it doesn’t smell good but the bathtubs are filled with sulfuric hot spring water which is believed to cure aching muscles and bones as well as skin diseases – a perfect way to spend time after a long road trip!

Although going there is one dusty ride especially during summer, we recommend that you take an open vehicle. A jeepney or a pickup truck will do. You have to know that they don’t call Antique “the land where the mountains meet the sea” for no good reason.

While heading south for Sira-an, you will pass by beautiful mangroves and bonsais on rock formations by the blue crystalline shorelines. At your right will be the lush green mountains of Hamtic and Dao. It’s almost like traveling between two separate but totally magical worlds! This is something that you can never capture with your camera from inside a car or a van.

Upon entering the resort, you will notice that the smell of the air is quite different. The odor is actually the sulfur coming out of the rocks. If you try to go near one of the smaller pools, you’ll find a deep tank which acts as the source of all the sulfur in the resort. It’s pretty cool. It’s like staring in to a geyser expecting it to spray hot water up in the air.

We prepared lunch in one of the cottages and dozed off after eating because it was still too hot to go to the pool area. We checked in to one of the rooms and we were amazed at how big the space was. What’s good is that they’re also air conditioned and even if they say that it’s only good for four people, you can still fit 11 of your gang inside. Just pay extra for the beddings and you’ll have yourselves an instant slumber party in the middle of nowhere.

We slept and waited until it was sunset. You don’t want to miss the sunset in this place. It’s one of those rare moments where you get to see the sun set behind the beautiful Nogas Island while watching its lighthouse gleaming against an orange background. It’s almost like a scene from one of those romantic Korean movies. *sighs*

Oh and hey! Sira-an has its own diving spot! But I’m telling you it’s not for the faint-hearted. I have a thing for blue waters but definitely not dark blue ones. From the view above the rocks, one could see that it’s pretty deep and some have claimed to have seen sea snakes (locally known as Walo-walo) lurking beneath the sharp rock formations.

Our favorite tubs are the smallest ones where about 5 adults can fit. It’s excellent if you guys just want to chill out while gazing at the clear night sky above. We prefer these over the larger swimming pool because here, the water is continuously replaced. You even have the option to drain the whole tank. Just look for the plug hidden somewhere in one of the corners and you can pull it right off. Just wait for a few minutes (3-5 minutes) and the whole tank is refurnished with the good old sulfur-rich water.

Our dinner was pretty much like what we had during lunch. But what made it extra special (Australian Master Chef Accent) was Louie’s grilled tanigue (spanish mackerel) marinated in lemon juice and salt and topped with red hot chili. To complete our buffet, we had a few bottles of soft drinks (classic), some grilled pork and a bowl of soy sauce with sliced fresh onions. It was a great way to celebrate our night and a great way to fill our stomachs after a long hot day at the Sira-an hot springs.

Some reminders when going to this place:

1.       Bring a digital camera.

2.       Bring your sunscreen.

3.       Bring your own food and water.

4.       Bring more friends!

And one more thing, I do suggest you bring cash. There are no ATM’s in the vicinity. We had ourselves a little bit of a problem when we found out that we only brought cash enough to rent a room. Everybody else brought ATM cards. *face palm*

Side trips you can take:

Try visiting Nogas Island. From Sira-an, it will only cost you a few hundred bucks to rent a boat going to the island. Don’t forget to bring enough water for the trip.

Try to visit the old church of Anini-y. It’s a very historic place and going there is like going back in time. Totally nostalgic. 

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Sira-an Hot Springs