The Hidden Gem of Nueva Ecija: Minalungao National Park

by lakwatserong tatay

So right after the christening we had attended at Gapan. Next on our itinerary was to visit the hidden gem of Nueva Ecija. Who could have thought that the province of Nueva Ecija, that is known to be as the rice paddies of our country, holds one of a kind secret of our mother nature. A great sculpture of nature that can be found in center of Peñaranda River. Has marvelous limestone that is towering 16 meters high and has calm rivers waters within Sierra Mountain Range, known as Minalungao National Park.

Pristine Calm Water of Peñaranda River

Having heard about this place to my co-bloggers last year. Seeing their shared stories about this park makes me excited to see it up close. However i'm having hard time to schedule a trip on this place, then opportunity comes because of an invite to attend christening. Seeing the chance to have additional side trip and had the chance to first set foot in Nueva Ecija makes me more excited because i'll be seeing the park at last.

The Crowded Park

Crowded Parking Area within rented nipa huts

The park covers 2018 hectares and was recognized as a protected area around 1967. Located in Brgy. Minalungao at General Tinio, Nueva Ecija.

Huge limestone within Peñaranda River

Tourists along the river

A local guide is available to guide you within the park, to the grotto, and to the cave. Our was kid named Felix. Since we have only limited time, we opted to visit the cave and experience the cool waters of Peñaranda river.

a very calm river water..

It is advisable to get a local guide because they know more about the park likewise as you help them too. In touring the park you choose between two options by foot or by boat. So if you want relaxation trip within the park, it is better to choose by boat by renting bamboo raft (please rental fees below). Or you may choose the newly cemented trail path to tour the park. Both trails will lead you to the shallow swimming area with refreshing and cool waters of the river.

the bamboo raft that cruise along the river

awesome rock formations...

our guide felix....

that's how you enjoy its cool waters....

There are so many activities available within the park, that you can choose from. There are ziplines for adventurers, bamboo rafting ride, trekking to limestone to get to the cave, trek to grotto and of course having a picnic with your families and friends.

rocky trail going to cave

one of the shallow part of the river....

As of writing, the local government is promoting this place as one of its eco-tourism destination. Rehabilitation of the road going to the park is on going. The rocky trail before is now established and already cemented path for the tourist which is younger and older ones much enjoy the scenery. The fees was different from last year as i've seen from my co-bloggers.

What i wish on this place is that hopefully when i had again the chance to visit again this place. It will be a pleasant as we've visited it. I know the park will attract more tourist and as the tourist may arise the garbage within the area may also arise. I just hope the local government, locals and tourist alike are more responsible with their own trashes. As i've seen there were actually scattered around the area from foils, plastic and even bottles. Hope that in next years to come the park will stay as is right now or few years before when it was explored and be opened to the public. Moreover, let us help the Minalungao National Park, be placed in map as one of the tourist attraction, be beautiful and as charmed right now, thus it will help more locals to their livelihood, specially to those kids like Felix, it will help them alot with schooling and families financies.

Me with our guide Felix..^_^

XB's - Melvin, Me & Joel

Nature Park Trippin is more fun in the Philippines

Minalungao National Park Rates (as of April, 2015):

Entrance Fee - php 30.00
Minulangao Cave - php 10.00
Cottage - php 200.00
Bamboo raft (small) - php 250.00
Bambbo raft (big) - php 500.00
Comfort room - php 10.00
Parking fee - php 50.00

How to get to Minalungao National Park:

By commute: 
Ride a bus bound Gapan/Cabanatuan. Available bus companies from Cubao/Pasay like Five Star, ES Transport. Travel time may take from 2-3 hours.

From Gapan, you have two options, (1) ride a jeep bound to General Tinio formerly known as Papaya (not sure of the jeepney fare) and then from city proper ride a trike going to park (php50 each as per my conversation with the tricycles around the park) / (2) rent a trike from Gapan to Minalungao National Park. Estimate travel time is 1-1.5 hours (php500-600 per tricycle). This option is hassle free because you knew that there will be a tricycle waiting for you if you want to go back to city in anytime you want.

Sneak Peak (February): My Love Month of Adventures

by lakwatserong tatay

It's been a while since i made my last post for my travels, coz' im really having a hard time to make all of this draft post, due to my work load, different weekly and monthly activities. So i decided to make another sneak preview post of my past activities for the month of love......^_^.

First stop: Advance Celebration of Valentines Day...

An overnight stay at Lancaster Suites at Mandaluyong together with my wife and two kids, Kuya Gian and Ate Gayle. Aside from staycation within the Metro, we had mall hopping within the vicinity and food trippin escapades.

Lancaster Hotel Manila

We stayed for overnight with free buffet breakfast for only.....(secret)...^_^. This would one of my most memorable advance valentines celebration trip, having splurging experience together with my kids and my wife and relax for few days within the Metro. (i'll be doing separate post for this splurging experience together my kids...)

me, my wife and two kids....

After we check-in, we decided to go to SM Megamall which very near to this hotel, we did mall hopping and food trippin. That time, there was new craze in town, "Tea Drinks"...one of the famous outlet serving tea in different ways is Happy Lemon....^_^

Ate Gayle with my wife..@ Happy Lemon (Megamall) ^_^

For our dinner that day, we select President Tea House Express, one of the famous chinese restaurant in Ongpin. We tried few of their dishes, we do really love it....^_^ (i'll be having a separate post for this food trippin experience....)

President Tea House Express @ SM Megamall

While strolling around, we found out that time, there was an expo on their activity center. One of the most famous games now a days, not only for adults but also for kids, like mine. An Angry Bird bazaar was actually on going that time and luckily for my kids, we had the chance to have some photo opportunities and tried their different activities for kids and even buy some angry bird shirts for my kids too.....^_^

Our photo opps with Angry Birds...

Next stop: My 1st Ever Organize Trek Trip @ Mt. Manalmon

My 1st ever organize group trek, happened last February 18...were 13 tripper/trekkers/spelunker...(who said that 13 is a bad luck number)...Even though i considered myself as a pro in trekking, i was still afraid that time organizing my first trip trek together with a couple persons, most of them were my friends and colleagues and some were invitees. But luckily it went good and all of the X-plorers that time were satisfied on what they have experience and i was really happy to hear that from them and will be doing it again with me if i ever organize again another trip....(nagorganize nga ulit ako...Mt. Pinatubo via Old Trail naman...just last March 24)...(i'll be having a separate post for our trek to Mt. Manalmon...)

The Manalmon X-plorers....^_^

One of our sidetrips after our trekking activity was the 2 hours spelunking in Bayukbok Cave.....according to our guide...this cave was part of our history during world war era were the Katipunero's have their meeting held on this cave...(i'll be sharing our spelunking experience in Bayukbok Cave..)

X-plorers @ Music Room....^_^

One of the activity, that you must not missed when your in Madlum River, is to cross this two stretch cables above the Madlum river, this is connected from both ends of the river and was not actually used as a tourist attraction but instead it was used for emergency purposes when the water in Madlum River got really higher, this cables will serves as their bridge to cross to the other end. Thru time this was called as the "Monkey Bridge Crossing Activity", became one of the challenging activity here in Mt. Manalmon and always been part for all of the visitors to cross this challenging cables,...(i'll be doing a separate post for this cable crossing activity...)

my self portrait shot.....^_^

So after all of those activities, we had the chance to chillax and swim at Madlum River. Swimming all the way and having few drinks by the river was way to end of Day of Activity in San Miguel, Bulacan....(watch out for my separate post about Madlum River...)

Swimming time @ Madlum River....

Last stop: My First Festival Experience and Food trippin @ Ongpin.....

It was Sunday (Feb.26), together with Ichan, will be attending our first ever festival experience just right here in the metro. The Caracol Festival, but due to lack of information about the festival, we met so early and found out that the festival will be happening @ 4pm that day. So, for us not to be bored that day, we decided to have food trippin experience at Ongpin, one of the food haven in Manila. Armed with daypacks and camera's we proceed......(watch out for our Ongpin Experience.....)

L.T. @ Ongpin St.....^_^

Sad to say, it was Sunday, and most of the known restaurant on Ongpin was close, but lucky for us to find this famous street dining in Ongpin, the LGA Fastfood chain, that serves different cuisines in a very reasonable price.....(ang sarap dito at sulit ang bayad....abangan nyo po ang food trip experience namin.....)

LGA Fastfood....

 Of course, we did not missed to visit one of the most famous hopia in town. Known for so many decades and had different branches....one of their signature hopia's is "Hopia with Tikoy"....This store is known as the "Eng Bee Tin"....(watch for this also....)

Ichan of Saananglakad...^_^

Sta. Cruz and Ongpin also holds two of the historic churches built during Spanish era here in our country. The Sta. Cruz Church....built wayback 17th century with its Patron Saint Nuetra Señora del Pilar, that is celebrated every 3rd Sunday of October. (i'll be sharing some information and pictures about this church)

It's me @ Sta.Cruz Church

The second church we visited was also built wayback 1640's, in honor of its the Patroness Nuestra Señora del Santo Rosario, this church was detroyed during British invasion and rebuilt by mix native and chinese mestizaje after British invasion. The church baroque look was rebuilt from World War II ruins and has re-dedicated to the first filipino Patron Saint, San Lorenzo Ruis. The church annual fiesta usually takes every last Sunday of October. (i'll be sharing its history and some pictures of this church...)

My photo opps @ Ongpin Church...^_^

After having a quick tour from the past and food trippin experience aty Ongpin. We go back to Makati's ground to see our first ever festival experience. "The Caracol Festival", serves as the official festival of Makati City, whose main purpose is to raise awareness on the importance of preserving of out Mother Nature and natural resources.

Students from various schools wears colorful costumes and danced along Ayala Avenue with dresses of lions, frogs, lizards, flowers, trees and fairies among others. This festival is one of the particular event where the youth of Makati, expresses their creativity and artistic sides while combining the importance of protecting our Mother Nature.

CARACOL 2012

It was such privilege to attend this kind of festival, seeing different people in colorful costumes makes me excited taking pictures of them while parading in the busy street of Ayala, Makati, and the chance to watch while they're performing different dances wearing their colorful costumes in Ayala Avenue. Here are some of my photos that i wanted to share and i'll be also doing a separate post for our 2012  Caracol Festival Experience...^_^ (i'll be also doing separate post for my 1st festival experience here in Metro Manila...)

Of course i wouldn't missed the chance to have a photo opps with this dwarfs that was part of 2012 Caracol Festival Parade....^_^

Me @ with the 3 Dwarfs...^_^

Hope to attend again this festival by next year and wishing to attend more festivals this year.

So this end my love month escapades with my family, kids, friend and colleagues......i do hope you will watch out for my separate entries behind this trips...^_^....so watch out for it....

Next stop.....My  March activities...dami parin pala....hehehe.....

Cudugnon Cave

El Nido's One Mysterious Cave
by lakwatserong tatay

Afterwards sailing on a wavy sea's of El Nido, we then proceeded to Cudugnon Cave, sometimes spelled out in several ways as Codugnon, Codognun, and Cudugnun, im not really sure if this is all as you can see in different tourist brochures....^_^ This cave is one of the best attractions in the area of El Nido, Palawan, because it is believed to have been a Neolithic burial-place. This cave was a significant archeological site because of its prehistoric human bones and other artifacts were found inside.
Unfortunately, some looters have swipped away most of the valuable artifacts from this cave. Luckily, some of its remains was recovered and those artifacts was transferred to our National Musuem, here in Manila, where could be useful for us to learn about the way of life of our prehistoric ancestors.

Entrance of the cave

Cudugnon Cave is located in mainland Palawan a few minutes away from Snake Island, and west part of Lagen Island, known to be a mysterious cave because of some sayings that this cave was used by some of our natives as a hiding place for Japanese who occupied our country during World War II. This secluded cave was also used to be a quarantine area for the malaria-striken, who wish to isolate themselves in an effort to stop the spread of the fatal disease...hmmmm....(buti wala na nun pagpunta namin...sana...^_^)...

The walls of Cudugnon Cave

So what do you think you can see on a mysterious cave? Well, at first you must need to pass through a small opening to get inside the Cudugnon Cave. Nowadays, the guides uses towels or foams placing at the bottom of the opening that can be effective protection against the sharp rocks that line the entrance. After passing through the small entrance hole, tourists will find themselves staring at the elevated ceilings and chiseled interiors of the cave. Or you may observe shafts of light filtering down from the ceiling and illuminating the amorphous walls, that shows various shades.

would you like to have photo opss?

One thing you must not miss before entering this cave in Palawan is bringing your camera. You must not miss the opportunity to capture the natural beauty inside the Cudugnon Cave....like what i did...^_^....If your really into photography, he/she could bring a light source maybe because your camera flash will not adequately illuminate the interior beauty and its impressive caverns. Infact when we visit this cave they were few tourist that time who is almost seeing the beauty and taking photo opps around this cave.

Other tourist that time.....

Here are some of my other shots around this mysterious cave. Thanks to our photo guru...Wendz..^_^

Here are some of the shots around the cave

This fascinating cave is located near the sea and the interior becomes filled with water during hightides maybe like the Secret Lagoon that is part of Miniloc Island. Its sea waters makes it difficult to explore the cave once its submerged by seawaters, but it provides an opportunity to snorkel and enjoy the undersea wonders of this tourist site. You can also observe the diverse marine life that thrives in the island. It roofs also home to barn swallows and insectivorous bats. Here some of the photos i've taken while inside Cudugnon Cave.

I really don't what is this?

And last one thing we did not miss is our photo opportunities inside Cudugnon Cave....^_^

I really like this one.....

The ladies of temptation island..^_^

I was here....^_^

Tourist who want to explore and enjoy the wonders of Palawan shoult not miss a trip to this awesome cave. Sad to say this is the only cave we visited when we visited Palawan...huhuhuhu...Cudugnon Cave is a potent combination of archaelogical exploration and natural beauty that can only be produced thru time and years of erosion. Truly this is a mysterious cave that is a great destination for adventurous trippers like us and maybe you.......^_^.

Next stop....lunch time on its island and should i call "Cudugnon Cove".

This story is part of: Five Days Trip at Palawan