Tag Archives: ecotourism

Amanohashidate, Kyoto, Japan

June 20, 2016

While looking for places to visit in the Kansai region, we stumbled upon articles on this quiet, little place called Amanohashidate, which is one of the Three Scenic Views of Japan, according to Edo period literary artist and scholar Hayashi Gaho. It is located in Miyazu Bay, northern Kyoto.

From Amanohashidate Station, we had to take a ferry and a monorail to the Kasamatsu Park and do “Matanozoki“ to see the breath-taking view of the heaven’s bridge through an upside down bend. We were also able to bike the 3-km. stretch of the Amanohashidate sandbar. It was good we purchased the Amanohashidate Pass (for just 1400 yen per person!), which already covered the ferry ride, chair lift, bike, and train ride from JR Fukuchiyama station (the farthest covered by our rail pass) to Amanohashidate station.

We highly recommend visiting this place!

 

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Oslob: Whaleshark Watching and Sumilon Island

May 27, 2016

We started our Cebu trip by going to the Cebu South Bus Terminal at around 4A.M. to take an Oslob-bound bus. Fare costs P160 per person.

We asked the conductor to drop us off at Brgy. Tan-awan. There, we were greeted by May-Ann, our contact in Oslob, who took care of tickets for our Whale shark Watching Activity, and our day trip to the Sumilon Island sandbar.

The whale shark is the largest living fish, and swimming with them was a different kind of experience for us. From what we saw, the whale sharks are well taken care of. The municipal officers are strict with rules, and they have marine biologists overseeing everything. However, we can only wish that every visitor interacting with the whale sharks would be as responsible.

After a 30-minute encounter with the whale sharks, we had lunch and prepared for our trip to the Sumilon Island sandbar, which was just a 15-minute boat ride away from Brgy. Tan-awan. We waited until late afternoon for the sandbar to emerge but we had to leave when it was already getting dark. We were able to enjoy the crystal clear waters of the Sumilon Island anyway.

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Sumilon Drone 002

Sumilon Drone 001

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Oslob Drone 002

Oslob Drone 001

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Mt. Hapunang Banoi

May 14, 2016

Whenever we want to go on a hiking trip but don’t want to travel as far, the province of Rizal is our go-to place. The town of Montalban , which is just an hour away from Cubao, Quezon City, offers different trails going up different mountains, which form part of the Sierra Madre range.

Last Saturday, we hiked Mt. Hapunang Banoi. Just like Mt. Pamitinan and Mt. Binacayan, the jump-off point is at Brgy. Wawa. Entrance fee is at P25/head, while the services of tour guides are at P500/group. The trail is very challenging and would require climbing sharp rocks. It took us probably three hours to reach the summit (which was definitely worth it) and an hour to get down.

Sierra Madre

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Mt. Hapunang Banoi

Mt. Hapunang Banoi

Mt. Hapunang Banoi

 

Palm Beach, Sariaya, Quezon

May 7, 2016

If you’re looking for a private beach for that barkada/family outing, you may want to check out Palm Beach in Brgy. San Roque, Sariaya, Quezon, which is approximately 2.5 hours away from Manila (via Maharlika Highway or the newly-opened Quezon Eco-Tourism Road). In this beach, one can enjoy the calm waters of the Tayabas Bay, brown powdery sand, and a view of the Mount Banahaw.

For more information, you may contact Mr. Al Gutierrez at 09088639148.

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

Palm Beach

 

Mt. Mamara, Tinapak River, and Tinapak Cave

March 19, 2016

This trip was planned only around six hours before. After going home from movie night, we decided to meet each other early the next day for another hiking trip.

We were supposed to climb Mt. Daraitan but since we woke up late that morning, we got to Brgy. Daraitan at noon, and the tourism office said we couldn’t anymore. Hence, they offered us an alternative, Mt. Mamara.

The Tinipak River and Mts. Daraitan and Mamara are subject of an ongoing boundary dispute between the municipalities of General Nakar, Quezon, and Tanay, Rizal. For now, the municipalities are sharing profit by require separate environmental fees of a minimal amount.

The trail to Mt. Mamara would require crossing the Tinipak River, which is a scene in itself as it has limestone formations reminiscent of those in Minalungao National Park, Nueva Ecija. When we reached the summit after two hours from Tinipak River, it didn’t feel like Mt. Mamara was just an alternative because of the amazing view it offers, including that of Mt. Daraitan.

After our descent, we passed by the Tinipak Cave, and swam inside. The water was very cold and clear.

If there’s one tip we want to share to others about our trips, it would be to always expect the unexpected and just make the most out of the trip. If by some chance the place you plan to go to is closed, there will always be an alternative; you can just ask around or google.

Watch our video here:

Mt. Mamara

Tinipak River

Tinipak River

Tinipak River

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Mt. Mamara

Tinipak Cave

Tinipak Cave

Mt. Mamara Summit

 

4 Reasons Why Day Trips are Awesome

Most of our adventures consist of day trips near Metro Manila, where we are based.

When we started this blog, one of the challenges we dared ourselves with was to get back within 24 hours to show other people that day trips to seemingly far places like Baguio City are possible. Later on, we realized that more than just being possible, day trips are in fact practical. Here are some reasons why:

  1. You get to save money.

Decent budget rooms in transient inns/B&B’s start at P500 ($12) per head. Instead of spending at least a thousand pesos (approximately $25) on accommodation, we prefer getting back home late in the evening, and sleeping on our own beds. This may be tiring for some, but one can always sleep in the bus, or in the car, except of course if he or she is the driver (and that is why sometimes, we prefer commuting but we’ll save it for another article).

  1. You save time.

Other than the financial practicality of getting back home and sleeping in the bus, day trips are also sensible because the traffic is better in the evening. We don’t know if people realize this but usually, in overnight trips, the last day is just reserved for just breakfast and traveling back home. In short, you spend most of the day on the road, and when you get home, you’re still exhausted and just want to lay in bed. For people like us, who have regular day jobs, it would then be so hard to get to work on the next day. Day trips allow us to explore the world around us almost every week, and still become productive for work on the following working day.

  1. You get to pack light.

Since you are just going on a day trip, you don’t have to bring overnight stuff such as nightwear, and towels.

  1. Asking permission from your parents or guardians would be easier.

We don’t know if this applies to everyone but we think parents are more inclined to let their children go on day trips than overnighters. Since some of our readers are students, we believe this would apply. And yes, at 28, Janna still seeks permission from her parents.

Here’s a list of awesome day trips we’ve taken that you should try too. Click the link to redirect you to our blog post on every destination. (We’ll keep this page updated and add more day trip destinations but make sure to check our posts on other non-day trips too.)

  1. Dambana ng Kagitingan & Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Bataan
  2. Balatoc Mines Tour & Bridal Veil Falls & Colorado Falls, Itogon & Tuba, Benguet
  3. Hiking Mt. Ulap, Itogon, Benguet
  4. Boac & Gaspar Island, Marinduque
  5. Majayjay Falls / Taytay Falls / Imelda Falls, Majayjay, Laguna
  6. Magdalena: River Rafting, Cliff Diving, and Water Tubing, Magdalena, Laguna
  7. Pagsanjan / Cavinti Falls, Laguna
  8. Seven Lakes of San Pablo City, Laguna
  9. MJD Urban Escape Farm, Lucena City, Quezon
  10. Mt. Mirador / Mt. Pinagbanderahan, Quezon National Forest Park, Atimonan, Quezon
  11. Bangkong Kahoy Valley, Dolores, Quezon
  12. Kamay ni Hesus & Kamayan sa Palaisdaan
  13. Hangga Falls / Maapon Falls, Sampaloc, Quezon
  14. Villa Sariaya, Sariaya, Quezon
  15. Hinulugang Taktak & Cloud 9, Antipolo City, Rizal
  16. Angono Art Galleries: Carlos “Botong” Francisco House, Nemiranda Arthouse and Balaw Balaw Restaurant, Angono, Rizal
  17. National Museum: Angono Petroglyphs, Angono, Rizal
  18. Inday Nelly’s Mystical Cave, Padilla, Rizal
  19. Wawa Dam & River, Rodriguez, Rizal
  20. Hiking Mt. Pamitinan, Rodriguez, Rizal
  21. Ten Cents to Heaven, Tanay, Rizal
  22. Masinloc Ecotour: Giant Clam / Taklobo Farm, Bacala Guesthouse, Mangrove Islet, and San Salvador Island, Masinloc, Zambales
  23. Barasoain Church, Malolos, Bulacan
  24. Buntot Palos, Pangil, Laguna
  25. Bantakay Falls, Atimonan, Quezon

Bantakay Falls

December 26, 2015

The Bantakay Falls, which still forms part of the Quezon National Forest Park, is just magnificent. Our one-hour trek through the cemented trail, and under the rain was truly worth it.

If you need a place to stay in Lucena City, click on the following link for our suggestions: Hotels/Bed and Breakfast/Inns

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Palaui Island and Santa Ana, Cagayan

This is still part of our 6-Day North Luzon Backpacking Adventure.

After hopping on a bus in Claveria, Cagayan, we arrived in Santa Ana, Cagayan three hours later. We were greeted by a random tricycle driver, who offered to bring us to the Nangaramoan Beach, which has extraordinary rock formations.

In the morning, we explored the exquisite Palaui Island (Punta Verde, Cape Engano Lighthouse, Falls). Words won’t do justice to the beauty of the island so we’ll just leave you with pictures. In the evening, we were able to take a photo in front of the 642-kilometer marker (away from the Rizal monument), which is the last one up north.

If you need a place to stay in Santa Ana, click on the following link for our suggestions: Hotels/Bed and Breakfast/Inns

Nangaramoan Beach

Nangaramoan Beach

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Cape Engano Lighthouse

Palaui Island

Palaui Island

Palaui Island

Palaui Island

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Palaui Island

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