You could have mistakenly guessed we were in Palawan or Caramoan with the captivating site of the unique limestone formation behind our picture. We were not even in the sea but on a fresh water.... enjoying the crystal clear...flowing river of the Province of Nueva Ecija.
I first had a glimpse of this wonderful natural site when I was researching for my lesson on my Domestic Tourism Class. I immediately got enchanted on its beauty although I was skeptical if the images were just edited and unreal. As what I always think that "to see is to believe" I suddenly planned my itinerary to unfold what is there in Minalungao National Park.
I read about it and studied the area. As a travel agent, a tour guide and a tour operator, I also hoped that such a beautiful spot could be added in my list of tourist destinations for a package tours that I can offer. Bringing along a small group with me, we were set to have a camping since I read there were no hotels near the river. I coordinated our tour with Mr. Darine De Guzman, the most popular local guide in the area and he was able to provide the needed information to fix our itinerary.
We left our place at three in the morning with a rented van. Darine was waiting for us at the Plaza of General Tinio (town of Minalungao formerly known as Papaya). Along with other groups from Manila, we drove for another 30mins ride from the Plaza going to Sitio Minalungao. Since a storm was predicted to pass by the area, we decided to rent a place to sleep. There were no accommodation facilities in the area so we rented a nipa house for my group. After leaving our things, we started exploring the national park.
First Activity: Climbing the highest point of the area with its 1799 steps to reach the Minalungao Cross and the magnificient view of the sitio from the top.
Second Activity: Riding a shaded bamboo craft along the Minalungao River with a closer view of the 16meter high limestone formation convincing us that what we were staring at is a natural and unique scenery.
(Adding an icing to the cake, there were monkeys jumping and playing over the branches of the trees at the sides which amazed us with there circus-like routines)
Picnic: My Minalungao experience will not be complete without trying the cliff jump.
Spelunking: The Park have other caves to explore and have an enjoyable spelunking activity.
Our experience in Minalungao was one of the best travel adventures I had. It was truly unique and priceless. So, unlike the other places I have seen that I could say "once is enough",....in Minalungao I look forward to another adventure at the area. In fact I had organized a new itinerary for another tour blocking going here. If you are interested to explore the area, I have ready packages you could avail or if you have queries about the park, you can reach me through my mobile number: 09479845101.
