Destination Scenic Philippines

Cuernos de Negros (literally mean “Horns of Negros”/locally as Mount Talinis, also known as Magaso) is a large stratovolcano complex that anchors the southeast tip of the Negros Island, central Visayas region, Philippines.

Getting to Mount Talinis would take almost a day to get to the summit and you must be rather in good shape and start extremely early at daybreak. The recommended plan is to coordinate with a Dumaguete City travel agency or check your hotel or guest house other safe recommended group tours and treks. Some people prefer camping near Lake Nailig, approximately 5 miles off Valencia town . Overnight stays in basic cottages near the mountain with local permission, however your own provisions of food, drinking water and relevant outdoor equipment are highly recommended. Adventures in Mount Talinis is much awaited by campers and trekkers  as you will come across one of the four Mount Talinis’ crater lakes, where you can  swim or do fishing catching fish like carp and tilapia and just grill it in an open fire while enjoying the captivating scenery surrounded by lush trees and exotic fauna and flora.

The youngest radiocarbon date obtained was 14,000 years (Before Present) from a lava flow made of dacitic breccia (a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or rocks cemented together by a fine-granular matrix) and a younger andesitic unit (lava forming thin capping unit) is present. An increase in fumarolic activity took place after a major tectonic earthquake in 1902. The Palinpinon geothermal field is located south of the Okoy River on the north side of the volcano.

Valencia is a municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, located 9 kilometers or 5.6 miles west and uphill of the provincial capital Dumaguete City. The municipality has 31,477 inhabitants, according to the national census data from the year 2010. In the year 2007 Valencia was voted as “the greenest and cleanest” town of the Negros Oriental Province. The municipality has as a patron saint, Our Lady of the Abandoned, with a town fiesta commemorating her feast day celebrated every year on October 12. The municipality is divided into 24 barangays. In Valencia, the Cebuano dialect is commonly spoken but English is also widely used.

Dumaguete City – the capital of Negros Oriental – is known as the City of Gentle People and University town. Located in region 7, Central Visayas, the charming city became one of the hot-spots for tourists from all over the world.  It is a vibrant city which makes its way into the heart of each visitor immediately. While diving is since may years the main attraction of the region, the City government put much effort into promoting the land-based tourist attractions of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental.

Negros Oriental, a laid-back province situated in the southeastern portion of Negros Island, Visayas, Philippines. Surrounded on the north and west by its neighboring province, Negros Occidental; the province is a breathtaking mix of culture and modernization. Dumaguete City is the capitol of Negros Oriental. The government is also located in the capitol area of the City. The province is divided from Cebu Island by the Tañon Strait. Siquijor Island and the dive paradise of Apo Island lay also to the east. The northern parts of Mindanao can be seen in good conditions from the south of Negros Oriental.

Images around Cuernos de Negros

The Nagsasa Cove in San Antonio, Zambales, used to be rocky until the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1990’s, which chucked tons of volcanic ash in many parts of the region. Nagsasa Cove has similar features as Anawangin: a beach of ash that absorbs heat faster than the usual sand; a blanket of agoho trees, a type of casuarina tree, often mistaken for pine trees; the azure sea teeming with life and colour; and gently sloping hills framing the view.

The village was first called Pamalisaraoan and later as PAMISARAOAN. PAMISARAOAN was given the status of a barrio, as part of Pueblo Uguit (now Castillejos) in 1836. However, in the year 1846, when the barrio of Alasis or Aluciis, which then belonged to Cabangan, was made into a new pueblo, Barrio PAMISARAOAN was detached from Uguit and was subsequently attached to San Narciso. The town leader, Teniente Primero, in that period was Don Gregorio Bañaga, who governed from 1836 to 1849. He was succeeded by Don Vicente Lacuesta in 1849 (governing as Teniente Absoluto), when San Antonio was finally recognized and given the status of a pueblo on May 12, 1849 as a result of two petitions for separation from the town of San Narciso. The first was in 1848 and the second was on March 8, 1849. The latter petition was signed by 31 top leaders of the community headed by Tiniente Primero Don Vicente Lacuesta.

The last mayor Teniente Absoluto was Don Santiago Ladrillono. He was succeeded by Don Dimas Pascasio as the first gobernadorcillo in 1856. The prominent citizens selected their leaders every year thereafter. In 1891 to 1898, Don Pablo Corpus was the only Capitan Municipal selected after which Don Felix Magsaysay was appointed as the first Presidente Municipal and many more followed up to 1931 to 1945. San Antonio was the site of the US Naval Communications Station San Miguel, now the Naval Education and Training Command. Now a Second Class Municipality, and under the leadership of Hon. Edzel L. Lonzanida, MD, San Antonio is experiencing a significant rise in tourist arrivals. With the improvements in tourism-related infrastructure like road rehabilitation, construction of first-class health facilities and major renovation of the San Antonio Public market, and over-all beautification and promotion of the town, San Antonio is truly on its way to become the crown jewel of tourism in Zambales and Region III.

How to Get to Nagsasa Cove

How to get there by public transport. Take the bus (check bus station to Zambales) to Iba or Sta. Cruz, Zambales and get off at the San Antonio Public Market near the Municipal Hall. Alternatively, you can also travel by bus to Olongapo and another bus to San Antonio, and get off at the same market. Look for a tricycle transport to take you to Pundaquit and then rent a boat to Nagsasa Cove or also by trekking is another good option.

Suggested Travel Agency offering Nagsasa Cove Tour

McTrail Travel and Tours, linked below.

'Kinaiyahan’ meaning the natural environment, or anything associated with existence by nature and controlled by nature. This is where the Kinaiyahan Forest Park concept started on a 17-hectare forested area in barangay Zamora, Bilar town.

Bilar, officially the Municipality of Bilar, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 18,512 people. The town of Bilar, Bohol celebrates its fiesta on May 15, to honour the town patron Saint Isidore the Farmer. Bilar is an interior town northeast of Loboc. This town used to occupy a big area and included what are now known as municipalities of Sevilla, Batuan and Carmen. The term “bilar” is a native word from the infinitive “nagbilad” literally means "exposed under the sun".

Dining and around Kinaiyahan corners

Malangaan Marble Cave in the Philippines is situated on the Municipality of San Rafael province of Bulacan bounded by two provinces, Quezon and Pampanga. San Rafael is predominantly an agricultural town, and its major crop is rice which is the main source of people’s income, along with other produce of corn, root crops, fruits (mostly mangoes) and vegetables.  Livestock and poultry production are the other agricultural source in the municipality. 

San Rafael aimed for a wider development including tourism and this town has the high potential as tourist destination.  The Malangaan Caves in the village of Tukod, the San Rafael Church, the San Rafael Retreat Farm and the Eight Waves Water Park resort are among sites that will surely attract more national and international visitors.

Mount Daraitan is a mountain range located along the borders of Tanay, Rizal and General Nakar, Quezon Province, Philippines.  Daraitan came from two words - dara, a local term for limestone and aeta, a Filipino term usually used to describe native people of dark skin. Mount Daraitan is a part of the vast ancestral land of the Dumagat tribe and is protected by military as history of insurgencies and armed presence has been reported to this place. However, in general, Daraitan is considered to be safe for mountain trekkers and visitors. At the foot of Sierra Madre Mountain in village Daraitan, Tanay, Rizal runs the Tinipak River featuring a sporadic formation of limestones and crystal clear river. Tinipak or Agos River, is a river that flows from Tanay, Rizal to General Nakar, Quezon Province and found throughout the Sierra Madre mountain ranges. The dramatic marble rock formations, an in-cave natural swimming pool and its proximity to Metro Manila, make this gem a perfect getaway for visitors locally and  internationally. The river is popular to mountaineers since this is the main attraction after summiting Mount Daraitan and awarded as the cleanest inland body of water in the region.

The word “Tinipak” which gives the name to the river, literally means “to cleave” or “to split”, which appropriately captures the imposing limestone structures that border the rivers’ bank. Tinipak River’s amazing beauty makes for ideal photographic backdrop, making a popular destination for visitors seeking to record unforgettable moments. Tinipak River is the perfect  getaway from the bustle and hustle of the city because of its serene surroundings. The limestone features almost the entire stretch of Tinipak River banks is a 

In the north, the range begins in the province of Cagayan and ends in the south in the province of Quezon. In the province of Nueva Vizcaya, the Caraballo Mountains sits between Sierra Madre and Cordillera Central. The mountain range serves as a typhoon barrier, weakening incoming typhoons from the Pacific Ocean before reaching the central mainland. The range's highest point is still unsure, and several peaks are recognised as the highest. Mount Anacuao in Aurora province stands at 6,069 feet (1,850 m), while Mount Cetaceo in Cagayan is of similar altitude. However, an expedition in September and October 2012 to Mount Guiwan (Nueva Vizcaya) preliminarily measured an altitude of 6,283 feet (1,915 m) on the summit.

There are many mountain peaks along the range by elevation approximately measuring from highest which is Mount Bintuod at 6,339 ft (1,932 m) to the lowest which is Mount Malauban at 1,024 ft (312 m). Numerous rivers running within the  mountain range from the longest, the Cagayan river at 518 km (322 miles) and the shortest is Kaliwa river at 518 km (322 miles). The Sierra Madre has 9 waterfalls of various stretch and wide. The mountains in Gabaldon and the mountains in Isabela as viewed from Barangay Diddadungan in the town of Palanan Northern portion of the range are two ecoregions cover the Sierra Madre. The Luzon rain forests cover the lower slopes of the range, and characterized by dipterocarp trees, or Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The Luzon montane rain forests cover the portions of the range above 1000 meters elevation, and are characterized by laurel forests of oak and laurel trees. And there is one active volcano, the Caqua volcano in Cagayan province and last erupted in 1907.

For more details about Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, tap the linked image above.

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar  is a beach resort, hotel, convention centre and heritage destination located in Bagac, Bataan, Philippines. Jose Acuzar, the owner of New San Jose Builders, Inc., started to rebuild Spanish colonial-era mansions in Bagac in 2003. He was born in June 19, 1955, a Filipino business executive who is the founder of New San Jose Builders. He also serves as the Secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development from July 2022 until term completed. In March 2010, the area was opened to the public as the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. It was placed under the management of Genesis Hotels and Resorts Corporation.  

The main attraction of the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is the different heritage houses, which were shifted from outside Bagac, Bataan. The houses were disassembled from their original location and reconstructed inside the location of the Las Casas Filipinas. This method  called heritage conservation, is an attempt that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philosophical concept that became popular in the twentieth century, which maintains that cities as products of centuries' development should be obligated to protect their patrimonial legacy. The term refers specifically to the preservation of the built environment, and not to preservation of, for example, primeval forests or wilderness has been argued among conservationists since they believed that their original communities could have benefitted from the structures had they been restored on site. The heritage park's advocate Gerry Acuzar claimed that he went with the method in order to save the structures from decay and neglect.  The heritage park was acclaimed by the Department of Tourism in 2021 under Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat for its preservation efforts.

The houses included in the Las Casas Filipinas were evaluated for their historical, cultural and architectural merit.  Most structures dates back to the Spanish colonial era, but some buildings were built later such as the Casa Lubao which was built in 1920 during the American era.  The heritage park also include a torogan, literally a 'resting place' or 'sleeping place',  is a traditional ancestral house built by the Maranao people of Lanao, Mindanao, Philippines for the nobility. A torogan was a symbol of high social status, such a residence was once a home to a sultan or datu in the Maranao community. Nowadays, concrete houses are found all over Maranao communities, but there remain torogans a hundred years old.  Maranao royal family house from Lanao in Mindanao is a predominantly Muslim Filipino ethnic group native to the region around Lanao Lake in the island of Mindanao. They are known for their artwork, weaving, wood, plastic and metal crafts and epic literature.  The Darangen, are ethnically and culturally closely related to the Iranun, and Maguindanao, all three groups being represented as speaking Danao languages and giving name to the island of Mindanao. They are grouped with other Moro people due to their shared religion.

If you're interested travelling to Apo Reef, tap the linked image above