Rizal

7 Amazing Reasons to Experience Masungi Georeserve’s Night Trail

Posted on August 31, 2017

Since opening to the public as a nature park in late 2015, Masungi Georeserve in Baras, Rizal has attracted nature-lovers with its 1,600 hectare forest dotted by 60-million-year-old karst formations. It always comes as a surprise to find a lush rainforest ecosystem like it only an hour’s drive from Metro Manila. Originally intended to be developed into a government housing complex, the deforested area off the Marinina-Infanta Highway (Marcos Highway) was overridden by stone quarrying and illegal logging in theRead More→

Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens Spa & Suites: A Superb Getaway from Metro Manila [UPDATED 2018]

Posted on February 18, 2015

[Author’s Note: This blog review was originally posted in February 2015, and updated in November 2018.] Located within the sprawling Loreland Farm Resort, 4 km from the city center of Antipolo, Luljetta’s Place Hanging Gardens Spa & Garden Suites is situated along a mountainside with impressive views overlooking grassy hills and, in the distance, Laguna de Bay and the Metro Manila skyline.  Set in garden terraces filled with flowering plants and linked by a maze of stairs, their amenities include two smallRead More→

Higantes Festival (Angono, Rizal)

Posted on April 12, 2009

Religious revelry and local fanfare characterize most festivals in the Philippine islands. One such festive celebration occurs a stone’s throw away from Metro Manila. Every November 23, the lakeside town of Angono in Rizal province wakes up to a big and bright celebration in honor of the town’s patron, St. Clement. The “higante” tradition of Angono began last century, when the town was a Spanish hacienda. The hacienda owners concerned about costs prohibited all celebrations except for one annual fiesta.Read More→