Forest Camp, Valencia in Negros Oriental

Part of our Dumaguete trip was to visit Forrest Camp, one of the known tourist spot located in Valencia, a 15-20 minutes drive from Dumaguete City.  It is a mountain resort with pools made up of natural water from the Mt. Talinis.  The fresh and cool water, complemented by lush-green trees, truly a perfect combination to soothe the weary body needing a quick refreshment. Forrest Camp has a restaurant as well as accommodations for overnight stay.  Entrance fee is Php 80.00 only. Bringing of food from outside is allowed.  It is advisable to bring own food and drinks to lessen  the expenses.

Forrest Camp's hanging bridge...

 

This is one of the open cottages, beside the pool.

Taking a dip in the pool situated in the highest part of the resort. The water here is cascaded to the lower pools. (Must be the cleanest pool. hehehe).

Unforgettable trip to Casaroro Falls

After a short dip in the cool waters of Forest Camp in Valencia, Negros Oriental, we continued our trip to one of its tourist destinations, the Casaroro Falls.  This magnificent falls is located in between the enormous mountains of Valencia, Negros(20-40 minutes from Dumaguete City) and is dubbed as the most photographed falls in Negros Oriental because of its distinctive form and beauty.   However, witnessing this beauty requires great adventure spirit…

We asked a few locals information about Casaroro Falls before venturing on our trip.  We found out that Casaroro is actually the source of the fresh water flowing in Forest Camp.  So, after getting instructions on how to get there and getting confirmation on the road condition and safety of the area, we rode our rented Honda motorcycle to begin our trip.  It was expected that the travel would be 15-25 minutes from Forest Camp to the falls depending on your driving speed. The well-cemented road made our drive blissful since we were able to enjoy the luxurious mountain view of Negros.

Road going to Casaroro Falls(good, right?, just wait and see.)

However, as the road started to look steep and weather was getting colder, unfortunately the road was also getting harder.  The rest of the road going to the falls was very rough, rocky and some other parts muddy.  To be on the safe side, I decided not to ride on the motorcycle and just walk to give my partner a better maneuvering clearance in driving. 

This is the beginning of the rough road.

I needed to repeatedly ride and walk until we reached a part with a sign “Casaroro Falls” 30 meters ahead. We then proceeded and finally reached the entrance to the falls.  A small-wooden waiting shed is located beside the stair that obviously will bring you down to the falls.  We approached the shed and waited for the person in-charge so we can pay the entrance fee of Php 10.00 only.  However, few minutes have passed and still there was no trace of the in charge.

The welcome sign.

Entrance fees.

The sound of the falls made us very excited and decided to go down without waiting for the person in charge.  Without any information of what to expect, we started to descend the stairs.  We realized after taking a few steps that it will indeed be a very long and hard descend after seeing the hundreds of steps below us.  

 Going down..

As we descended, the sounds of the birds, rushing falls, the swaying of trees as the wind blows, the silence made me shiver and gave us a second thought of whether to proceed or not. We talked and considered our options since there were no other visitors along with us but also thought that they might be other visitors already in the falls area. According the information I researched from the net we have to trek 350 steps to get to the place.

A view of the stairs to the falls.

When we reached the base, we walked on a cemented pavement along a stream and crossed a short man made bridge before we reached our destination.

Stream...

 Man made bridge...near the falls.

Finally, drenched with sweat, we reached our goal.  To our surprise, we were the only visitors in the place which made us a bit scared.  Nevertheless, Casaroro falls is certainly a beauty of nature to behold.  Unique to this falls is its narrow opening which causes the large volume of water to fall at once and thus, causes a loud sound.  Large boulders surround the area along with forest trees and plants.  After taking a few pictures, we hastily turned back and headed up.

 The magnificent Casaroro Falls

A note to visitors planning to visit the falls.  Don't come alone or two(don't follow us hehehe), it is much safer to be in a group as the place a bit secluded.  If there is someone in your group who can safely drive a motorcycle it's advisable to rent one since "habal-habal" going to the falls is very expensive maybe 200-300 pesos.  Come early and go home early.  Going there in a rainy day is not safe as the road and the stairs are slippery.  Be extra cautious for any unexpected happenings like SNAKES! crossing you way.  Not to scare you though, we saw one but it got scared of us and ran away.  That's why we also ran with all our might.

And that's our unforgettable trip to Casaroro Falls...

City of Gentle People:Dumaguete

Dumaguete City is a small, laid-back capital city of Negros Oriental. In highly urbanized cities such as Cebu,  where people are always racing with time, it's totally different in Dumaguete, life here is slow and simple.  I have been to this city a few times and I have always been fascinated with the place.  I bet nowhere in the Philippines you can see all kinds of motorcycles driven by all kinds of people young, old, men, women, name it!  Even senior citizens are driving their own motorcycles!

Coming to Dumaguete is not complete without visiting the prestigious Siliman University. I remember the first time that I stepped into the portals of this big university, I was astonished with the towering trees, the enormous buildings and the cool students.  A perfect picture of a university that hones independence, maturity and holistic development.  Being a small city, everything seems walkable.  You can take a walk in the streets and enjoy the rich architecture of old and new buildings. One thing I appreciate in the city is the affordable accommodation.  Here you find an airconditioned room, w/ cable, free breakfast for two for only 900++ pesos or even less.  However, transportation here is expensive, mininum fare is 8.50 pesos(higher than Cebu).  Also watch out for some drivers who takes advantage and ask for a higher fare especially if they find out you're new to their place.

How to get there

Ocean Jet travels Cebu-Dumaguete route for 950.00 one way.  There are also domestic flights by airline carriers that will bring you to Dumaguete City.  From Cebu City, the most affordable is via land trip.  You will have to ride a bus from South Bus Terminal to Liloan Port, Santander.  From Liloan Port, take a 15-25 fast craft to  Sibulan, Negros.  From Sibulan, a short tricycle ride for 15-20 minutes will already bring you to Dumaguete City.

Liloan Port, Santander, Cebu

Fares:
South Bus Terminal-Liloan Port - Php 169.00
Liloan Port-Sibulan - 62.00
Sibulan-Dumaguete - 11.00