For those who work hard, play becomes a serious undertaking as well. Many young Filipinos, especially those who are already earning for themselves, are eager to try a new adventure and travel to an unknown place. Travel however does not have to be as complicated as booking tickets and hotel rooms. With these four day trip destinations within Luzon, all one needs is a day to unleash the adventurer in you and reconnect with nature.
- Pililla Wind Farm, Rizal
Photo by Hazel Formilleza, used with permission.
Now, there is no need to travel all the way to Bangui, Ilocos Norte, to marvel at those towering windmills thatgenerate electricity. Just a few hours away from Metro Manila, you can now see some of these majestic wind turbines. According to a blog post by IronWolf, the farm which is open to the public, has 27 wind turbines and covers an area of 4,515 hectares. The wind farm has a capacity of 67.5 megawatts and feeds into Meralco’s nearby transmission lines.
The turbines are strategically placed on the hills of Barangay Halayhayin, Pililla, Rizal and because of its excellent wind resources, one can expect more than a breath of fresh air. Quite a welcome break from the pollution of Metro Manila. Located 55 kilometers from Manila, you can reach the farm through private car by taking Manila East Road that goes through the towns of Taytay, Angono, Binangonan, Cardona, Morong, Baras and Tanay.
- Buruwisan Falls, Siniloan, Laguna
photo via BuruwisanFalls/FB If hiking is your type of adventure, Buruwisan Falls which is located in Mt. Romelo in Siniloan, Laguan, near the Sierra Madre mountain range, may just be your thing. Only 80 kilometers away from Manila, you can be there in less than 3 hours. Getting to the falls itself will require you to do some hiking, but not to worry, Mt. Romelo is said to be a beginner-type of climb.
According to OpenNotes, the hike up the summit and down the catchbasin of the falls will take about two hours. There is a campsite where you can set up tents if you are intending to stay overnight. There are also nipa huts for rent nearby. If you are just there for the day, you can still enjoy a cool dip in the falls.
- Lake Pandin, San Pablo, Laguna
San Pablo City, Laguna is also known as the City of the Seven Lakes and one of these is Lake Pandin. Lake Pandin actually has a twin-crater lake called Lake Yambo. The two lakes are located near each other, with only a narrow strip of land separating the two of them. According to Wikipedia, both lakes are considered to be the “most pristine” of the seven lakes in the city.
You can reach San Pablo City in less than three hours and once in Lake Pandin, the way to go would be to rent a floating bamboo raft with a nipa hut, which you can either use to reach the other side of the lake or just for a picnic.
- Mt. Pinatubo, Botolan, Zambales
Mt. Pinatubo Crater Lake. Photo by Josh Pendejito, used with permission
After the disastrous 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, a crater lake was formed when monsoon rains filled up the crater that was left. This lake now called Pinatubo Crater Lake is the center of attraction of Pinatubo tours. Mt. Pinatubo is located in Botolan, Zambales, which is about 92 kilometers from Manila.
A standard tour, according to a tour operator TRIPinas, includes a 4×4 vehicle ride from the base camp to the jump off point, from which you will need to trek two hours going to the crater lake, lunch near the lake and then two hours hike going back to the jump off point.