It’s well known that Nueva Ecija is home to many spectacular churches and rice field landscapes, however, there is this one hidden place, though I must say that it’s not anymore due to the increased number of visitors.
You know how you see a place and think,Oh, wow! Who knew something that this place could really exist in the Philippines?This was exactly the case when I saw Minalungao National Park on National TV (Rated K) there was absolutely no way I was going to miss out on this place. I had to see it for myself.
When I saw this on TV for the first time, Then i search it immediately on google, on my Facebook account when i saw all the details of this mysterious place, I told to myself, I really wanted to see Minalungao National Park. However, I wasn’t able to find time(because of my studies) or a willing friends who also wants to go in that beautiful place.
This Minalungao National Park, a relatively unknown destination which has the potential to be a top tourist in the near future, but when i search about this mysterious unknown place I found out that there’s a stories about having a drowning incident in this river due to mythical creature called “DIWATA”. The “diwata” is always hunting for men and drowned those men while they were enjoying the river. Also, the place is surrounded by several stories about “ENGKANTO”. I don’t know if this stories is true or not, all i want that time is to experience the opportunity to explore and visit the “mysterious” place, the – MINALUNGAO NATIONAL PARK.
The word Minalungao was derived from the words Mina meaning mine and Lungao which is a local word for cave. It’s been a few years since photos of this destination started circulating on social media and has since become very popular with the weekend crowds. Locals say before the park was “discovered,” not a lot of tourists visited the province of Nueva Ecija. This natural sight put the once sleepy province on the map. The best time to visit to see the emerald green waters is around summer time.
The place maintained it’s natural beauty. But now, there were cemented areas near the Penaranda River going to cave. There’s also a lot of tourists and locals spending summer outing in the area. It’s sad that despite of being one of the tourist attraction, some people don’t know how to maintain and be responsible in their trash as well as on how they will treat the park as a national treasure.
Tips for your Minalungao hike
* How much to pay. The entrance fee at Minalungao National Park is PHP 100 per head. Drivers go in for free. Parking fee is at PHP 50 per vehicle. Tour guides (sometimes young kids) are available at no fixed price, but the benchmark would be PHP 100 more or less. Like us, if you want,you may explore it by yourself.
* Where to eat. Inside the park is a karinderia which serve Filipino street food, grilled delicacies, short orders of local dishes, and pancit. Price is at around PHP 80 per person depending on the orders. There are also souvenir shops and free restroom pass inside.
WHAT TO DO IN MINALUNGAO NATIONAL PARK:
Cross the hanging bridge to get the best view of the limestone cliffs.
Ride a bamboo raft through Peñaranda River flanked by limestone cliffs. Price ranges from P100-600 depending on size of the raft.
Minalungao National Park is a great option for a summer family trip . For sure It will be a fun adventure, especially for kids.And even though we got lost and stuck along the way, I still cherished this unforgettable experience.
Zam’s Blog 