A Negros Road Trip

written on March 24th, 2018 by Rusty Jorbina

 

My dad and I went to Negros for a quick road trip to see our relatives, but also to checkout what the island had to offer. We took our car from Cebu City, drove down to Santander down south, then took a ferry to Dumaguete City, the starting point of our trip.

 

Here are some of the things we saw :

Danjugan Island

Danjugan is a marine sanctuary located off the western coast of Negros Occidental. You have to contact the island before getting there since food and fresh drinking water need to be transported to the island for their guests. The jump off point is Punta Bulata in the Negros mainland and we took a 30 minute banca ride to the island. We started with an orientation about Danjugan and the conservation efforts made to keep it and its surrounding ecosystems clean and alive. We were then served snacks by the Moray Lagoon and even saw the inhabitants that the lagoon is named after.

Our guide, Tikyu, then gave us a tour of the island. First stop was Turtle Beach, a small white sand shore and a beach full of rocks. Then we walked to the middle of the island, past the lagoon, and peeked into the island’s cave which was home to hundreds of bats. Our last stop was Typhoon Beach on the west coast. This area was so wonderful for snorkeling. I saw a lot of coral fishes, a school of bat fish, and a lone barracuda. Other activities to do in the island include kayaking, trekking, bird watching, and scuba diving.

The staff prepared the meals for us, we had one lunch and two snacks (one in the morning and the other in the afternoon). They served sharing style food sourced locally and seasonally so there is no fixed menu. They can also cater to their guests’ dietary requirements (vegetarian, pescetarian, no pork, etc). The best part was that the food was really good and we had more than enough to make ourselves full.

 

The Ruins

From my dad’s birth place in Binalbagan, we drove up to Bacolod City to see ‘The Ruins’, although technically this beauty is actually located in nearby Talisay City. The Ruins, as the name suggests, is the remnants of an old mansion built in the 1900s which was burned down during World War II.

The place has earned the nickname ‘the Taj Mahal of Negros’ since the owner built the house in remembrance of his wife that had died during an accident. The house is small and takes about five minutes to explore with a guide but you can spend a long time here exploring the nearby garden and the mini park (some people have done picnics), taking lots of photos, and eating at the cafe across the mansion. Most people come here in the late afternoon to escape the heat and wait for the sunset to cast a golden glow on the house (as we have done).

 

Campuestohan Highland Resort

Also in Bacolod but up in the mountains, Campuestohan is a resort 800 meters up high in Mt. Makawili. The place has wonderful views of the coast with the scenic backdrop of the lush mountain forests. Since it is in the mountains, the weather was nice and cool and offered a break from the heat of the city.

The resort offers both day use of their facilities and overnight accommodations. They had a playground for kids, a wave pool, and fountain of foam which was greatly enjoyed by the guests. They also have horseback riding and, for the more adventurous, a 340-meter zip line. There is also an on site restaurant but we did not eat here. We did not stay here much but just toured around. But I did have the most fun creating poses with the giant statue of King Kong in the park.

 

Lakawon Island

Our last stop for the trip before leaving Negros was a day trip at Lakawon Island. Lakawon is located north of Negros island, off the cost of Cadiz City. Getting there is a bit tricky but there are signs on the road that one just needs to look out for. There is a registration office in a small pier in the mainland where guests can buy tickets for boat transfers and entrance to the island. We went there as Day Trip Guests and enjoyed swimming in the sea. Other activities in the island include kayaking and enjoying the ‘biggest floating bar in Asia’. There is also an on site restaurant which serves affordable Filipino dishes.

We walked around the the island, including the area that did not belong to the resort. There were some locals cleaning the beach and working around the area. As their website indicates, the resort is under new management and is further expanding. This is the reason for a lot of construction around the island. After an afternoon relaxing and swimming, we left later in the afternoon back to the mainland, then drove to Escalante for the ferry ride and back to the city via Tabuelan.