NUEVA ECIJA’S MINALUNGAO NATIONAL PARK ON A RAINY SEASON
A green pristine river and
unique rock formations bordered by high limestone walls is Minalungao National
Park of Nueva Ecija. And so I
thought. That picture in my mind was
altered as a chocolate-brown water replaced the emerald green on one morning
after the continuous rainfall. The rainy
season may relatively alter the landscape but not the experience and the
natural settings.
“Are you sure you want to continue?” Half-asleep and positioned at the farther end of the
van, I overheard a lady on one stopover asking our driver such question with conviction. She must have been concerned with the
tourists’ expectation such as ourselves.
But we continued nonetheless.
Otherwise, our devoid-of-sleep morning jaunt would be put into waste.
Aligned cottages at the
riverbanks were offered as rendezvous and dining area of visitors for a minimal
fee. I was nursing a hangover or
rather drunk following the early morning dismissal (6am) of the drinking spree
and call-time was at 8am. But we all
managed to make it despite the circumstance.
That was how eager we were to visit the Minalungao National Park. I actually literally dragged myself from the
comforts of my bed towards the van provided by Microtel Inn & Suites Cabanatuan, our home in Cabanatuan City. And the next few hours was a trip to the dreamland. Travel time was approximately an hour and
thirty minutes. If not for the service van,
we would have encountered difficulty in commuting given our condition at that
time.
Floating cottages aligned
amidst a crowd of tourists were the first sight upon alighting from the
van. We rented two cottages and I sat on
one corner to breathe fresh air and to rejuvenate. After a few minutes the group decided to take
the path leading to a cave. Majority
went to the farther end to discover the caves guided by children of the
community.
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| Photo and effects by: Doi of the travellingfeet.com |
The Minalungao National Park
is a protected area of the country specifically situated in the municipality of
General Tinio, Nueva Ecija. It is
considered one of the few remaining natural environments that a visit to Nueva
Ecija would not be complete without passing by this national park. The raw and rugged state of the parks’
pathway has been replaced by concrete ones as shared by friends who visited the
park before, a sign that local government is now open for the increasing number
of tourists.
Midday came and back to our
rented cottage, we feasted on the food prepared by Microtel Cabanatuan. It was a typical provincial setting that
friends and family experience during Sundays.
When I was young, I remember going to the beach at my hometown every
Sunday with my family, as we share the food prepared. This time, I was with my friends and we were
on the bank of a river – a national park to be specific.
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| Photo by: Doi |
Tip:
For hassle-free visit to the
Minalungao National Park, check-in at Microtel Cabanatuan and inquire for an arranged
trip with them. (This will depend on number of visitors and availability of
service vehicles.)
4 comments
What a beautiful place! Check out all those rock formations. :) Even with developments around it, the Minalungao National Park seems to retain its charm.
ReplyDeleteIt's really beautiful despite the change in rivers' color. Hehe
DeleteSuch bizarre rock formations.. I remember there are similar ones in San Mateo, Rizal. Is the water always in that state?
ReplyDeleteno. Only because it has been raining for days prior to our visit but it changes to emerald green under a good weather condition. Hehe
Delete