Located two hours from Bacolod City, Mag-Aso Falls is the name of both the resort and the waterfalls found in Bgy Oringao, Kabankalan City. Cottages and picnic areas can be rented for the day, but if the 25-feet high twin falls located 100 steps below the resort tire you out, there are air-conditioned rooms where you can spend the night. The breathtaking pool of aquamarine water that forms at the foot of the falls will leave your mouth agape.
Swing by at low tide, either early in the morning or late in the afternoon and you’ll catch beautiful migratory birds gleefully roaming in the 80-hectare mudflat in the town of San Enrique. Walking to it is difficult, as you’ll have to trek through thick, dense and hungry mud. Thankfully, there are sandy passages and patches nearer the sea that provide relief, even joy, to adventurous birders.
Sipalay, a quiet coastal town four hours from Bacolod, has earned the moniker “Jewel of Negros”. The clear waters and 1km stretch of sugary sand have attracted many a sunset-seeker, but what really takes people’s breath away are the 44 diving sites to choose from, which range from 19 – 82 feet and boast different species of fish, coral reefs and some wreckage.
While Murcia is most popular for the Mambukal Mountain Resort, the town, which is less than 20km from Bacolod, has seen its fair share of off-road two-wheelers. Proof? The public market has bike racks ready for cyclists who step inside for some coffee and rice cakes before hitting Murcia’s many elevated and scenic trails.
This 43-hectare island is a marine and wildlife sanctuary that has neither running water nor electricity – but the lack of these amenities won’t matter once you come face to face with more than 500 fish species and over 200 hard coral species when you go snorkeling. The Philippine Reef and Conservation Foundation, which takes care of the island, calls Danjugan nature’s perfect classroom.
