Benguet: Baguio reinvents itself as an adventure destination!

Are you sure you've seen the best of Baguio? Think again! Baguio is now promoting itself, together with its neighboring towns, as an adventure destination. These Benguet towns are collectively called BLISTT (Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay). Add Bokod, Benguet to the list as well, with Ambuklao Dam.

With Baguio as a jump-off point, you can kayak or river surf at the Ambuklao Dam and Tuba, visit the Balatoc Mines in Itogon, go rock climbing, river hiking, bouldering, rappelling, or ride an ATV in Camp 3, hike up Mount Pulag in Bokod and Kabayan, fish by the Agno River, or go spelunking at the Ambongdolan Caves in Tublay. Baguio City itself is also becoming a major airsoft destination. There are simply so many choices!


We went off-road go-karting along one of the rough roads by the Agno River. If we had more time, we could have tried out more stuff.

All this is being organized by the Baguio Convention and Visitors Bureau (BCVB). And what's good about this new service is you can plan an adventure with style, with your own butler and waiters setting up alfresco dining for you! They even had a bar for the group!

Baguio's adventure tours are still in its infancy. And it's exciting to see how this develops. I hope I get to visit again to really try all of these cool activities.

Baguio Convention and Visitors Bureau
+63 74 4424088

Baguio: Panagbenga Festival 2010 Calendar of Events

Panagbenga Festival 2010 promises to be even bigger. The Baguio Flower Festival has already begun and continues to attract visitors to Baguio City, the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Here is a list of major events this year:

• February 14: Fluvial Parade featuring Camelot on the Lake, Burnham Park
• February 26-28: Abanao Nights, Abanao Square
• February 27: Grand Street Parade, Session Road to Athletic Bowl
• February 28: Grand Float Parade, Session Road to Athletic Bowl
• March 1-7: Session Road in Bloom, Session Road

Baguio: The Manor at Camp John Hay prepares a dinner feast!

The Manor at Camp John Hay served the most memorable dinner during the entire Lakbay Norte trip. You have to give it to the Baguio Convention and Visitors Bureau (BCVB) for preparing a feast for us. And welcoming us to the dinner was none other than Baguio City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista, Jr.

Also there to welcome us was Atty. Damaso Bangaoet, Jr., the father of the Panagbenga Festival which is being held this month.


And to make sure the food was nothing but perfect, renowned chef Billy King, the man who brought Le Soufflé to Manila and now the secret behind the gastronomic magic of The Manor in Camp John Hay's Le Chef Restaurant, personally supervised his staff of chefs and waiters.



It was indeed a grand selection that included soup, salad, sushi and sashimi, juicy roast beef slices, grilled meats and vegetables on skewers, bowls of Mongolian barbecue, home-made sausages with salsa, and irresistible desserts (it was strawberry overload), more than enough to fill our stomachs. After our third or fourth servings, we all gave up!

For the night, I also stayed at The Manor. The rooms were spacious, cozy, and nicely layed-out. I wish we could have slept longer. But we had to be up early the next day. Breakfast would have also been a feast! But I wasn't able to enjoy it due to our tight schedule.

The Manor, Camp John Hay
+63 74 4240931 to 43 / 50 to 53
+63 2 8450892 / 8450911
reservations@cjhhotels.com