What’s New in Atok?

And yet again, we went back to Atok, Benguet to see the new developments their tourism can offer. Since, I already posted about these places in the past, This post will only contain new developments. Kindly check below for the link of the original post for more information.

1. NORTHERN BLOSSOMS FLOWER FARM

As of the moment, current entrance fee is: Php 250 for adults and Php 50 for children.

New flowers have been planted since the last visit, sunflowers, cactus, milflores, and a lot more now inhabit the farm. Also, a special area has been designated for the free coffee after the tour and for tourists that opt to stay overnight, they added new rooms for rent around the area.

 

2. LEAVES AND SPIKES

Just a few minutes away from the flower farm is a place called leaves and spikes, this place is for cactus lovers. They have a variety of succulents, most are rare finds especially for people living outside the Benguet area, perfect for succulent collectors.

3. HAIGHT’S PLACE

Another addition to the tourist spots is Haight’s place, it is in Paoay, Atok, Benguet where the Sakura farm is also located. It is a new bed and breakfast log cabin in Atok, They have 3 bedrooms and one separate Kubo House which can fit 5-6 persons with a rate of Php 3500 per night. We stayed here for one night and all we wanted to experience is the cold morning winds in this place, and yes, we definitely felt it.

Also, One of its attractions if the Dancing Flowers or Cosmos, due to its lightness the slightest wind can make it dance around thus given its nickname “dancing flowers”.

 

For more Information, Read Original Posts at:

Picture Perfect Atok: Northern Blossoms

Picture Perfect Atok: Mt. Timbak

Picture Perfect Atok: Sakura Farm

Picture Perfect Atok: Northern Blossoms

A place with cabbage roses? a garden full of flowers? I have been seeing photos of this instagram worthy place all over social media and it kept me thinking where could this beautiful place be? Turns out the owners are my mom’s cousin, what a small world? huh?

Northern Blossoms is a 2-hectare wide flower plantation in the province of Atok, Benguet. It is owned by Mellany Ganayan and her family. The area is full of rare varieties of flowers such as rice flowers, snapdragons, cabbage roses, delphiniums and a lot more. The garden also features a stunning view of the famous Mt. Pulag as its background.

My parents and siblings already visited the place months prior, so I wanted to go and see the place myself. So, from Manila I travelled to Baguio via bus (Victory Liner Deluxe-Php 750) and got some rest for a few hours in our house before travelling to Atok, Benguet. It is a 2-hour drive from Baguio via private car. I was with the my parents, siblings, nieces, titas and a couple of friends tagged along. It was a smooth ride along the highways and mountains of Benguet that greeted you with that extremely cold early morning breeze and after some time, there we were at the famous Northern Blossoms.

 

 

 

 

We were immediately greeted by Anti Lany (Short for Mellany), herself along with his husband, Uncle Nards, and a couple of our relatives. We were immediately brought to this house right at the entrance where we would be staying the night. The house is open to tourist who would prefer to stay at the area overnight. It is a house with 3 rooms where in each room can accomodate 4-5 people, it also comes with a small living area, balcony, kitchen, and bathroom.

Finally, the moment I’ve been waiting for, LOL! Time to see the flowers! We were accompanied by my mom’s other cousin, Ate Riva , as our guide for the tour. The tours inside the area is always accompanied by a local guide who would tell you about the flower’s names, kind and whatever story that would come with growing them. We took a lot of pictures, appreciated the view, told stories and inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a long walk around the area, the tour was finally over, it is a must go to place especially for nature lovers out there. Just a quick reminder to everyone, walk on designated trails and never pick flowers or plants unless stated otherwise. Let us all keep this place as beautiful and breathtaking as it started.

 

and the Lakwatsa continues…

For more of Picture Perfect Atok:

Picture Perfect Atok: Mt. Timbak

Picture Perfect Atok: Sakura Farm

 

 

 

Picture Perfect Atok: Mt. Timbak

Since we were already in Atok we decided to climb one of the nearby mountains, few minutes away from the famous Northern Blossoms is the starting point of Mt. Timbak. Everybody was into the idea of an early morning hike and so we did!

Mt. Timbak/ Timbac is the 3rd highest peak in Luzon and 9th in the country. It is located in the province of Atok, Benguet and is 2717 meters above sea level. It is considered a minor hike and is for all ages.

The day started at 3 a.m as everybody had to prepare and eat before the hike. At 4 a.m, we were fetched by Kuya Charles, a relative and our guide for the hike. It was around 30-40 minute drive from northern blossoms to the starting point of the hike. You will be greeted by locals who’s houses are right at the base of the mountain and some would offer to be your guide at Mt. Timbak.

The hike started with steep stairs then followed a short grass trail leading to the long assault up the mountains. The area was pitch black at that time and everybody was quiet trying to focus on the trail. The air was very cold and was getting thinner and thinner by every minute.  After a couple of minutes, we stopped at a flat area where we could see a 360 degree view of the mountains. This is where we decided to greet my mom a happy birthday as we take our pictures with the spectacular view.

 

After catching our breath for a couple of minutes we decided to go on with our hike and this time it was going up, down and around the mountains. After around 30 minutes we finally reached its highest point, we took pictures and everybody was definitely proud of themselves.

On our way down we were able to pass by gardens of vegetables, took some pictures and continued on our way. The end of the hike was quite refreshing as there was a store selling coffee, food, and a lot more for tired hikers.

This hike was short but very memorable because of the people I was with.

Till the next lakwatsa….

For more of Picture Perfect Atok:

Picture Perfect Atok: Northern Blossoms

Picture Perfect Atok: Sakura Farm

 

Picture Perfect Atok: Sakura Farm

Dreaming of going to Japan or to Korea just to see cherry blossoms (also knowm as sakura tree)? No need to worry about expensive airfares as you can now visit some at Paoay, Sayangan, Atok, Benguet!

The sakura farm in Atok, Benguet was established by Edward Haight and Hirmo Yoshikawa in June of 2016. They planted 30 sakura trees and is expected to be in full bloom after 5 years. The park is 2000 meters above sea level and the weather is suitable for growing the said tree.

The park is a 30 minute drive away from Northern Blossoms, around a very narrow road up to Paoay. We were welcomed into the park by our relative, PJ Haight. The trees, at the moment, are still young and is about 8 to 9 feet tall. It started to show several flowers but is not yet in full bloom.

Several tourists has already started visiting the place and would even have picnics in the Sakura Farm. A couple of vendors are around selling souvenirs, snacks and coffee to keep you warm.

The area is also surrounded by vegetable farms and since our relatives own them, we were given a private tour and was even allowed to harvest cabbages and carrots.

Everybody enjoyed picking their own carrots, although they were teaching us how we would determine which ones to pick, some of us would accidentally pick the small carrots. LOL!

After harvesting vegetables, taking pictures and sharing stories, we left the area and visited some of our other relatives. This time they brought us to a flower farm full of Alstroemeria, commonly known as peruvian lily, and we were allowed to pick as many as we can.

After all the harvesting we’ve done, time to head back!

Til the next lakwatsa…

For more of Picture Perfect Atok:

Picture Perfect Atok: Northern Blossoms

Picture Perfect Atok: Mt. Timbak