What if I tell you that you don’t need to travel for more than 2 hours from Manila to hike, camp, watch the sea of clouds, stargaze, swim in the falls – everything in one place? Or that not only in Sagada nor in Mt. Pulag that a sea of clouds exists?
Before the declaration of the community quarantine in the whole of Luzon, we were fortunate enough to visit and camp overnight at Fresno Agro; a promise I made to my daughter who is so much fond of adventures.
The place is very accessible to the public. The trek is good for the so-called “Titos and Titas of Manila” as well as little kids because the hike going to the different attractions is not that difficult. Vehicles can actually ascend the summit of Mount Kulis where one can find the famous nipa hut, the hideout of the Vendetta group in Coco Martin’s TV series “Ang Probinsyano”. Mount Kulis is where you can also park and leave your car when you decide to stay overnight.
Here are some points of interest and activities that you can try when you visit Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite in Tanay, Rizal.
Sea of clouds
Spider web
Mt. Kulis
Mt. Sambong
Noah's Ark
Stargazing
Camping
Other places (which we missed to visit) that you can also check out inside Fresno Agro are the Flower Garden, Twin Mountain Rock, Hanging Bridge, Mini River Falls and Lion House Falls.
The place is still under development. When we went there, only 4 public comfort rooms are available and it is located in Mount Kulis.
There are public comfort rooms at the entrance area but it is very far from the camp site.
There are ongoing construction of comfort rooms near the Spider web to accommodate more visitors. We heard as well from the admin that the management is continuously improving the facilities to make it more visitor-friendly.
Go and visit the place. You will enjoy the fresh air, the sea of clouds during sunrise and stargaze at night with option of not walking/trekking for hours.
How to get to Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite
By Private Car
The Waze app is your friend. Use this app so it can guide you to which road can get you to Fresno Agro faster. Along EDSA, there are various entry points that you can take depending on your starting point. You may take Cubao, Boni Serrano, Ortigas or Shaw boulevard.
By Public Transportation
1. Ride a jeepney from Cubao, Quezon City going to Cogeo. Get off at Cogeo gate 2 or Padilla. 2. Take another jeepney going to Sampaloc, Tanay via Marcos Highway. Get off at Sitio Maysawa (Maysawa Circuit) 3. You may opt to walk or ride a tricycle to Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite.
Budget
Day tour: Php 150.00 (4:00 AM to 3:00 PM) Overnight tour: Php 200.00 (4:00 PM – 8:00 PM to 1:00 PM the next day) Ten pitching if you own a tent: Php 300.00 per tent Tent rental if you have no tent: Php 300.00 per tent (3 pax capacity) / Php 650.00 per tent (4 to 5 pax capacity) Day tour cottage rental: Php 2,000.00 Overnight tour cottage rental: Php 3,000.00
There are certain fees if you visit each tourist spots but we highly recommend to avail the all-in package.