THINGS TO DO

Activities

These are the activities that our overnight guests can avail of. Please note that we are not open to day-visitors anymore, things got just too busy :)

Zipline

Our main outdoor attraction is our very own dual Zipline, that is designed to match the latest safety standards. We tested each line with two adult men, which means it is strong enough to carry at least a load of 4 men. While it is only 60 meters long, it crosses a thrilling ravine and our fish ponds at about 10mapl (meters above pond level :) ) in a very picturesque jungle setting. Opposite to others, our Zipline doesn't leave you bankrupt at an affordable P50/ride, plus if you enjoy it a lot you can upgrade to an affordable flatrate (P150) and ride as often as you want. The price includes the rental of the Petzl trolley, Petzl lanyard, Petzl harness and the helmet.
Some people are afraid of heights and don't dare to use our big zipline. For those we created a smaller one that is still 40 meters, but only 1-2 meters above ground. Actually our kids are using this one even on their own!

Mega water slide

Wait! Aren't only swimmingpool resorts supposed to have those? There is no proper swimming pool at the pitcher plant farm, right? Who cares!? We still have one of the most thrilling water slides of the whole island here! Now, how do we get to stop you? Well, find out for yourself! Be informed that surprisingly there is a high percentage of survivors :) The slide is somewhere beyond 30 meters, and compliant with our nature theme fed by rainwater and powered without any electrical pumps. Showers are available and needed. Opposite to the pool resorts they are needed AFTER the activity :) Please make sure your water sliding outfit doesn't have any buttons or zippers.

Disc golfing

This rather exotic sport is played with a frisbee and the goal is to hit 18 gongs situated in trees all over the farm. The rules are identical to real golf, but given our challenging terrain and natural setting, it is more exciting and with only P50/person also more down to earth. This way you will also explore every corner of our farm and if you have bad luck the neighboring lots and the fish pond, too :) Exercise and fun is guaranteed!

Volleyball, Badminton and the like...

We have volleyball and badminton gear available and also a basketball area. Our treadmill can be used for P50/hour. In the cool mountain air you will enjoy doing these sports much more than usual. We are also planning to rent mountain bikes, as we have perfect trails around our farm - just inquire if interested.

Fishpond

Our very own spring provides water for our fish pond. It is stocked with Tilapia and decorated with water lilies and we even have a small portuguese style dinghy (aka boat :) ) assisting our visitors interested in fishing, or serving as a playground for the kids. Live-vests are available, too.

Birdwatching

If you take our suite or studio room, you can see the following from the convenience of your porch while resting in a comfortable deck chair: Philippine Serpent Eagle, Grey-Faced Buzzard, Brahminy Kite, Besra, Crested Goshawk (see on the right, while resting at our suite porch after a crash-landing :) ), Zebra Dove, Spotted Dove, Philippine Coucal, Philippine Scops Owl, Grass Owl, Great Eared Nightjar, Glossy Swiftlet, White Collared Kingfisher, White Throated Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher, Barn Swallow, Pacific Swallow, White-Breasted Woodswallow, Pied Triller, Yellow-Vented Bulbul, Philippine Leaf Warbler, Asian Glossy Starling, Grey Streaked Fly Catcher, Pied Fantail, Brown Shrike, Olive-Backed Sunbird, Everetts White-Eye, Tree Sparrow, Chestnut Munia, Black-Naped Monarch, Coppersmith Barbet, Large-Billed Crow, Northern Shoveler, Philippine Duck, White-breasted Waterhen, Little Egret, Javan Pond Heron and most likely a few more.
You can also do a day or overnight trip to Kitanglad National Park, a world known bird-watching destination with 200+ recorded bird species, where you can also find Philippine Frogmouth, Mindanao Hornbills and other large birds, the Philippine Eagle not to forget. More info on the park at the Birdlife website

Hiking

Watch Tower 1
If you want to venture further, we have several trails leading to a small mountain range covered with forests behind our farm. Very popular is the 6 km hike to Tower 1 that is on top of a 1030m mountain overlooking much of Bukidnon (see photo on the right). On the way back you can jump into a swimming pool along the trail!

Canayan Swimming pool
A different hike from our farm is without any climb and brings you to the well maintained public swimming pool of Malaybalay that is situated in very scenic forest location (free, open on Saturday and Sunday only). From here it is just 2km to a great restaurant and access to public transportation.

Impalutao
While Bukidnon is a province without any coastline, that doesn't mean that you have to stay dry. You can head to the CEDAR project in nearby Impalutao, where you can find 3 impressive waterfalls that are just a few hundred meters away from each other. All in a massive forest setting, including a spring fed natural swimming pool.

Twin Falls
People who enjoy leaving the beaten track might want to jump on a public motorcycle and drive up into a small mountain village visiting a friend of ours. He will then bring you to a hidden twin waterfall that you won't find advertised yet. Underneath you can take a very very cold swim, which you will also need, as it requires some serious river bed trekking to get there. It's not really far, but quite difficult to negotiate the slippery boulders. Even if you don't do the trek, the motorcycle trip and view is fun enough!

Mt. Dulang Dulang (2930m)
Malaybalay is a known jump-off point for climbing the 2nd highest mountain of the country Mt. Dulang-Dulang (2930m) of the Kitanglad Range, higher than Mt. Pulag in Luzon, which is still believed to be the 2nd highest mountain by some sources. We can help you where to get your permit and connect you to guides and porters. While there are people who climb this mountain up and down in one day, you might want to bring or rent a tent and sleepingbag (we have) and stay one night at the summit.

GPS assisted hiking
Do you own one of those fancy cellphones with GPS receiver or even a dedicated unit? We will provide you with a map, coordinates and get you into GPS assisted hiking. This way you will always know how far you still have to go and be assured being on the right path - plus it keeps playful adults very entertained! If you are into Geocaching, you will also find your treasure nearby :)

Horse riding

If you are into horse riding, or even if not yet, Malaybalay is the place to be! For beginners and kids you can have peaceful horses led by an expert cowboy and just do some careful circles and find out if you can become friends with the animal below you :) The horse riding place is also famous for it's good meals served in Nipa huts. For a more spectacular scenery you can head to the pines view park, where there are also horses for rent. Or the adventurous ones might want to negotiate with our Carabao for a thrilling ride.

City Tour

Always popular is the Malaybalay City tour. Ok, it is a small city, but the Pines View Park -also known as the Kaamulan grounds- is huge and filled with majestic pine trees. People gather here for picknic, playing soccer, frisbee, practicing dances or just hanging out. Due to the size you can have a lot of privacy - quite different from other parks in the Philippines, where you can be pestered by overly active vendors. Now combine that with relaxing temperatures and you won't want to leave. After the park you can visit the Monastry of Transfiguration in San Jose, just a few kms away. Their two churches have an incredible artistic pyramid design, with a giant lava rock serving as the altar. People from all over the country come to see it. The monks are selling organic coffee and peanut brittle. If it is raining in the afternoon you can seek refuge in the Gaisano mall.

Swimming

If you like nice swimmingpools, slides and all kinds of water action, take a 90 min ride to Maramag, where there are 4 (!) exciting heavily competing water spring resorts. Namely RR Resort, Ed li Mar, MGM and Waig crystal spring, the latter featuring even a cable car.

Mega Zipline, Zorb and Rock Climbing

Need even more thrill? How about the longest ZIP line in Southeast Asia? You will find it in Dahilayan near Camp Philips. It is 830m long and they will let you fly like Superman into the valley. Further they let you roll down a hill in a Zorb ball. While you are there you should drop by Del Monte, have a look at their pineapple plantations, visit the clubhouse and try their famous steak that's supposedly the best nationwide.

White Water Rafting

Cagayan de Oro is the hotspot in the country for white water rafting. With a jeepney and the boat on the roof you will be brought to the upper Cagayan river, depending on your degree of adventure wanted to a more or less difficult section of the river. Experience then running through 14 or 24 rapids, but also enjoy quiet and scenic moments in between, while taking a swim in the river or trying a scary jump from a high cliff. As Cagayan de Oro is only 2 hours from our farm, it can be done as a daytrip or implemented in your arrival route.
The rafting trips start every day at 7:30am and 12:30, takes 3 or 4 hours and costs between P700-1000 per head (as of year 2011) including gear rental, boatmen and transportation from/to Cagayan de Oro. The boat has a capacity of six seats, which all need to be paid for - you might be able to share the boat with others or not...

Davao

If you are coming from Manila, most naturally you would book a flight to Cagayan de Oro. Our suggestion is to fly to Cagayan de Oro, but return from Davao City. This way you can explore both cities and get to know Bukidnon Province along its full range. In Davao you might want to visit the Crocodile Park, Malagos Gardens, the Philippine Eagle Conservation Center and check out the beaches of Samal Island.

Eating

Speaking of food, that's the other premium activity in Malaybalay to do. Prices are low, while there are some incredibly good restaurants and cozy coffee shops around. Given our temperatures many eating places offer nice garden settings. As our farm is not far from the city you can reach these restaurants easily, even if you don't bring a car. Our free activity map will point you to our favorite locations. If you just want to stay home in the Pitcher Plant Farm, you can bring and prepare your own dishes, as some of our rooms have kitchen appliances, or even use our outdoor kitchen. Of course we can also include you in our meals for a charge.

Rainy day activities

Now what to do, when it is raining in our nature paradise? Of course our roofed porchs allow watching the rain, witnessing the moving clouds, or sometimes even experiencing dense fog.
If you get cold, then it's time to give our outdoor Hottub a try. It is very comfortable for two persons, can fit four good friends, or six if you really like each other a lot :) As we are not wasting valuable drinking water, this pool is powered by rain water, so if there is no rain, there is no pool - plus it needs to be requested ahead of time, so we can start collecting rain - which is rampant if we have a good rain. The heating is done by a locally constructed, Internet inspired submerged wood oven. If you want us to prepare the Hot tub for you there is a charge of P600 (heating takes about 3-4 hours), if you do it yourself, it's P250. The 800 liter hot tub is neighbored by a 2400 liter cold water pool, that allows you sauna style temperature changes, once you can not bear the heat of the hot tub anymore. For the perfect ambience - our cicades, fireflies and bats will take care of that - we recommend doing the hot tub session in the evening with cold drinks, candles and such.
If it is still raining, you can retreat to the guest house (if you are booked in :) ) and try some DVDs, we even have some rare European movies and such.