2016 • 05 • 09

It’s like a hidden holding area where soldiers are preparing for conquest, their fleet all gathered up and ready for a unified assault. Only, there are no soldiers but tourists. No war to wage but a mission to beat the summer heat. No warships but bamboo rafts boarding families and friends on vacation.

This is how it looks like in Minalungao National Park when people flock to the place to try bamboo rafting, one of the many outdoor activities adventurers can enjoy in this landscape protected by national law in the municipality of General Tinio in Nueva Ecija.

Besides boarding these mobile cottages while traveling down the emerald Peñaranda River, which streams from the Sierra Madre Mountains, and marveling at the intricate rock formations lining it, vacationers can also explore caves in the park and trek to the grotto that opens up a gorgeous overlooking view.

Swimming in the cool waters of the river is an open invitation. But if preference calls for exploring it from afar, perhaps several feet from the ground, one can always opt for the zip-line to go from one bank to another.

Experiencing the Minalungao National Park, which covers 2,018 hectares, might take a whole day, but thanks to this brief video by Mikoy Martinez a.k.a. Nomadic Mike, people get to survey Nueva Ecija’s hidden treasure in less than two minutes.

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