Farm Tour of Negros

Campuestohan Highland Resort

It was about eight in the evening when my phone rang, a call from one of the tourism officers in Luzon. This is not the first time tourism officers would call me to request for information at night on tours in Negros Occidental. Some would send short messages either on social media or through the phone at any time of the day. Well, with a 9% increase in tourist arrivals in Negros, no doubt people would inquire in the best possible means they could. This is why it is important to have tourism information counters in all towns and cities in the country.

This time though, the demand to visit organic farms is increasing. In fact, tomorrow, a group will be flying in to visit our farms, and experience food and fun in the sweetest province in the Philippines.

Mind you, we can either proceed to the South, North or Central Negros for the farms. When flying in,  first stop would be Fresh Start farm  in Silay where good health, fair trade an environmental conservation is promoted, followed by a tour of the heritage houses in the city where each house has a story to tell passed on from generation to generation of life, love, war and travel tales.

Great organic food is served nearby in the City of Talisay at Natures Village Resort & Restaurant, a tour of the house of Tana Dicang spells SUGAR where one can learn about lifestyle, culture and heritage, which influenced the distinct character of Negrenses today. The Ruins which probably is the most famous tourism site in the island has attracted a lot of visitors since it opened, with a well-manicured lawn, a restaurant and clean restrooms plus site guides who entertains groups and tourist day and night.

This is the time of the year where fruits are abundant such as the marang, rambutan, durian and lanzones better known as MARADULA which can be found in farms up the mountains of Talisay, as you ride towards the Guerrero Farm, it is refreshing to see flowers and plants adorn the resort, take a dip into the swimming pool, feel the coolness of the weather up there or simply have fun at Campuestohan Highland Resort. Experience the ride of your life on a sky bicycle, hamster wheel, and soon a chair lift and the wave pool with lots of adventure activities for everyone.

When visiting Negros on a long weekend, Mambukal Resort awaits you with its boating lagoon,  zipline, a trek to the seven waterfalls, therapeutic swimming pools, a spa and rooms that can accommodate big groups on a business trip with leisure.

OISCA Sericulture Farm is a must visit on weekdays where reeling of silkworms can be observed for the production of silk. If you are lucky, barongs and shawls made of silk are available for sale. Learn more about the history of Negros, the historic bluff that freed Negros Occidental  on the fifth of November 1898 at the Balay ni Tan Juan in Bago City.

May’s Organic Garden and Restaurant at Pahanocoy in Bacolod provides for accommodation facilities and function rooms for farmers learning more about agriculture, where you can experience farm life in a highly urbanized city with facilities for swimming and a taste of organic food. Rapha Valley is another farm which is a DOT accredited agri-farm in the town of Don Salvador Benedicto, drive to Balokon Spring Resort nearby or the Mangga Puri Farm which promotes community based tourism.

Victorias City boasts of a farm that  is home to agri-entrepreneurs and those who wants to learn more about organic farming, an overnight stay at the farm is an experience one should not miss, right smack at the commercial district of the city and a few steps away from the bus terminal, is Penalosa Farm.

These are just a few places you can visit in Negros Occidental, you may visit tourism offices located in city or municipal halls for more information, log on to websites of local government units, its just a click away to learning more about the beauty of farming in Negros.