Destination: Benguet

The Philippine destination of Benguet province is rightly known as the, “gateway to the Cordillera Region.” As well as being a gateway, Benguet’s high altitude provides a year round temperate climate, perfect for those who want to escape the stifling heat and humidity of the tropical Philippine lowland summer. The climate in Benguet is one of the main reasons this province is so famous - for its agriculture - rather surprising given its mountain top location! The reason is that unlike much of the Philippines lowlands, the lower temperatures in the mountains make it ideal for growing foodstuffs like strawberries, cool weather vegetables, flowers and Arabian coffee, something not possible in the hotter and wetter tropical lowlands. It gastronomic, temperate and commercial attractions added to pine clad scenic mountains all help to make Benguet a very popular tourist destination, as does its proximity to the Philippine summer capital of Baguio City.

There are a number of travel routes you can use to enter Benguet. Most of these are from La Union to the southwest via Baguio (an autonomous city), but the Halsema Highway also provides access to Benuuet from the Mountain Province to the north (though this road can be a bit of a rough ride, especially if traveling just after the rains). There is also another National Highway into Benguet from Nueva Viszaya to the southeast. On the paved National Highways, road travel through the province is easy, although if you leave the highways and explore the secondary roads there are a number of loose and graded gravel secondary roads that require high ground clearance vehicles. 

The municipality of La Trinidad, Benguet is famous as, “the Strawberry Capital of the Philippines.” Located just a few kilometers north along the busy highway from Baguio, the main strawberry and flower growing fields are well signposted from the highway, and are about two kilometers from the municipal hall. You can sometimes pick up good bargains here, and the fresh produce is often used by local travelers as gifts brought back from visits to Benguet.

It is best if you can visit La Trinidad in mid March as this is the time of the Strawberry Festival. Apart from sampling many local delicacies you can also view the baking of the country’s largest strawberry cake, and visit the popular trade fair with many varieties of strawberries and cartfuls of cut flowers (another crop Benguet province is famed for).

In addition to being famed for what grows from its fertile soil, Benguet is also famous for what lies far beneath it – Gold!

After the discovery of rich gold deposits in the 1930s, several mining communities flourished in the area – some of them are still in operation today. If you have a taste of the gold fever yourself, there is a popular attraction located close to Balatoc. Benguet’s Balatoc Mine is the oldest mine still in operation in the province. It also has the unique distinction of providing tours down the mineshaft and into the mine workings themselves – a real treat for any budding Indiana Jones, but be warned that it can be a little claustrophobic traveling down into the mine - and I was a little disappointed to find you couldn't take home any free samples!

If you love the great outdoors, Benguet has Mt. Pulag National Park for you to enjoy nature. Mt Pulag is the Philippine’s second largest mountain rising majestically to a height of over 2,930 meters, (9,600 feet). The mountain’s mist shrouded summit is believed by local mythology to be the “God’s Play Area.”

This really is a tranquil and delightful area to explore, but to keep the area pristine there is a quota for visitors, highly unusual in the Philippines, but kudos to those that made and enforce the rule, it has certainly stopped the usual rubbish strewn rest areas and worn out tracks common elsewhere.

The Ambuklao Hydroelectric Dam is located approximately 35-kilometers northwest of Baguio, and the dam provides much nicer surroundings than its industrial name suggests. Built in the 1950s, (Asias largest such dam at that time), it stands as a Filipino accomplishments in power development - though sadly it does little to reduce the archipelago's common power outs. Apart from the dam, the surrounding area really is beautiful.

It is a great place to visit with your family, where you can just kick back and enjoy the peaceful solitude and abundant local wildlife, or take advantage of the many available water activities.

If you are a history buff or one of those that like to seek out the unusual, you should try and visit the many sacred burial cave sites dotted throughout Benguet province. These caves have been used as burial sites for centuries, and many still have mummified remains adding to the spooking underground ambiance. As with any trip inside caves, you should always seek the services of a local guide and, unless you are a very qualified and experienced caver, never enter any cave unless you know exactly where it goes and how to get through it.

As a fully independent, charted city, Baguio is not officially part of Benguet Province. However, physically, Baguio City lies within Benguet’s borders and many travelers either visit or at least pass through it when visiting Benguet province.

Known as the “City of Pines”, Baguio is a tourist Mecca. The cool mountain air and the multitude of places to visit make a day in Baguio City an experience not to be forgotten. The most popular daytime attractions include the Botanical Gardens, Camp John Hay, and Burnham, Mines View, and Wright Parks. In the evening, Baguio has a thriving nightlife of clubs and bars, and a wonderful if rather strange mix of local and foreign restaurants.

Benguet has many attractions to draw visitors, as does Baguio - not least the reasonably good roads leading to and from Benguet and Baguio. Visiting as I did this time at the height of summer, my enjoyment was twofold: I liked the province and the city, but really loved the cooler temperatures of the mountains.