I've chosen to not travel during more long weekends this year then in any other year of my teaching career. Some of it has been intentional, but often it has just been a case of not getting myself together enough to organise a trip. I found myself in the same position at the end of April, and decided that even if I wasn't going away I had to do something. I've been wanting to visit Masungi Georeserve since I had heard about the trip friends took there. You have to reserve a tour, and weekends are usually busy, but I hoped that having Monday and Tuesday off would open up some possibilities. Sure enough, there was one slot available on Tuesday morning. Of course, you can only reserve for a group of 7 or more people. So now, where to find 6 other people who aren't traveling for the weekend and would like to go? Luckily for me I mentioned it to Lindsay and within 12 hours she had found enough people that I could go ahead and book.
Masungi Georeserve has existed for the last 15 years, although they have only opened to tourists in the last 5 or so years. Originally it was a region with a lot of illegal logging that was depleting the natural resources of the area. Once the conservation group was established, they were acknowledged to be so effective that they have been entrusted with watching over a larger area. A day trip to Masungi gives you access to just a small region of the conservation area.
A trip to Masungi is part hike part ropes course. There is a designated path through the limestone crags and trees, with eight different rope obstacles. Some you climb up, some you climb down. There is a giant metal/rope spiderweb where you can enjoy the views and the feeling of being above the greenery. Tire swings and hammocks made for nice short breaks. Through it all, I was just pleased to be out of the city and back into nature. A definite treat. After our hike, we headed up to Silvan their restaurant which used produce grown locally for one of the best meals that I've had in the Philippines so far. All in all an enjoyable day.
6:00-13:00, Tuesday - Sunday
Reservations required
Discovery trail takes 2.5 - 4 hours (depending on how many photos you take)
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