Mambukal Mountain Resort is located in Murcia, and it is around 45 minutes away from Libertad Market in Bacolod City. I cannot remember the bus fare to Murcia, but I believe it is more or less 50 pesos per head. The good thing about commuting is that the last stop of the bus is at the entrance of the resort. Coincidentally, we were the last passengers of the bus.
The picturesque resort, which is located at the foot of Mount Kanlaon, offers a lot of activities for its visitors. But before getting too excited to explore the resort upon seeing the wide entrance, we first paid the entrance fee of 50 pesos, then we proceeded to the Information Center to check in.
Entrance Fees:
Adult 50 pesos
Kids 11 years and below 20 pesos
Light vehicles 15 pesos
Trucks and buses 30 pesos
Accommodation:
Villa 4 persons 2,400 pesos 4 single beds
2 persons 1,700 pesos matrimonial bed
LGU Cottage
6 persons 1,500 pesos 2 double decks & 2 single beds
4 persons 1,200 pesos 4 single beds
2 persons 900 pesos 2 single beds or 1 matrimonial bed
Family Cottage
Ordinary room for 2 persons 600 pesos
De luxe room for 2 persons 750 pesos
Suite room for 6 persosn 1,000 pesos
Dormitory (non-aircon)
4 rooms for 20 persons per room 2,000 pesos
*additional foam is 100 pesos
We wanted to get a room in the Family Cottage, but it's too far away from the entrance so instead, we got ourselves a room in the LGU Cottage. It is the one nearest the entrance, and we paid a total of 1,000 pesos for three persons.
These are the LGU cottages.
Weird, but there is no TV in our room.
The land area of the resort is 23.6 hectares, and it is rich in beautiful natural resources. When one speaks of Mambukal Mountain Resort, what initially comes to mind is its famous Seven Falls. Through the help of an accredited guide of the resort (no fixed price; tipping is at your discretion based upon the service that you receive), we decided to conquer the seven falls after settling in our room.
The quest towards the Seven Falls took us a total of about 3 to 4 hours (picture taking and resting, included). We tried the Hanging Bridge first because it is located on our way to the first falls.
The trek from the first falls up until the sixth falls is quite tolerable even for beginners like us. We got tired at some point, so it's best to bring bottled water. Swimming is not allowed in the first five falls.
On our way to the second falls.
There were quite a number of people when we reached the sixth falls. We rested a bit in the hut that was built there, and some of them gamely posed in our camera as they jump from the cliff towards the water.
The real challenge of the whole trek began when we started to hike towards the seventh falls. A guide is necessary because, aside from it being a long hike (plus, you're going to pass by a few challenging streams), the direction has no markers. You'll be passing a few residential houses, and you can ask the residents for directions, but I still recommend that you hire a guide.
Sadly, the battery of my camera has worn off when we reached the seventh falls. But this I have to tell you, the experience of reaching it is fulfilling. There were other tourists who decided to stop on the sixth falls. Swimming is allowed in the sixth and seventh falls, but the latter is larger. After the long trek, we dipped in the cold water of the falls. We stayed for about 30 minutes before we decided to return to the resort.
A different route is utilized in going back to the resort. One has to either take another long hike, or take a habal-habal ride (50 pesos each). We opted to take the former as we find it much safer considering that the road is bumpy.
At the resort, we passed by one of its unique features, the Hot Spring. We dipped in the warm sulfur pool even though it was drizzling. From where we were situated, we could see lots of bats circling above the trees. I would have wanted to take a picture had my battery's been charged. But nevertheless, we planned to return to the hot spring the next day.
Remember those guys we met on the sixth falls? Coincidentally, their cottage is located near ours. We placed a table outside our cottage, they brought the food, and we shared some drinks before we capped off the night.
Contact:
Mambukal Mountain Resort
Brgy. Minoyan, Murcia, Negros Occidental
Direct Reservations: (+632) 433-7532 / 929-5671 / 928-2101 / 994-1145
Resort CP Number: (0947) 324-1969 / (0905) 223-5745
Here is the list of entries on our 5-Day Western Visayas Tour:
