A scenic hour and a half drive away from the heart of Davao
city will give you a chance to deeply breath the cool mountain breeze of Marilog District, Davao's summer capital which rests at an altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level.
The place is not only known for its lush vegetation and bountiful flowers but with terrains where one can experience Davao's great outdoors to whet the stimulus of the adventurous.
I instantly said yes to the invitation of friend Manny Quisol to see something of the place last week. We reached sitio Epol and alighted from our vehicle, feasting our eyes on the array of lovely flowers displayed beside the highway.
We stopped by Foggy Mountain Garden owned by Bagahisan barangay kagawad Bilma Fuentes and were treated to a spectacular view of her vegetable, flower and strawberry gardens.
The place is very cool. No, I take that last word back, The right terms are cold and nippy because I was shivering in my thin shirt the whole day we were there.
We took a leisurely lunch at Seagull Mountain Resort and proceeded to Green Valley waterfalls at sitio Epol.
Manny and I had to drag Jojo, our driver to go down to the waterfalls with us instead of nursing his overfed stomach sleeping.
We trekked down a narrow and winding pathway, enjoying the peaceful quiet of the place broken only by the sound of crickets and gushing water until we got to the water falls.
Oh wow! The sight and sound of waterfalls always soothe my being. It made me regret I did not bring extra clothes. Entrance to the Green Valley Waterfalls is P7 for day guests and P12 for overnight guests. An overnight cottage with an attic and porch can be rented at P50 per person or for a fixed price of P1,000.
Tents can be pitched at no additional cost and guests are advised to bring their own baon. However, food can be ordered if reservations are made,
Open cottages can also be rented for P20 each, overlooking the waterfalls. This 2.8 hectare property, owned by Lolita Lopez Tan and Winston Tan started operating in 1993. There is not electricity in the place, giving guests a chance to commune with nature it but resort caretaker Bebeth Abergos said they can assure guests of security in the place. For reservations, you may contact Bebeth at cellphone # 0920-8179325.
