Sunday, May 04, 2014

Sunday, May 04, 2014

A mountain resort 3,000 feet above sea level, Eden Nature Park is 95% man-made! It is a great model of how we can re-create nature and rebuild a lost environment.” Eden Nature Park and Resort.
We drove (my cousins and sister) early in the morning from the city proper to Eden Nature Park and Resort, it took us an hour and a half to get to the site.  It was a weekend so there’s a big crowd of groups and families.  We immediately registered at the reception area for the shuttle tour and the buffet lunch. We started with the lunch first and we were so full when we joined the tour.




The mountain resort is a huge 80 ha. land developed in a natural forest condition, so natural that you would assume it’s a wilderness. 
It’s worth a visit especially during the weekends unless you want to avoid the crowd.  Although it would not be that crowded as the area is really vast.  So much to see, so many adventures awaits the kids and old alike.
If you have the whole day or you will be staying overnight at one of the several country-style cabins, a good introduction to the nature park is the guided shuttle tour.



It’s an open-side vehicle that will take you to an hour or two tour around the forest, stopping by some highlights such as a tribal village, fruit orchards, herbal gardens where they cultivate numerous aromatic plants they use for cooking, green salad farm where they get their fresh green salad leaves that they serve at their restaurant.

A colorful flower garden where you’ll find some rare varieties of flowers including the attention-grabbing yellow and orange Mickey Mouse plants (resembles MM’s face with the two ears).  Plots planted with cactus, saplings, fruit and flower bearing shrubs, trees and bushes.  Too many to feast the hungry-for-nature eyes.


There’s a friendly lady tour guide communicating information of the sights while the vehicle is in motion, including details on each type of cabin accommodations scattered around the park for guests who might be interested to spend a night or two. The shuttle tour will conclude on top of a hill overlooking Davao City and the gulf, before turning back to the park’s reception area.
For a rewarding leisure activity, try fishing at the fishing village and pay for whatever catch you get or swim at the pool if the weather isn’t really cold. 
On the other side of the hill, a couple of minute drive or walk from the reception and out of the main entrance is where you’ll find horseback-riding and the Skyrider.  You can either go for the zipline or for the thrill-seeker - bicycling on a rope!

Wander around the huge grassy lawn or see the display of different varieties of birds at the bird sanctuary.
The Eden Nature Park and Resort is a relaxing place that offers a lot of activities, it’s an itinerary not to be missed when you’re in Davao City.
TIPS
Don’t miss the buffet lunch, it’s a foodie’s delight.  At P520 per head, the variety of food to sample is truly worth it.  The green garden salad is delicious, ingredients were harvested directly from their gardens.  If you start at 11:00am, you can stay dining there until 3:00pm – to your  heart (and tummy’s) content.
How to get there:
Driving: Located around 40 km. south of Davao City proper and less than 2 hours drive from the Davao International Airport. Drive in the direction of Toril proper, look for Mercury Drug, then turn right. After about 20 kms. Turn left on a fork road towards Brgy. Eden and you’ll notice the park’s signage.
By taxi: From Davao City airport, you can take taxis (approx. rates - air-conditioned P1,000 / non-aircon P800) direct to the park.
By jeepney: Hop on a jeepney heading to “Toril” from Matina Town Square or any point from the city’s main road and inform the driver that you want to get off at the Mercury Drug.  Then take a tricycle to Eden Nature Park.
Address: Eden Nature Park & Resort, Sales and Reservations Office
Matina Town Square, McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City, Philippines
Tel.: +63 82 299-1020, +63 82 296-0791
Mobile No. : +63 9189307590
Email:  info@edennaturepark.com.ph
Google Map Direction: Eden Nature Park & Resort

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