The town of Tanay is a favorite weekend getaway for Manileños, due to its proximity to the metropolis (a two-hour drive away). Visitors are attracted by its cool weather, clean air and majestic view of the Laguna Lake and the Sierra Mountain Range. The magnificence of Tanay is reflected in its natural scenery and exceptional adventure landscapes that include majestic waterfalls, awe-inspiring rock formations, clean rivers and breathtaking mountains.
The picturesque, 14-meter-high Daranak Falls, one of the flagship destinations of Tanay, is hidden on the mountainside of the Sierra Madre Range. It cascades down to a lushly vegetated rock pool and into a running stream, which skirts tangled roots of ancient trees and widening stone pathways. The stream itself flows serenely through massive, ocher-colored rocks, creating pools of refreshing but extremely cold turquoise waters here and there before ending up in the 30-foot-deep catch basin of the waterfalls. Nearby is the Batlag Falls.
The natural, multilevel Calinawan Cave, part of several series of caves in the area, has seven levels but most visitors only explore the first two levels, well-suited for first timers with no previous spelunking experience. The less-visited and seldom explored Levels 3 to 5, taking about half a day to explore, are more challenging to explore, as you may need to get your hands dirty.
A pilgrimage destination, here you can commune with the divine, as Tanay is home to prayer/retreat houses and picturesque chapels. The Church of Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo, one of 26 National Cultural Treasures and one of five Jubilee churches of the Diocese of Antipolo, is the best-preserved church complex in Rizal province. Inside is a long nave; an intricately decorated wooden pulpit; a silver-plated main altar; a relic of a piece of bone of Ildephonsus (from Zamora, Spain); and celebrated 200-year-old bas-reliefs of the 14 Stations of the Cross (Via Crucis). The latter, considered as one of the most beautiful in Asia, are encased in large glass windows across each side of the nave’s walls.
The 13.5-hectare, hilltop Regina Rica, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites here in the Philippines, is a wonderful place of prayer, pilgrimage and peace for those seeking to experience God. Its centerpiece is the iconic, 71-feet-high statue of Our Lady of Regina Rica, a sculpture of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus made by the artist/sculptor Jose Barcena Jr.
For those who wish to stay longer in the town, there’s Mamorco Resort & Hotel. It has a two-story hotel with air-conditioned rooms with LED cable TV, minibar, smart-key card, writing desk and private bath with hot and cold shower. There are also single-detached air-conditioned casitas and basic fan-cooled rooms with double-deck beds, good for youth camps and budgeted group outings. Amenities include a restaurant, function rooms, three outdoor swimming pools, poolside cabañas, view deck, hiking path, mini zoo, sundry shop, basketball/tennis court, sports and children’s playground. They also rent out bikes, which can be used on the humps, rollers, jumps, berms and other obstacles of the challenging Bathala Bike Trail.
The 20-hectare Epic Parc (Ecological Playground Integrated Commune for Prayer, Adventure, Recreation Culture) Rainforest Camp is ideal for bird-watching, leadership camps and team-building activities. It has an adventure/team-building assault course, a camp ground, dormitories, private rooms and a cottage.
Schools, youth groups and civic groups also regularly visit the sprawling Camp Gen. Mateo Capinpin, a military camp (headquarters of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division) in the mountains of Tanay that has become a tourist destination. Here, they get an opportunity to interact with soldiers, who act as the tour guides, playing big brothers and big sisters to the students. To get a taste of the soldiers’ training regimen, students can get on a “miniobstacle course” that would have them crawling on the ground. They are also treated to zipline, rock wall climbing and rappelling. Visitors also get to have a “boodle fight” with the soldiers, take photos with them and even carry the firearms. A nine-member army squad, in full battle gear and camouflage, also demonstrate their combat formations and explain their roles, weapons and equipment.
1 comment
Tanay is the best site for a new administrative capital where national government offices will be relocated..