AFTER the extreme weekend adventure which resulted to sore muscles, I have another place that I want to visit – Lake Balinsasayao in Negros Oriental.
Lake Balinsasayao is one of three crater lakes located within the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park along with Lake Danao, and Lake Kabalin-an which is a well preserved and protected area in the Province of Negros Oriental.
Getting there
From Dumaguete City, Lake Balinsasayao is a 30 to 40 minute drive via the San Jose route. There is just one concrete road leading to the lake so it will not be difficult to get there, however, the road can be very steep with some blind curves so be extra careful.
If you’re commuting, you can just ride a public utility jeep from Dumaguete going to Amlan and get off at La-laan Junction. From there, you can hire a habal-habal going to Lake Balinsasayao or you can just rent a motorcycle for a day.
Upon reaching the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Nature Park Visitor Center, you will then be asked to pay the entrance fee of P25, there is also a parking fee of P10 for motorcycles and P25 for cars.
From the visitor center, we decided to go on a hike up to the café which also serves as the view deck.
The view
After hiking for about 20 to 30 minutes, we were definitely exhausted but the cold weather and the beautiful view of the lake really made the hike worth it.
Arriving around 3 p.m. at the café area, we ate our late lunch there. We didn’t know that there’s a café there so we just decided to bring our own food and they did not ask us to pay any corkage fees which is a good thing. I was not able to check out their menu but there are a couple of diners there during our visit. They also sell local products and souvenirs at the café.
To get up close to Lake Balinsasayao, we took a short walk down from the café. Just be very careful as the stairs can be slippery.
You will then be greeted by the tranquil beauty of Lake Balinsasayao. At the lake area, there are cottages for rent and you can also rent a paddle boat/kayaking. There is also a bird watching tower in the area and you can also go trekking to see Lake Danao.
We decided to stay at a cottage near the lake and just enjoy the quiet waters of Lake Balinsasayao. The water is murky but you can see some small and big fishes swimming peacefully in the lake. You can also get a free fish foot spa experience by just dipping your feet in the water.
After a few minutes of staying and chatting, we then decided to bid good bye to the beautiful lake and head back to the city.
If you plan on visiting Negros Oriental pretty soon, don’t miss visiting Lake Balinsasayao!
Special thanks to my companions during this trip! Thanks for granting my request (*wink!).
Until next week!
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Hi, I’m Kriztja and thanks for reading My Notebook! Check out my blog: rainbow-wishes.blogspot.com for more and like my Facebook Page: My Notebook by Kriztja Marae for more updates. Comments? Suggestions? Email me at: kriztja.labrador@gmail.com