Forest and Farm Trek in Ayala Darong

Trekking is always a good form of outdoor activity and has been one of the fastest growing adventure types. The numerous mountain ranges and summits in Sta. Cruz offer good venue for trekkers and mountaineers for camping and day hikes. Mt. Loay and Mt. Apo top our trekking list, while several newly-discovered waterfalls are also starting to become popular such as Tomari Falls in Sibulan, Balusong Falls in Tibolo, Langan Falls in Coronon, Tarasoban Falls in Zone II and Tacob Laya and Karamagan Falls in Sinoron.

Unknown to many, the Ayala Farm in Darong is also a good trekking site. This 600-hectare coconut plantation and cattle ranch offers a good secondary growth lowland forest and a farm trail highly suitable for day hiking in flat to gently rolling terrain. We were lucky to have been given permission by Sir Maui Chu of Darong Agricultural Development Corporation (DADC) to do trailblazing trek last May 22 together with my LOGSAC friends.

The farm house serves as the jump off point where Sir Maui gave us a briefer and a guide in Dodo Bagal. We started with an easy trek off a tractor trail and then got inside the jungle of endemic trees until we reached a little stream of slippery rocks. It was a short traverse of the stream and we were back to a tractor trail, this time we followed a single track outside the forest edges.

Inside the forest is a dense environment where interesting wildlife was recorded. Notable species appeared are Philippine Long-tailed Macaque and some good birds to include White-eared Brown Dove, Amethyst Brown Dove, Black-naped Monarch, Brown-Tit Babbler, Philippine Bulbul, Rufous-fronted Tailorbird and Yellow-wattled Bulbul.

DADC, formerly called Ayala Agricultural Development Corporation, is one of the largest and pioneering agricultural production areas in Sta. Cruz. It has become a pilot site for Tagnanan variety of coconut before in partnership with Philippine Coconut Authority. Several portions of the property were converted for industrial purposes but still has huge retained site for coconut production and cattle pasture bordering Sibulan River, sitio Piping of Sibulan and SODACO Farms of Inawayan. 

An abandoned lake within is a good area for water and chocolate break. This served as the turning point before we head back to the farm house using a different path. The trekking lasted for more than four hours with a total distance of 10.9 kilometers. It was a hot trek actually but the exciting part was the cool and sweet juice of buko prepared to as by Sir Maui in the farm house.

It is always nice to be back to this place after sometime. In my childhood days we always visit this area to take a bath in the river. In late 90s the DADC became a take-off point of the water tubing during its peak before it was totally impeded by the presence of a hydro power plant. The vertical rock wall in the upstream portion of the river was also our venue for rappelling adventure in the past. Indeed, the management of DADC has been very supportive with the ecotourism program of Sta. Cruz in the last 10 years. I hope that forest and farm trekking, as well as trail biking will be welcomed by the management as option activities in this area.