Glamping and strawberry picking in Bukidnon

Text and Photos by Henrylito D. Tacio

Combine the two words “glamor” and “camping” together and you have glamping. Thus, glamping is the more glamorous counterpart of camping. While it is now common in Luzon, Visayas and Palawan, it is still unheard of in Mindanao.

So much so that when I heard there’s already one in Bukidnon, I immediately decided to visit the place: Taglucop Strawberry Hills (TSH) in Lorega, the first barangay you pass leaving Davao City and going to Cagayan de Oro City. It is part of the town of Kitaotao.

It so happened that my sister, Elena T. Chase, was having her vacation in the country. I asked her if she would join me in my sojourn. She answered affirmatively. Together with our two nephews – Joshua Kyle and Lesther Dave – we left our hometown early in the morning bound for Davao.

In Ecoland Bus Terminal in Davao City, we took a bus going to Cagayan de Oro City. Since it was a 10-stop bus, we had to pay extra as the first stopover was Buda. But we were allowed to get down at the corner where a road was positioned going to TSH.

Unfortunately, it was raining when we got off the bus. Fortunately, each of us brought our own umbrella. But it was raining hard. Good enough, there was a store with a small space where we could squeeze ourselves and avoid getting wet.

The adventure begins

We stayed there for five minutes and when the raindrops subsided, we decided to walk to TSH. It took us about 10 minutes to get to the resort’s gateway. The front desk in-charge asked us if we had a reservation. Booking is needed first before coming to the place.

After completing all the requirements (writing our names, signing and a brief introduction about do’s and don’ts), we were ushered to the restaurant. We had to take off our shoes or slippers as these are prohibited to be worn inside the restaurant. To be fair, the floor was very clean and smooth.

We sat down in the waiting area and waited for our key. But while waiting, we were given a welcome grazing and cold cuts platter with strawberry juice. We ate them with much gusto. Since it was almost lunch time already, we also ordered food for our lunch.

The front desk in-charge came later and gave us our key (which had a P1,000-deposit, just in case it will be lost). Instead of going to our room, we decided to stay and wait for our lunch. It took about 20 minutes to wait for our sumptuous lunch. We were full when we walked to the glamping area.

This was where our adventure started.

Glamping

The rate per night is pricey (which already includes breakfast) but it’s worth it. You get to spend in geodesic dome tents hovering on the slopes of a hill in accord with groves of pine trees. These sight-to-behold tents have all the comforts you long for: electricity, cushy beds, a shower with hot-and-cold shower, and an outside Jacuzzi.

The place is overlooking the Arakan mountains and unlike in Baguio, you don’t see colorful buildings and houses but real trees.

There are several things you and your friends or companions can do if you stay in one of these white tents. You can sit by the fire and talk while sharing stories. You can watch the sunset and be amazed by the beauty of the surroundings. At night, you can gaze at the stars and wonder how far or near the clouds are.

To avoid overcrowding, only four guests are allowed per tent. Only two additional guests can be added per tent.

There are some rules to observe while staying in the glamping area. Loud music, rowdy behavior and destructive noise are strictly prohibited. Complete quiet time is observed between 10:30 at night until 7:30 in the morning.

Bringing of food, liquor, or other beverages is not allowed. No pets are allowed, too. Picking of flowers or plants is strictly prohibited, too. Now, if you are caught smoking, there is a penalty of P10,000.

After putting all our things in, we went out for some picture taking with my sister. Our two nephews went to the pool, where they enjoyed the cool water. When we were done taking photos, my sister and I returned to our place. It was already 4 in the afternoon. We decided to take a nap but the front desk person came and told us that the owner had upgraded us to a place they called cocoon.

We packed our things and sure enough, it was a splendid place. It is a tent that resembles an igloo with an outdoor swimming pool. It had two beds (king and queen sizes) and an extra bed. It has a sala set, a clean bathroom (with hot-and-cold water), and several accessories for comfortable camping.

At 7 pm, we went to the restaurant and ate our dinner (which we ordered, by the way, after eating our lunch). We stayed for a while and decided to go back to our place as we were already tired.

Strawberry picking

We had a good sleep. I woke up early and went out to take some photos. When I returned, breakfast was already on the table near the pool. We ate them with much gusto.

While eating, I told them we would go out after breakfast and walked for about half a kilometer to go to the farm where we could have strawberry picking.

If you are interested in this activity, you have to contact the front desk first. They cannot cater all requests because they don’t want so many people picking at the same time. Otherwise, the strawberry plants will be trampled upon.

My sister Elena and two nephews were having a grand time while picking strawberries. They put the picked strawberries in a small basket. We also took some souvenir photos while handpicking.

After thirty minutes or so, we returned back to our place. My two nephews did their swimming again in the pool while Elena and I started packing our things.

“It’s a nice place to relax,” my sister said. “Accommodation is satisfying and the staff are pleasant and very helpful and friendly. Foods are delicious. I love this place. I hope I can visit again next time I come back.”

History

In my previous talk with the owner, Atty. Ferdinand Taglucop said he bought the 1.9-hectare property as farmland for the family. His children really wanted to experience strawberry picking.

Since the farm is situated 1,200 meters above sea level and has cool weather, it is best for growing strawberries. Since he is also an agricultural engineering graduate, he knows about drip irrigation, hydroponic farming and other sustainable techniques. Doing all these systems help save on water and produce quality yields consistently.

Atty. Taglucop thought growing strawberries was easy. But he was wrong. “Growing the berries was difficult as the plants were prone to disease,” he recalled. “But we persisted. We learned how to grow the berries conventionally and hydroponically.”

His wife, Jenny, posted some photos in her social media account of the strawberries the farm produced while the children were busy picking the fruits. Her friends and other people saw those photos.

They wanted to experience the same kind of experience. Before the couple knew it, people were flocking to the farm. As the farm was far from the town proper, visitors who came to pick strawberries also requested food. It was good that Jenny was a good cook.

Then, the time came when the visitors also requested for a place to sleep as the place was very far from Davao City. And so, the scenic glamping site came into existence.

Check-in time is 3 pm and check-out time is at 11 in the morning the following day. 

As we were leaving the place, I was reminded of the popular Beatles Song, “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Yes, when you are at TSH, there is “nothing to get hung about.” – ###