Valencia- Little Baguio Of Negros Oriental

Valencia- known to be the little Baguio of the province of Negros Oriental. It is located about 7.5 kilometers east of Dumaguete City. Valencia is very accessible by public transportation. One can go to Valencia by riding a public utility jeep with a fair of only 12 pesos and the travel time is around 15 minutes from Dumaguete, much better and more convenient if you have your own vehicle. You can rent a motorcycle or a car in the city so that you can go around the town and visit some tourist attractions.

The town of Valencia is peaceful and abundant with natural resources. Also, it has a cool climate perfect for vacation or just simply to get away from the metropolis. Fruit-bearing trees as well as numerous ornamental plants are also abundant in the town. It is because of the rich soil which is very conducive for vegetation. In fact, Valencia is popular for all-time Filipino favorite fruits such as Lanzones and Rambutan. Because of the cool climate and peaceful environment, the town of Valencia is a perfect place to live. Through the years, a growing number of foreigners like to retire here. It is because the town is situated near the city. Valencia would not be peaceful if not because of the locals living here. Very seldom we experience crimes and other untoward incidents.

Furthermore, Valencia is also popular for tourist attractions. These are nature attractions that were developed. We have the Forest Camp, Casaroro Falls, and the Japanese Shrine. Forest Camp is a pool resort with cottages perfect for overnight stay and any other functions. The water source came from the river so it doesn’t contain chlorine which makes it far different from other pool resorts. They also have a mini pond for those who want to enjoy fishing. The best thing about Forest Camp is the very cool weather, the sound of nature (flow of the river, chirping birds, and the cool breeze). For those who love adventure activities, they can enjoy hiking or renting an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) to have a glimpse of the other sites and views of the town. Casaroro Falls on the other hand, is located just few kilometers from Forest Camp. Its majestic falls and cool clear water would definitely tempt you to go for a dip. And for those who are into more adventurous hiking and camping, Japanese Shrine is the one you should visit. Here, you and your friends can put up tents for camping and stay overnight while enjoying the panoramic view of Dumaguete City as well as the neighboring islands- Cebu and Siquijor.

Coming to Valencia has never been difficult and expensive. If you want to relax and enjoy nature at its best, Valencia is the perfect place to be!

After a tiring week of field work and before drafting all the reports, a colleague and I decided to treat ourselves over the weekend in Negros Oriental before going back to our base-Cebu City

We agreed to go to Valencia for our own personal reasons; we will buy all the plant she wants and we'll go to (my) Casaroro Falls. From our accommodation in Hibbard St. we drove off towards Valencia, south of Dumaguete City but decided to make a side trip first to Stonecraft store near Bacong Municipal Hall. After more than an hour of enjoying the beautifully crafted brooches, jewelry boxes and jewelries, we decided to buy a piece or two- finest quality but reasonably priced if purchased there before they ship it outside the Philippines or sell it in high end malls in Manila and Cebu- we went back to our trail.

We turned on an unnamed street corner and shortly afterward started ascending, the climate is noticeably cooler,it reminded me of Tagaytay and Baguio, we are in Valencia. Ornamental plants shortly appeared on both sides of the road- a heavenly treat for my colleague-friend. She readily jumped off the van upon seeing a plant, she claimed rare and pricey elsewhere. We spent a good hour amidst the greenery and coolness of the mountain, when it suddenly rained and our ride had a mechanical problem.

Hard as we tried to fix it, we were not successful. A mechanic (who suddenly appeared from nowhere) did the magic and made a quick fix- more of a band aid remedy. I was asked , if I still want to go to Casaroro but considering what happened and may happen with our ride, I opted to say 'no, not this time'

Bottom line, I haven't been to Casaroro Falls!.....huhuhu

I'm very sorry to hear to hear that.... Maybe next time you visit here again, you can finally see Casaroro Falls.