Minalungao National Park

Minalungao is a short stretch of the Sumacbao river where it cuts between limestone walls that rise straight out of the water to something like sixteen metres. The water runs clear green over a pale bed, shallow enough to wade in most places and deep enough in others to jump into from the rock, and bamboo rafts are poled up and down the gorge by the hour. Caves open in the cliffs at river level and higher up. On the hill above, a long flight of concrete steps climbs to a large cross with a view over the whole park and the plain beyond. It is a Nueva Ecija day-trip park rather than a wilderness, and it is treated as one.

What you actually see

• The limestone gorge - sheer pale walls rising directly from the green water on both banks.
• The bamboo rafts - poled platforms hired by the hour to move along the river.
• The riverside caves - openings in the cliff face at and above water level, some enterable.
• The hilltop cross - the long stair climb to a viewpoint over the gorge and the plain.

When to go

The dry months give the clearest water; after heavy rain the river runs brown and fast and the rafts stop. Weekdays are the only way to see it quietly. Weekends, Holy Week and the April to May school break bring day trippers in numbers, with sound systems, picnic tables and a queue for every raft.

Honest expectations

This is a busy domestic picnic spot, not a quiet wilderness. At peak times the riverbank is a solid line of rented tables and speakers, and litter is a persistent problem despite clean-ups. Every element is charged separately - entry, table, raft, life vest, guide - and it adds up. Water clarity is entirely dependent on recent rain, and the cliff jumps are unsupervised.

Nearby

Cabanatuan is the nearest large town, and Aurora is over the mountains to the east.