I enlisted the Tanay Group Tour for our company outing this year. My father-in-law said that Tanay was very similar to Baguio, and looking at the photos, I was intrigued by the fact that a slew of activities can be done in just one day.

We departed Manila on time at 4am. It was still dark as we weaved through the bumpy roads to Tanay.

Treasure Mountain and the Spider Web (Php150 per pax)

When we got to Treasure Mountain, all we saw was darkness. It was so dark that we saw the quarter moon and a blanket of stars, sights we do not normally see even in the darkest nights in Manila.

As the light started to come out, we were given safety helmets, gloves and harnesses for the day ahead:

We were to climb this big obstacle which seemed easy at first but it is a lot harder than it looks:

I’ve always thought that the Spider Web was hanging by a rock cliff. This was a lot safer than expected. The guides were very professional. The start of count was 15 minutes after the last person climbed up. This was me struggling to climb up as I’m terribly out of shape.

Success!

You can make a lot of shapes if you’re with a group. Our guide was helpful in maneuvering us and taking our photos to make the following shapes.

It will look like this from below:

You can also take solo and group photos up the spider web. Lots of fun up above.

Warning: Wear pants and rubber shoes for your own comfort. The climb down was a lot easier than the climb up.

As we waited, we took a lot of beautiful photos at the rock formations. We had a few awesome group photos but here were my solo photos instead:

The view was awesome. You would be blown away by the sheer simplicity of it. As the sun came out even further, the light shown on the mountain and the greenery, as if God was touching us from heavens.

Kawa Hot Bath in El Patio Razon (Php300 per tub)

Our next route was the Kawa Hot Bath in El Patio Razon. You can have a deceptively hot kawa bath prepared so you can make instagrammable photos. The bath was smoky and my hair smelled the same afterwards, but if you’re in the area, try it.

Surprisingly, the water was not hot. At best, it was “maligamgam.” The rest of the team took photos in other Instagrammable locations like these:

Sierra Madre Resort

We ate our lunch at the Sierra Madre resort. It’s called Sierra Madre because the place overlooked the Sierra Madre. They had a slew of breakfast options worth php120 to php150 per head inclusive of 3-in-1 Milo and Coffee.

There was a cute hanging bridge and rope bridge in the area. We went across this after our lunch hour.

Calinawan Cave

Another interesting part of the tour was the Calinawan Cave Tour. It is a natural cave which was used for a lot of movie shooting, hence the sparkly paint on the side.

In 1901, the cave was discovered and was used as a hidden area for the Japanese in World War 2. It served as a hospital, residential and meeting room during this time.

There are only 4 accessible areas for the public. The rest are closed. It was interesting. Better to wear the plastic hard hats as you will be sure to hit your head once in awhile if you’re not too careful.

Success outside! You can take a shorter cut or the longer cut which is 15 minutes longer.

Daranak Falls

We arrived at Daranak Falls at around 2:30pm for some swimming and a late lunch.

The wager was initially cold but fresh.

The salbabidas cost only php50 each to rent. You can also buy mango graham and ice cream from the vendors going around.

The best thing about Daranak Falls is the boodle lunch. Outside Daranak, it was php120 per person and came with unlimited rice and viands like liempo, squid, tilapia and another fish.

The fish was fat and juicy. The rice was tasty. Overall, it was one of the best and most reasonably priced boodles we have had in a while.

Tanay Windmills

The windmills were next. Tanay has 27 windmills that send the electricity to Meralco, who distribute the electricity elsewhere.

What’s interesting about the Pililla is the strong continuous whooshing sound of the windmills. They were strong and powerful.

One cannot help but be in awe of the Tanay Windmills.

You can buy some souvenirs for cheap nearby. The place is also great for a group jump shot!

Tanay Parish Church

Our last stop was the Tanay Church. Here’s the outside:

Apparently, this was built with a single tree and lies in the middle of the church courtyard.

Inside the church where we thanked God for our blessings for the year. Anyway, this excursion was a trip of thanksgiving for all of His protection, love and support throughout the entire year.

We could have go e to the Regina Rica Rosary Shrine but it was closed on a Tuesday.

Last Words

Overall, we had a great time. The tour was php1,200.00 per pax and includes hassle free pamasyal and the following:

🌱Van transport

🌷Entrance fees

🌹Environmental fees

🍓Coordinator fees

🍒Tour guide fees

🍇Daranak falls cottage

💕Free bagtag souvenir

Exclusions/Optional:

🌀Spider web trail/trekking P150/head

🌀Kawa bath- php300/6pax sharing

🌀Meals and other incidental expenses: Brunch was php130/head while the Boodle late lunch was php120 per pax

For your inquiries and reservations, kindly message the Tanay Group Tour directly from their page or contact them at 0936-6117103/ 0935-3878196/ 0955-6722141.

We arrived back in Manila by 7pm. The trip went smoothly and we are thankful to the Tanay Tour Group for their services in making our excursion even more heartfelt and worthwhile.

A trip to Tanay is highly recommended!