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3 Springs Mountain Park in Tanay, Rizal

Kara Santos

Growing up in the province, my childhood friends and I used to enjoy camping sleepovers. On hot summer nights, we’d haul out banigs, folding beds and foam mattresses on the grass and “camp out” in our garden under a makeshift tent sewn together from my parent’s old protest streamers.

We’d spend the night playing card games and board games like Monopoly, Cluedo and Pictionary and roast marshmallows and hotdogs in a mini-bonfire. Back then, we really felt like we were roughing it out. But there was always the security of parents just inside the house (providing us with real food), a decent bathroom and the option to move indoors and play Family Computer games instead if it rained.

It’s sad that there aren’t a lot of places with camping areas where you can enjoy fresh air and nature safely in the metro. You have to travel a bit to find these spots. One of the best rising destinations for this kind of “back to basics” experience is Tanay in Rizal. For families who want their own kids to experience the kind of simple joy of unplugging for a while, you might want to book a weekend at 3 Springs Mountain Park, a private venue and outdoor park ideal for camping.

3 Springs Mountain Park is just one of the many hidden gems in Tanay, Rizal along Marilaque, which happens to be my favorite weekend destination for motorcycle rides and biking. Aside from camping, the whole area is good for day trip getaways and swimming, field trips, team-buildings, prenup and debut photoshoots, retreats and recollections.

Location

Located just 1.5  away from Quezon City or 2 hours from Manila, 3 Springs Mountain Park is an an easy getaway for day trips or weekend drives. The weather is much cooler here, especially at night. Even though it’s sweltering in Manila, it can get really windy and foggy at night and in the early morning. Getting here by public transportation is possible, but it’s better suited for those with private vehicles like cars and motorcycles.

Accommodations

3 Springs Mountain Park is a private venue and outdoor park ideal for day trips and overnight stays. There are no hotel rooms here. The main draw is camping out under the stars in a refreshing venue overlooking the Sierra Madre mountain range. For first-timers who want to get the fun experience of camping, this is a good introduction.

You’re not exactly roughing it out since it’s assisted camping. Foam mattresses are provided in tents and meals are prepared by their in-house chef. The tents are spacious and can fit 3-4 people each. For added comfort, you can bring your own sleeping bags, pillows and blankets. You can also bring your own tents and camping equipment. It can get really cold and windy here at night!

There are designated camping areas throughout the property. The main camping area right next to the meadows is very near the multi-purpose hall, shower area and clean and well-maintained comfort rooms.

Facilities

At the entrance of 3 Springs Mountain Park is an admin office and clinic. For small meetings and groups, they have a lounge and view deck overlooking Laguna de Bay (capacity 15 people). To cater to corporate clients who want to hold larger seminars and conventions, the events venue and space has a large solar-powered Multipurpose Hall that can seat up to 200 people for banquet seating.

The solar powered multi-purpose hall has a lot of outlets for people who need to charge gadgets. However, since the signal in the area is not that strong for some networks, there’s no WiFi. The good thing is that this lessens possible distractions. This actually helps during team-building activities, because participants aren’t constantly on their phones. If you want to escape and forget work for the weekend, this is great since you can’t be reached by email and calls. If you want to write, you can actually work here without the constant chatter on social media.

One of the newer additions to the area is the therapeutic spring water pool, which is open to day trip visitors.

Activities

The grassy sloped meadow serves as the main team-building area and gaming grounds where visitors can experience trying traditional Filipino games like patintero and kaba-kabayuhan. You can also bring kites, balls, frisbees and other sporting equipment to play here.

Visitors can hike through 5500 steps in a friendly nature trail that goes around specific areas, including the gardens and groves passing a native bahay kubo, small amphitheater area and herb and flowers areas and bird watching sites. For the more adventurous, there’s a steeper hike in the forest going to a small creek.

Other recommended activities include rock balancing, bird watching and herb and tree planting. During my first visit, I brought a hammock and just tied it up in the trees for an afternoon siesta, waking up just in time for merienda.

Be sure to bring a guitar, playing cards, board games and lots of chips and snacks. We got engrossed in the afternoon just playing card games, with a brief stop to take photos of the sunset.

After dinner, our hosts arranged for a bonfire where we roasted hotdogs and made our own smores over more group bonding games. Really fun.

Dining

Unlike the standard tapsilog / bulalo type meals you can find in other road trip restaurants along Marilaque, 3 Springs Mountain Park specializes in healthier fare using fresh herbs and spices from their garden. Everything we had was really good. For merienda, we had this Aglio Olio pasta that looked very simple, but tasted so good especially with the addition of fresh basil.

There were a lot of seafood dishes during lunch and dinner, including fish fillet, stir-fried squid and breaded shrimps. Even simple vegetables like pechay and kangkong were transformed. Hats off to the chef! Meals are usually plated for small groups, but can be set-up buffet style for larger groups.

Who should go?

3 Springs Mountain Park is ideal as a venue for field trips, team-buildings, leadership trainings, ecotourism seminars, and educational activities. Since there’s no WiFi and the cellular signal is weak, this place offers a refreshing venue disconnect from city living and technological distractions. and commune with nature and connect with your companions instead.

I also think it’s a great place for families looking for an exclusive and secure camping site relatively near Manila for reunions or overnight bonding sessions. If you have non-adventurous relatives or friends who want to try camping for the first time, this is a very safe introduction. I know a lot of people who avoid camping because they’re very particular about the bathroom situation. The venue’s bathroom facilities are very clean and well-maintained. There are several comfort rooms spread around the nature trails.

Outdoor brands who would like to hold events or product launches for media or VIPs could use this as a base for meals or overnight stays before proceeding to other sights around Tanay like Mt. Maynoba and Cayabu. It’s also a good spot for nature-inspired location photo shoots, prenup shoots, birdwatching and stargazing not far from Manila.

Rates

Day Pass: P300 per person (open for walk-in from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm)

Entrance Fee
✔️ Use of Open Areas
✔️Access to Nature Trails
✔️ Use of Multipurpose Hall
✔️ Gazebos
✔️ Tables and Chairs
✔️ Use of Swimming Pool
✔️ Use of Restrooms and Shower Halls

How to get to 3 Springs Mountain Park

3 Springs Eco Park was formerly known as Haranah Eco Park. It’s located near the old Radar Station of PAGASA about 300m away from the Marcos Highway and around 2km from Sierra Madre Hotel. It is about 1 to 1 ½ hour drive from Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall. Best to get here via private transportation. Turn right on the road after Ten Cents to Heaven.

By public transportation:

Address & Contact Information

3 Springs Mountain Park, KM 56 Marcos Highway, Sitio Mayagay 2, Barangay Cuyambay, Tanay, Rizal, Philippines.

Additional photos from 3 Springs Mountain Park website.

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