10 Camping Destinations near Manila

Sometimes we just need to get away from the city to enjoy fresh air and nature. Camping weekends where the main agenda is to do nothing but go stargazing, roast marshmallows over a bonfire and sleep under the stars can offer a quick escape. However, the most beautiful camping spots usually require long hikes up the mountains or boat travel to smaller islands and remote beaches.

Bikepackers and motorcycle riders are always on the lookout for natural spots that are still accessible by vehicles or with secure parking nearby.

Here are just 10 campsites located just 1 -4 hours away from Manila that I’ve personally visited or have been planning to visit. These camping areas are located in areas close to nature, with spacious grounds for pitching your own tents and have facilities like restrooms, running water and places to buy food nearby.

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Review: 2-in-1 Travel Pillow + Hammock from Hammock Republic

Everyone loves lounging in a hammock. It’s so much more satisfying taking an afternoon nap on the beach to the sound of the waves or waking up a view of the the mountains on a hammock than from inside a hotel room after a long road trip. Especially here in the Philippines where many beach destinations are just ideal for lazing around.

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3 Springs Mountain Park in Tanay, Rizal

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.

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Weekend in Jomalig Island, Quezon

Raindrops trickled down through the holes in the tarpaulin that served as the roof of the boat, forming a puddle right next to me  and waking me up from my sleep. “Duct tape,” I mentally added to my list of things I should always bring on a trip, as I moved my bag and huddled in the center of the boat with the rest of the people on the boat.

jomalig quezon beach boats

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Slice of Paradise: Calaguas

By the time we reached the island, the taste of brine was thick on my lips, my eyes felt like they were on fire, and my clothes clung to my skin like wet rags. The two-hour trip aboard a fishing vessel from the port of Paracale in Camarines Norte to Mahabang Buhangin Beach in the Calaguas group of islands was a reminder that the sea demands respect.

mojos in calaguas travel up

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