Contributed by Travelista Journal
There is no better way to explore Silay City, Negros Occidental than the winding, curvy mountain road to Patag and to the majestic view of the Lantawan Peak. The road going up to Lantawan Peak is clean and surrounded by mountains of green, tall trees and sugar cane plantations that can be seen along the side. Negros Occidental is the Philippines’ major sugar producer, contributing over half to the country’s total production.
As you approach the top, you will be in awe by the beauty and simplicity of rural life. It was a quiet scenic ride all the way up to Lantawan View Silay. At the top, there is a campground and a distance away is the forest seedling of mahogany trees. The mahogany tree (Swietenia mahagoni) is a large tropical tree with a semievergreen growth habit.
Due to its popularity and known for its view that overlooks the Lantawan Peak, the owner decided to put up an accommodation offering a tent-style accommodations and basic cottages. The place has a bathroom for male and female where you can take a shower and a small store that offers small bites for snack. They have a wide space to park your 4 or 2 wheels service as well.
In preserving the beauty of the place, visitors and guests are not allowed to pick flowers and carving trees.
The best part of our road trip was seeing the majestic mountains of Lantawan Peak surrounded by greenery, and fresh air was truly amazing. The scenery is so beautiful, no words can describe how I felt that day. I felt I was transported into a paradise realm where the Earth is still pure, fresh and nourishing. The view was just so amazing that I stood glued by the beauty of the mountains. I was totally captivated by its grandeur.
Lantawan Peak is the northernmost peak of Mount Silay. The peak is largely uninhabited, especially its back country Southern side. Like most of the peak of the mountain, Lantawan is largely covered by forest. The first recorded climb of the peak was done by Joseph Victor Magdato, Mark Anthony Maja and John Paul Salcedo who scaled it on 3 Oct 2005.
It was almost late in the afternoon when we headed back to the city. As we descended, I saw beautiful flame trees (fire trees, Delonix regia) along the side of the road. It is a flowering tree that grows in many tropical parts of the world, like the Philippines.
The leaves of the tree look like Fire. It is red, yellow and orange. So beautiful to see how the shade and the sun connect. It makes me felt I was in a field of fire.
The sky turned into orange, yellow, red and blue. Imagine strolling through these trees with leaves the colour of fire. I just wish everything stops. It was amazing. Orange, yellow, red all different colours really made me felt warm inside as I said goodbye to this beautiful countryside of my home town.
I am going back someday…
Also read: 9 Instagram-Worthy Spots in Silay City
