Somewhere in the middle of the week….
Me: Let’s check out Bulacan.
Charles: What do you see there?
Me: I don’t know much about it really.
Charles: Cool, Bulacan it is then
This was basically the conversation that led us driving to Bulacan one lazy weekend while looking for a place to explore outside Manila. We invited one of Charles’ friends from work who was visiting their Manila office and off we went looking for a bit of adventure.
Bulacan isn’t a major tourist destination but it has its fair share of sights and events that have carved its name into Philippine history. The impressive Barasoin Church in the town of Malolos is designated as the seat of the First Philippine Republic, but for me it was the Fertility Rites in the town of Obando that had piqued my curiosity to visit it.
Apparently, this is the place to visit for childless couples, singles looking for soulmates and farmers praying for a bountiful harvest. However it wasn’t the right time of the year for this and I doubted my travel companions would be so excited by dancing with the hope of being rewarded with a baby, so we ended up driving to Biak na Bato National Park for a nature trip.
Biak na Bato National Park is one of the country’s ecological and historical treasures encompassing the southern edge of the Sierra Madre range situated a few kilometers from San Miguel Bulacan. Its name literally translates as “split boulders” taken from its unique rocky environment and caves.
The 2,100 hectare national park offers various ecological attractions including winding streams, waterfalls, thick forests and hundreds of caves which made it a suitable hideout for General Emilio Aguinaldo and other revolutionary fighters during the Spanish War.
Today Biak na Bato National Park has become a popular tourist destination attracting families who are looking for a refreshing summer retreat as well as busloads of students getting hands-on lessons on Philippine history.
I reckon exploring Emilio Aguinaldo’s hideout and the labyrinth of caves and rivers where our very own revolutionary soldiers once walked is rather more meaningful and engaging for students than the typical rote memorization of dates and names lifted from the textbooks.
The park also offers some pleasant hiking trails, waterfalls and hundreds of caves to explore – more than enough to satisfy a day’s worth of exploration for those with an adventurous spirit. There are some interesting rock formations, trails leading to small rivers, green forests and hanging bridges (which were used by young daredevils as platform for jumping into the water during our visit).
The park has somewhat lost some its wilderness feel – the once impregnable natural fortress that provided refuge to our freedom fighters is now quite accessible from the main town of San Miguel. In fact it has become a bit too touristy for the tastes of my two travel buddies, who shun away from guided tours unless really necessary.
There were rows of souvenir shops, food stalls and street vendors fronting the entrance of the park. But it was more the various fees they charge that kind of overwhelmed them before they could even enter the park. There’s parking fee of course, a toilet fee every time you go (different for number 1 and 2) and a compulsory guide fee.
For them it wasn’t about being a cheapskate but having the freedom to explore around on their own. The trails are paved and well marked and they didn’t have any plan of venturing further inside unfamiliar caves without the right equipment and guidance of an expert. We just really wanted to explore the park under our own steam.
After listening to two uncooperative parties, (two foreigners not wanting a guide and a local trying to get them pay for one) we ended up not getting one but were off limits to enter the caves. But after awhile, we found ourselves scrambling down a few caves located further away from the crowds and the prying eyes of the irate park attendant.
It was a particularly hot summer weekend so I wasn’t surprised to see how packed the park was. There was one little kid who followed us around and served as our unofficial guide. Some of the caverns were pretty easy to explore so we found ourselves inside tiptoeing on a pile of guano and wading through the shallow waters. We didn’t pass up the chance of clambering over some big boulders and getting a bit of a view from the top.
After emerging from one of the caves, raucous cheers from excited spectators brought all of us to the source of the commotion. Some of the boys were having the time of their life jumping into the water from the hanging bridge. I guess boys will always be boys and before I knew it two crazy foreigners jumped from the bridge as well which had caused quite a stir prompting the park attendant to ban anyone from jumping again.
I could imagine it would be more fun exploring further away from the crowd and checking out the network of caves. It doubles your chances of seeing endemic species like cloud rat, wild pigs, bats and other endangered fauna. On a less busier times, a visit to Biak na Bato National Park would probably be more pleasant and relaxing.
How to Get to Biak na Bato
Take the bus from SM North in Quezon City en route to San Miguel Bulacan and ask the driver to let you off at the park entrance. You may also rent a private van or FX from here and be prepared to pay up to P2000.
cool!kailan ito claire?parang ibang part ng biak na bato yung napuntahan namin.wala kasing tulay dun only monkey cable. we need to go back! =)
Kelan ka last pumunta, around March of 2010 kami napadpad dito.
What really nice here ate Claire is the fact that Bulacan is a commercial hub ay merun palang mga ganyang natatagong ganda. I’m from the North at hindi ako familiar sa mga lugar near Manila except of knowing them to have plenty of malls, and crowded streets. So it was my mistake to stereotype that provinces near Manila aren’t that close to nature – my fault. :>0
Definitely a must-try adventure in Bulacan to escape the stress of the city!
Laguna is another example, lots of waterfalls and historical places to explore too
cool :”)
Yey, working on backlogs! I’ve been to Manalmon but not in Biak Na Bato. I’d probably do this when we’re back in Pinas.
Yeah, I think I lost my blogging mojo, I’m kinda obsessed with my not-so-new hobby lately
Anyways, hope to catch up with you guys this August 
I live very close to Bulacan and have traveled there umpteenth time but I didn’t know about this Biak Na Bato National Park! Maybe we can head there this week-end!
wow…san ba yan banda dun…kasi ngaun saturday, hopefully we could summit two peaks, mt.manalmon & mt. gola and do spelunking @ bayukbok cave…^_^
This is just within my neighborhood (Bulacan) sadly haven’t been here
ang dali lang pala pumunta jan!
pero magha hire ako ng guide hehe, i’m not as good at climbing as you guys
great weekend, unplanned adventure!
di ko pa ‘to napuntahan… I’ve only been to madlum, where we climbed mt. manalmon, swam at madlum river and explored bayukbok cave… it’s also part of the Biak na Bata national park… but I think this is another part… thanks for sharing Claire!
biak na bato , you are just so near yet so far! haha lapit lang to sa min pero di ko pa nabibisita…
wow, great adventure on this historical site. i just came from San Miguel Bulacan last week, but not on this side. I went to the other, not so popular, Sitio Madlum. meron din maraming caves, river at mountain hiking.
waaaah!bat ang mahal ng FX? 2k?dyip nalang pls.lols—hopefully matuloy sa March 3—will be passing the area ata to this mountain where we are going to camp overnight.never been to this part of Bulacan.shame.hahaha
This is not far from Baliwag, where my grandparents used to live, yet I have not seen Biak na Bato nor was I aware that it is now a national park. Shame on me!
wow! ang galing… may ganyan pala dun… we totally take bulacan for granted – kasi ang lapit lang eh…
Back in the old days of history class in high school, I remember Biak Na Bato but never even saw actual photos till now. I’m surprised it’s that close to civilization now – nawala na nga talaga ang wilderness appeal.
pantanggal stress.. i love this kind of adventure.. madaanan nga..
Wow meron palang ganyan sa Bulacan.. At least inde na mag pplane.. Thanks Claire.
Looks like ya had fun spelunking. I wanna try too malapit lang yan. Thanks for sharing
caves will for sure be among the most popular adventure in the philippines in the coming years. for sure more will be discovered. i like biak na bato’s accessibility.
I remember exploring Biak na Bato more than a few years ago but don’t remember it to be as nice as you’ve captured it to be. I hear ya on the guided tours. I too would prefer to explore on our own.
Nice post. Historic site – I love.
The rock formation by the river is quite a sight to behold.
I’ve read this also in magazine, from then on I’ve always wishing to visit here one day, malapit lang kasi sa Bulacan.. Historical and yet near lang, cheap pa! Great deal..
Biak na Bato is so famous, parang bata plang ako nababasa ko na xa sa sibika at kultura books. haha when we went to Bulacan, Pinagrealan lang dinaanan namen, hope to visit this cave as well next time. thanks for the visual tour! i miss you Claire!
Pinagrealan Cave is actually very far from this park…
Maganda po yung Pinagrealan pero mas maganda po ang Biak na Bato…
When I hear the name Biak-na-Bato I think more about the turn of the 20th century and all the historic things that happened there. And Bulacan is so near Metro Manila, di mo maisip may mga ganyan pala na sobrang lapit lang!
I have spent my childhood years mostly in Bulacan, my mom’s hometown. Surprisingly, I don’t know any touristy place to feature. hihihi! Aside from their bukid, which served as my playground, stream and 1 cave(called Pinagrealan where Lakbay Norte Team visited), wala na kong ibang napuntahan. Thank you for sharing this Ms. Claire. I think I need to love my own this time. hihihi!
So it’s not worth it to visit? Was thinking of this also kasi ok lang na daytrip. Not too near, not too far.
I think you should give it a try and see for yourself. It’s not to0 bad and it might turn out to be a pleasant day trip for you after all.
Singles looking for soulmates you say?
hmmm, sounds like a good place to visit 
Though I think I’ll try to visit the place when it’s not too packed.
2,100 hectare.. napakalaki at pwedeng iexplore ang buong lugar.
trekking at camping pinaka the best na gawin dito.
kng one whole day,marami na bang mapupuntahan d2 sa biak na bato?how much ang entrance fee and other charges?tnx po…
It’s just one big park, half day is fine but one day is ok as well if you want to just chill, have picnic and spend the rest of your days exploring caves or wading in the river.
I agree with you, we can learn more our history if we’ll walk in this historical places instead of memorizing recorded dates.
Last time I visited San Miguel was when we climbed Mount Manalmon last 2010 too. We passed by rivers and entered caves for a day. It was exciting and the sceneries up there is breathtaking.
It was a nice historical site, this is what i am looking for, a great adventure that I will surely adore. I like the scenic beauty of the hanging bridge, it makes the place look more native. The rock formation and the caves excites me so much, I really want to go there and experience the beauty of nature. I can’t wait to have a picture in that majestic place.
We will go there this coming June!
Hello! I love ur blog site! it served as my inspiration in creating my own travel blog. I hope you could visit my blogsite too or even add me on your bloglist. thank u so much and good luck on ur future trips!! – Jan Ashlee, breakawayph.blogspot.com
Claire we miss you! Asan ka na?
I miss you all as well, just too busy working on two dream projects lately.
magkano yung guide fee nila? and may public transpo pa kaya pag gabi na? thanks! nabasa ko na ata lahat ng blogpost mo hehe
Hi Claire, Have you heard if the park is still open?We are planning to go there next week but apparently we heard rumors that it’s closed already as there were unlikeable incidents that took place in Biak na Bato..madami daw pong namamatay. Actually my neighbor was one of the unlucky ones. She got drowned. Nevertheless, I would still want to go and visit the caves. Hindi naman po kami maliligo sa ilog..
Hi Marlyn, Sorry I don’t know about the new development at the park but please let me know if you happen to visit it sometime.
Hi Claire! I want to ask if they charge extra for pre-nup pictorials? Thanks. Do we need to secure any permits? Thanks in advance for your help.
Hi Jonnah, sorry I don’t know their policy about commercial shoot.
my no# ba sila to fine or know everything claire
Namiss ko ang blog na to:) Historical ang Biak na Bato. Ang ganda pla ng Lugar Claire! luv ur photos specially yung tulay na kahoy
hello! balak namin pumunta sa biak na bato..anyone here knows the most convenient way to get there via public transportation from dau? thank you so much!
I know how
I’m a tourism student you can consult me any where you want to go here in the Philippines 
cool :”) Biak na bato was one of the historical place here in the Philippines
I almost forget that I live in the next town before goes to san miguel 
and that was san ildefonso 
I miss this blog. Sana ma update pa rin ito. We wonder where you are right now.
Hi Nonoy, ako din miss ko na magblog, hopefully next year, back to blogging na ulit.
Hi claire, paki try nyo po pumunta sa Verdivia Falls, sa bulacan din po yun, maganda po dun
Hi Claire. Dalawang taon na ang nag daan. haha!
I miss those days nah exciting pah and very passionate pa tau sa pag bloblog; ngayun prang umiba nah; di na tulad dati.
This reminds me to explore the Philippines first before other countries. we still have a lot of wonderful places to discover and go to.
caves are scary for me but i want to go there..
This is another case of so near yet so far. I’ve lived in QC for more than ten years now and I say SM North is accessible enough as a jump off point to Biak Na Bato. So, hiking shoes, backpack and camera, in tow. Here I go!
Thanks for sharing =)
Never thought there was a paradise like this somewhere close like Bulacan! Thanks for the recommendation! Definitely a must visit
‘can anyone tell me how to get here from hagonoy bulcan?
I wish I could visit this historical place one of these days.
..see you on sunday…:)
Hi Claire and Belle,
im fr0m QC, pls tell me kung anu ang mauuna, malolos b or san miguel.. Gus2 q kc mgsimba muna sa Barasoain church bago mgpunta Biak na bato Nat Park.
magkaiba po ng way yun barasoain at biak na bato, depende nalang kung my sarili kayong sasakyan
Hi open pb ito? Gusto q kc pumunta ths month