ExploRare: THE HIDDEN GEMS OF MINDANAO – Featuring: Sea Of Clouds and Benwa Strawberry Farm at Bukidnon, Philippines

Most people talks about the different tourist destinations in the Philippines and most locals always recommend places such as Boracay, Palawan, Gensan, Sarangani, Aurora, Baler, Batanes and the likes. But there are hidden astonishing places to travel in the country and I am on set for a goal to look and explore the unseen beauties of my country. Just hold on and I will give you the first Two (2) Hidden ravishing destinations that you I personally thought "It doesn't Exist in that place".

First of all I just want to say thank you to my ever supporting girlfriend for making extra efforts on my craziness in traveling and exploring hidden gems and wonders of my native land. All right here we go the FIRST TWO HIDDEN GEMS OF MINDANAO, PHILIPPINES WHICH I FIRST THOUGHT "IT DOES NOT EXIST."

1. SEA OF CLOUDS

With about 2-3 hours travel form Ecoland Terminal, Davao city you may be able to see this relaxing sight of clouds at the Hills View in BUda Road, Bukidnon Highway, Marilog District, Davao City, Davao del Sur. Be ready for the experience when traveling to this place as it is really hidden away from civilization and modernization. NO CELLULAR SIGNAL is one thing you will experience (as of the time of writing) and the rough, stony and really distorted roads are obstacles in reaching this haven. To go there you need to either do it like an expert mountain climber or you can ride a Habal-Habal for transportation if you avoid getting your shoes dirty with mud and tiring your legs from long waling and never ending climbing.

But after such sacrifices and jaw dropping road challenges, all your pains will turn to gains as you will see the relaxing aura of the clouds flourishing like spilled milk. I feel a combined amazement, excitement and peace when I finally see the scenic view of this hidden gem that I thought does not exist. The place is not that famous compared to other similar sea of clouds spots like Mt. Pulag who is known for it but you will feel the same exciting experience here at Hills View. Many travelers compared it with Mt. Pulag and said it is better than Hills View and often forget that Mt. Pulag is higher ground compared to Hills View. But the point is "YOU THOUGHT IT DOES NOT EXIST IN THIS PLACE!"

So, for those who are not really into climbing at Mt. Pulag and the like and not into mountain climbing, you can certainly visit this place and I guarantee you the Sea of Clouds like you never Seen Before!

1. BEMWA STRAWBERRY FARM

This next stop that I am going to share to you is the Bemwa Farm located at Buda – Gumitan, Marilog District, Davao City, Davao del Sur. Although contrary to the title above, the Benwa Farm is not a strawberry farm in Bukidnon but also a home of different vegetables such as lettuce, parsley cabbage, kale and other green leaf veggies. Strawberry is the major attraction in this farm that gathers thousands of local visitors from different region of Mindanao. It became famous because it brings about excitement to the locals and mainland settlers in Mindanao Island because of the connotations that “strawberries can only be planted in cold areas.”

Significantly this strawberry farm lures thousands of visitors every month due to it's rarity here in Mindanao that we even think that it is impossible to plant and propagate strawberries in a tropical country or simply it cannot exist here in Mindanao because of extreme heat. But looking at the fruits I then realized that with nature it is all possible and the Lord God design our world in a perfect balance and harmony. With this things in mind, I decided to put Benwa Strawberry Farm in my ExploRare the HIDDEN GEMS OF MINDANAO edition. Below are some photos of the strawberry fruits I happened to take. We were a bit late as we missed the actual harvesting of the ripe strawberries but I still manage to take a picture of unripe fruits for yours to take!

Benwa Farms is not just a home for strawberries. It is also a home of different organic veggies such as lettuce, kale, parsley and the like. During the harvest time, all harvested fruits and vegetables are then delivered to Davao City and other neighboring cities and municipalities. Bukidnon is one of the major suppliers of fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers and other agricultural crops that was beneficial to augment the needs of the locals in both consumption and and business.

So, if you happened to visit Bukidnon, why not give yourself the opportunity to see Benwa Farms and be amazed of the goodness of the sight and learn more about strawberries and other crops and to learn more about the goodness of organic farming.

That's it for now guys! I hope you gain something in my blog. The next time you visit Philippines or if you are a Filipino living in the country, why not try this hidden gems of Mindanao and I am sure you will never forget the experience, the learning and the fun and adventure you will encounter here. This is just the FIRST TWO of my hidden gems series and there are more to come! I am constantly researching for different RARE SPOTS in Mindanao so if you know some that you want me to create an article about it, just comment below. If you like what you see here give this post an upvote!

Thank you guys and this is ExploRare! Happy Traveling!