Hidden Valley Springs

Somewhere at the foot of the mystical Mt. Makiling is a hidden valley of wat erfalls and hot spring pools nestled within a lush forest. Just a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila, this tranquil paradise is a must to visit! Once you get off the main road, the seemingly endless winding dirt road to the resort gives justice to the name Hidden Valley. When you finally get there, you'll be tempted to jump right in, but you have to do a little walking through the woods first, to get to the pools. With anticipation builing, you'll approach the wooden bridge and from a distance you will hear the sound of rushing water. When you get to the bridge, look to the right and about 20 feet down you will see the piece de resistance, the "warm pool", a series of 3 pools with waterfalls cascading into each other. Before jumping in though, we decided to take a 15 min hike to find the Hidden Falls. On the way you'll pass by the other pools. There's the soda pools, which apparently tastes like warm mineral water, I didn't want to verify that though. Then in a secluded corner is the lovers' pool....for lovers...uuyyyy....On the way, you'll also pass by a huge-ass Almang tree, it must be centuries old! At the end of the trail, you'll have to climb down into a crevice and there finally is the Hidden Falls. Careful, it's slippery, and you can't swim there because the current is storng. After that work-out, jumping into a cool pool would be perfection (hehehe), but you have to trek back first! The warm pools would have to be my favourite. They looks so natural nestled within the vegetation, that you would think God himself put them there. I would have to say, that communing with nature at Hidden Valley can be very soothing for the soul. If you want to stay overnight and commune some more, they have nice cottages too. Unfortunately I got sick and we had to cancel our overnight stay....next time na lang. Angelo de los Angeles

another pic from Hidden Valley