Unique Places in Bacolod City

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If you are in for a new adventure, go climb Mt. Canlaon. Mt. Canlaon is the most active volcano in Central Philippines. It has a peak elevation of 2,435 m (7,989 ft) with a base diameter of 30 km (19 mi) and is dotted with pyroclastic cones and craters.

Bacolod serves as the gateway to Mt. Canlaon if you're flying from other provinces.

There are a few trails to choose from when climbing Mt. Canlaon. For beginners, the advisable one is the Guintubdan entry-exit trail which takes around 6-8hours of trekking going to the saddle, another 30 minutes going up to the Summit and almost 7hours of trekking down to Guintubdan.

The climb is tough and exhausting. It requires someone to be really physically fit. A permit needs to be secured first and a waiver to be signed.

Balay (House) Negrense is a traditional haciendero house and was said to be owned by French sugar baron Victor Gaston.
Note that the rooms are connected to each other by side doors (Filipino families love to congregate) and the intricate air passages above each wall panel. Hacienderos (land owners) entertain their guests through the piano recitals held in the sala.

Take a jeep from the Robinson's Mall bound for Silay and get off at the church. It's a trip (45 min-1 hour) along sugarcane plantations. If you go further than Silay, you would reach Victorias (the largest sugar milling in Asia).

I woke up at 5am and took a stool to the edge of the cliff so I could wait for the sun to start peeking through the horizon. Sunsets are beautiful but if you can catch the sunrise...and watch the sky light up...unforgettable!

Looked like fun...you get to walk on a hanging bridge. They have guides to make sure you'll be safe. Even if you're afraid of heights I don't think this would be much of a problem...it's not THAT high.
Costs $2.

Click on the picture and read the sign which describes the 12 bedroom layout of the house. It describes how the family used their home as a place to welcome and entertain guests...clearly representing Negrense hospitality.

Mt. Canlaon semi-active volcanoa. Took a bus there, about 4-5 hours from Bacolod. Then we had to hire a motorcycle to get us up some of the mountain. And then had to hike a little. Friendly locals waving along the way. Wish I spent the night for some more serious exploring, but got to see a natural spring river flowing down the mountain. Two days after we left the volcanoe shot off some gas and ash and a safety perimeter was established. It is my understanding that this happens off and on occasionally.

IMHO, the bats are cooler than the falls, hahaha. But I can't talk, I have been there twice now and have not been to all the falls. My suggestions is go there very early. I went there in the middle of the day in the middle of summer both times and it was more work than fun.

Most tourists come to Bacolod to get a taste of the night life or to take a look at the wide fields of sugarcane but what most tourists miss are the beautiful churches of the city. We have a number of them, in fact but you have to get a local to show you since most of these churches are hidden in little barangays.