Camping Fun and More at Alomah's Place in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon

Camping is one of those experiences I no longer get to do these days. The last one I experienced was years ago during my Boy Scout years in elementary school. So I am glad that I had the pleasure to go camping again during a recent Organic Agriculture (OA) farm tour organized by the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) in Northern Mindanao.

mornings at Alomah's

About fifty-kilometers from Cagayan De Oro (CDO) is Alomah’s Place in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon -- a two-hectare farm with vast open spaces and a lot of fresh air. The farm's name was derived from the surnames of its owners Grace Alombro and Benjohn Mahistrado. 

a beautiful paradise

The same way successful organic farms were developed, it wasn’t easy for the Mahistrado family to get where they now are. They shared with us their story of challenges and struggles they had to overcome before they were able to create the paradise that is Alomah's Place today.

rows upon rows of organic lettuce

Alomah's is a place known for practicing organic farming. For crops, they chose to cultivate a variety of vegetables and herbs, with their main produce being organic lettuce due to its high demand and value compared to regular lettuce. They also have free-range organic chickens and ducks as well as tilapia that Sir Benjohn joked are vegetarian because they are fed lettuce leaves. I am grateful to have tasted some of these during our meals there.

crowd favorite 3-in-1 fresh herbs tea

The salad served at Alomah's is also very appetizing because it comes with Ms. Grace's own homemade dressing. It becomes even better when paired with their specialty blend of 3-in-1 fresh herbs tea made of tarragon, mint, and stevia leaves. I found them an excellent combination that helps counter the very cool climate in the area. Both of these offerings are included in their P100/head service fee with a farm tour and lecture for the day. 

camp accommodations

However, Alomah's isn’t limited to just daily farm tours. As far as overnight stays go, visitors are given options to choose from. One is to sleep comfortably in a cabin that sleeps at least five people, or camp outside in a tent. Fair warning though, it is extremely cold in Mindanao, but my dad and I still chose the latter. In fairness, I found sleeping there quite relaxing. 

wouldn't you like to wake up to this, too?

Apart from the occasional downpour and humidity during the night, it was a very pleasant experience to have genuinely camped outdoors at least once in my lifetime. The big bonus was that the first thing you’ll see upon waking up is a glorious sunrise over the peak of the mountains in the morning. 

inside the tent floor

If you don’t fancy outdoor snoozing but still want to have a camping experience, Alomah's also has a "tent floor," which is found on the second floor of a large house. There, guests can sleep in one of the five tents that can accommodate at most ten people. You can also bring your own tents to set up.

riding Alomah's award-winning horses

So far, Alomah's captures some of the best outdoor experiences anyone can enjoy. And, to fully complete it, there's horseback riding, too! We got to ride a few of their award-winning horses, which are way bigger than the ones being rented out in Tagaytay or Baguio. Isn't it beautiful to have photo-ops with an incredible scenic view of the landscape as your backdrop? 

my dad trying rafting

There are many more things you can do at Alomah's like riding a raft on the pond, but we were short of time to explore. By the way, Alomah is only a few minutes away from Dahilayan Adventure Park, one of the famous tourist destinations in Northern Mindanao. You can give a few of their rides a try, or you can just relax under the tall pine trees at the forest park.

pine trees found at Dahilayan Adventure Park

As for me, I was more than content with the experiences I had during my stay at Alomah’s Place. It was a privilege to have met farmers Benjohn and Grace, as well as their son John Diego, whose story I wrote about for Family Matters magazine. Definitely, this family of farmers has and will always serve as inspiration for many people, including myself. 

the Mahistrado family

Visit Alomah’s Place and learn more about organic agriculture! You may reach Mr. Benjohn Mahistrado at 09177153560 or 09088972466. To learn more about other ATI organic agriculture learning sites, visit www.ati.da.gov.ph

* photos taken by my dad who blogs at trailsunlimited.blogspot.com. You can read his post on Alomah's Place, here.