Mabinay

Mabinay (stress on middle syllable) is a municipality covering a large area of hills and valleys near the center of Negros Island. There are many caves in the region and the town's small tourist industry revolves around organizing trips to them and kayaking in the Ilog river and its tributaries.

Understand
According to the locals there are literally hundreds of caves in the area but they are reluctant to reveal their locations lest they are padlocked shut to prevent harvesting of birds nests and bats. The nests are the basis of the Chinese delicacy bird's nest soup and are a profitable export item; there are legal controls to prevent over-harvesting, but locals sometimes cheat on those.

In 1989-1990, a Belgian-Dutch-Philippine Caving Expedition undertook a survey and identified 45 separate caves. Two copies of their research and documentation were given to the town and very quickly disappeared.

Get in
Mabinay is on the main road linking the capitals of the island's two provinces, Dumaguete in Negros Oriental and Bacolod in Negros Occidental. It is easily reached by bus from either city, or from the nearer cities Bais and Kabankalan.

This is not a good road for driving after dusk. There are several road slips in the hills on the road and, as is usual in the Philippines, these are neither adequately signed nor lit at night. Also, broken down vehicles often drive off leaving the large rocks that they had used as wheel chocks behind them in the middle of the road.

Get around
by pedicab or offer to rent a scooter from a local if you want to explore with natural air conditioning.

Do
Enjoy a dip in the natural spring pool, 200m past Andrew's Diner on the way to Bais on the left hand side. Waterfall and shade trees. admission for adults, for kids. to hire a kayak with paddles and lifejacket for 1h. Zipline is and kids may get a free ride if it's quiet.

River kayaking & rafting in the Ilog river, one of the longest rivers in the province. Water levels are usually low in July, August and September.

Buy
Birds' nests. You'll make a huge profit in places like Hong Kong and Macau.

Sleep
Since accommodation options are rather limited, visitors might consider staying in Bais some 100 minutes away (reduced to 50 minutes if the highway is ever repaired).


 * Mabinay Springs poolside cottages. ₱ 1000-1500 per brand-new cottage.
 * Mabinay Springs poolside cottages. ₱ 1000-1500 per brand-new cottage.

Go next

 * Bais is equally peaceful and has dolphin watching and floodlit tennis courts