Entrance, Mumbukal Mountain Resort, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Coming from the USA, we are accustomed to natural areas being in public ownership as parkland. In the Philippines many such places are privately owned and operated. Mambukal Resort is about a 45 minute drive from Bacolod City. It consists of beautifully landscaped grounds in which are set a swimming pool, picnic shelters, ponds, rental cottages, a Japanese bathhouse, a butterfly garden, and a food court. From Mambukal one can hike further up into the mountains to a series of waterfalls. Contact: 034-7100-800. Please note that some guidebooks refer to Mambukal as Mambucal.

Mumbukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental – Swimming Pool

Beautifully landscaped grounds – Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Cottage at Mambukal

A rental cottage at Mambukal. While the design of the cottages was delightful and the price reasonable, our cottage was not in the best of shape. This is a heavily used resort and the rooms are often occupied to overfull. We paid P900 for our aircon room. The aircon was not really working due to low voltage. While there was a hot water heater, it was not working. The accommodations were acceptable but nothing to look forward to. We did have our dinner at the on-site food court. There were two or three separate independently run restaurants. Ours was quite good (grilled Blue Marlin, BBQ chicken) and the prices reasonable.

Hot Springs at Mambukal Resort — the sign said 90 degrees C!

Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines. Volcanic activity was evident everywhere at Mambukal

Picnic Shelter – Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines The design of the landscaping and the buildings was very well thought out and well maintained as well.

Pretty Roads – Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Hiking trail to the waterfalls Mumbukal Mountain Resort

There are a series of waterfalls in the mountains above the resort. Perhaps there is a formal road or trail but our Mambukal guide took us on an informal route that wound steeply up, through mountain barrios, to the falls. The footing was slippery so I wished I had had boots rather than running shoes. Still, the hike was a high point of our trip, not so much for the falls but for the chance to see how life is lived in the mountain barrios.

Falls in mountains above Mambukal Resort

I believe this is fall five of seven. Kids from the surrounding barrios hung out at the falls hoping to secure a little money. Although fairly high in the mountains, there are lots of people living in this backcountry. We did not swim in the pool because we were not sure if the water was contaminated.

Barrio Road near Mambukal Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Rice harvest in the Mambukal backcountry, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Clothes trying to dry in the wet backcountry near Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines

Butterfly Farm – Mambukal Resort, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Philippines If you pay a small fee you may visit the resort’s butterfly farm.

In the Philippines, the population density is so high, the forest so decimated that, except for beach resorts, it can be hard to experience nature and natural beauty in the Philippines. Mambukal is a great getaway for those seeking a bit a of nature.

Related posts:

1. Trip Report: Bacolod and Silay, Negros Occidental, Philippines
2. Trip Report: Sira-an Hot Springs Resort, Anini-y, Antique
3. Trip Report: Boracay Island, Philippines
4. Trip Report: SOS Children’s Village in Iloilo
5. Review – Phaidon Beach Resort, Pandan Antique