Lumadnong Lantawan: Camping on a Secluded Camp Site with Swimming Pool in Cebu City

Hi Hiveans! It has been a week since my last post. There were a lot of things happened after the Holy Week such as accepting a new job, processing my papers for my home loan, and playing the newly released Ragnarok Origins Global Server, LOL. Guess, I'm back!!

As I have grown older, I realized that we tend to prioritize convenience and comfort. Before, I am always up to the game of hiking with huge backpacks and going camping on the top of the mountain. Now, I prefer on short day hikes, or camping trips but with shorter hikes, or even staying on a hotel or transient house that is convenient. In this post, I will take you to my last camping trip which was said to us was an "easy" hike so I joined in.

A Little Backstory

As per Ser Hive account@kev.incredible, and Hive account@mariasalve they found this place by accident when they were hiking on the mountains of Cebu City. They were mind blown because who would have thought that there will be a swimming pool in the midst and top of an undeveloped mountains of the city. Because of that, they tagged us and planned for a camping trip.

Lumadnong Lantawan

Lumadnong Lantawan is located in Brgy. Quiot, Cebu City. It is situated on top of a hill and end of the Antuwanga Bike Trail. This trail is pretty well-known for mountain bikers and hikers. This place is managed by local Lumad, who are natives.

In this place features a 4-feet pool with a breathtaking view of the city. It also has few cottages for day use, and area for camping. The area is widely open so it is expected to be very hot when you visit during day time. However, the overlooking view of the city provides a magnificent view of the sunrise.

Going to Lumadnong Lantawan

My friends and I met at Brgy. Quiot, Pardo, at 7 Eleven to be exact. We hailed a motorcycle taxi to Antuwanga. After few minutes, we arrived at a fenced area. That area is the Antuwanga Bike Trail which a lot of mountain biking enthusiast visit. Even though the trail can surely let a motorcycle to pass through, apparently they don't allow it.This means we need to hike for at least 30 minutes depending on your pacing.

The Hike to Lumadnong Lantawan

Luckily, we started our hike around 5 in the afternoon and the sun was already setting. That means the heat of the sun was not too bad. It allowed us to enjoy the view of the rolling mountains of Cebu City, and the breathtaking overlooking view of Cebu City.

You can see how vast the city is with all the buildings and community area. Such a beautiful sight to see!

The hike was unexpectedly tiring. The trail is open, and is steep enough for you to sweat out and catch your breath. Good thing the view is so good hence we couldn't feel a lot of tiredness. I was part of the lead pack for some reason in this hike (because usually I am part of the tail) so we head right away to the Lumadnong Lantawan.

Arriving at Lumadnong Lantawan

We arrived at Lumadnong Lantawan just in time before dark. We were welcomed by the care taker and ask us the register. We have to pay for campsite fee of P100 (1.79 USD) and pool fee of P70 (1.25 USD).

Since we were on the lead pack, we had the privilege to choose our spot for our tents. Good thing we were the only group who arrived for camping at that time so we were free to choose any where. The tail group, by the way, arrived in the dark so they didn't have choice but to pitch their tents on edges of the camp site hahaha! Anyway, the campsite is filled with gravel, so it is not comfortable to lie down inside your tent without a sleeping mat.

Campsite Experience

After pitching our tents and settling down, we proceeded to prepare our dinner. It was our friend An's birthday, so we prepared sumptuous food. The good thing about Lumadnong Lantawan is that they have a restroom so you are free to eat a lot and worrying less on taking a dump on top of the mountain HAHAHA!

Water is also available at the campsite. so we were able to wash our mess kits after our dinner. They also have a mini store so you can check and may be buy some things you missed.

Since we are in Lumadnong Lantawan, we would have not missed dipping on their swimming pool. As the area is on top of the mountain and there are no large trees to cover the campsite, the winds are quite strong. So water + wind means it is chilling cold HAHAHA! But that didn't stop us from taking a dip and enjoying the pool! Thanks to Mojitos, they helped to warm us up a bit while swimming.

One of the reasons to visit this place is the magnificent overlooking view of the city. The flashing lights of the buildings, houses, and infrastructure make it seem as if a galaxy is being compressed together.

We ended the night after the endless laughters, being tipsy, and cold from the swimming experience.

Magnificent Sunrise at Lumadnong Lantawan

The location of Lumadnong Lantawan is situated to face the sunrise. Cliche as it may seem but the view of the sunrise in the campsite is amazing. The color of the sky turning red and yellow as the sun rises from the horizon makes you appreciate and brace for a new day.

After the photo shoot experience during the sun rise, we proceeded with preparing our breakfast, eating our breakfast, and then breaking the camp.

Going Home from Lumadnong Lantawan

We thought our adventure going home will be laid back but apparently, it is not HUHU! So there are other way to reach the campsite and this is the "shortest". Don't get complacent though HAHAHAHA! Although it is the shortest, it is for sure steeper than the trail we did going to the camp site. It is steep enough for your knees to tremble. We hiked for around 30 minutes and arrived at Buhisan which is another barangay in Cebu City.

Over-all, this hike is a circus of experience. From a "chill" hiking experience to a refreshing dip on the swimming pool, getting together and catching up with friends with boisterous laughters. For sure this adventure is one for the books and the reason for me to go back to camping trips for years!

That's it for our blog for today, see you on the next one!