Forest Camp is a fun water park and resort set in the mountains of Valencia. Pools and slides are the main draws here. However, there is also a zipline, accommodation options and an onsite restaurant.
This is one of the man-made activities and tourist spots in Valencia. But considering, the Forest Camp blends in with the surrounding tropical landscape and river that flows through the resort.
Forest Camp Valencia – How to Get There
The Forest Camp is located in Valencia municipality. This tourist spot is a 10 km drive from Dumaguete City.
From Dumaguete City, the short journey could take less than 30 minutes. Travel time mainly depends on if you choose public transport or hire a car or scooter.
By Scooter
Scooters are generally the cheapest option to get around especially if you are like us and are all day on the go. We found all the streets, both in Dumaguete and Valencia are paved and well maintained which makes riding a scooter around the city and to the tourist spots in Valencia a straightforward journey.
A scooter rental in Dumaguete will cost php400 to php500 ($8-$10) a day
Hire Car + Driver
If travelling in a larger group (more than 2) or aren’t confident riding a scooter, then a hire car is a great option. And with a hire car, there is the option for a driver. Besides driving you around, your driver will usually suggest a route and popular tourist attractions to include in the day.
A hire car with a driver costs php3000 ($60) for 8 hours and can take 4 passengers + driver.
Local Bus and Habal-Habal
But the most interesting way to go is to do it DIY and use public transport.
From Dumaguete catch a multi-cab heading to Valencia from near the public market. Let the driver know you are going to The Forest Camp so he will drop you off as close as possible. If you are too far away use a habal-habal for the rest of the journey.
Multicab cost: php20 ($.40) – Habal-Habal P150 ($3) for 15 minutes ride.
>>South Philippines Guides: are you planning a trip to Cebu, Siquijor, Bohol, Dumaguete, Siargao or Camiguin? You can hop from one island to the other by ferry. Click on the yellow links for inspiration on your next trip!!
Getting Directions
With online maps easily accessible with a few clicks, the logistic part of getting to your destination is simple. There are dozens of online maps. The go-to maps we use are either Google.Maps or Maps.Me and use one or the other depending on connectivity. I will explain why.
Online Map:
Our go-to online map is Google.Maps. This is an online map that works great in urbanized areas and where there is steady mobile data connectivity. It is also straightforward to use. Simply enter the destination in the search bar and click directions.
You will get distance and also the journey time. Good to know is that most attractions will also have other useful information like opening hours, guest reviews and other places of interest nearby.
>>Check our Dumaguete and Philippines travel guides. It might convince you to extend your trip!!
Offline Map:
However, when travelling in remote areas where connectivity is a hit and miss we resort to an offline mapping system named Maps.Me. Maps.Me works offline however you will need to download the specific country you are in while you have a connection.
Using this app is also very simple. Enter your destination in the search at the bottom and hit ROUTE TO in the bottom section.
One downside to Maps.Me is that travel time isn’t always correct, and the system tends to choose the shortest route which at times may be more of a bumpy dirt road rather than an actual street. Therefore, the journey time will end up being much longer than you expect.
On the other hand, those bumpy and interesting rides are the adventures we remember.
Dumaguete to Forest Camp Map
Entrance Fee
Regular entrance fee + Pool Access
Adult: P120 ($2.40)
Child: P100 ($2) (from 2-8 years)
Consumables Entrance Fee (this option includes entrance fee, use of pool and a meal)
Adult: P350 ($7)
Child: P300 ($6) (from 2-8 years
Forest Camp Activities and Accommodation.
Forest Camp is essentially a mountain resort focused mainly on water activities. However, on-site there is also a restaurant and the option to lodge in one of their rooms overlooking the beautiful garden.
Various lodging options are available and they also have a Facebook page. You can check their page for the latest room prices.
Other Activities:
Zipline: P50
Wall Climbing: P50 – 2 climbs
Forest Camp – Our Experience
After a whole week in Dumaguete, we finally decided to go check out Forest Camp. The host of our accommodation told us all about the resort which eventually enticed us.
Meanwhile, during that week we had visited Casaroro Falls and Red Rock Hot Springs which were a 5-minute drive from Pulangbato Falls. All these tourist spots are in Valencia, a municipality 30 minutes from Dumaguete.
Being high up in the mountains means the climate is cooler than the City. So we decided to leave this activity for later during the day and eventually got there around mid-day.
Still, the air was cold and when we first arrived we ended up spending an hour sliding down a slide and running back up to warm ourselves up.
Further inside are multiple pools. Some have small cascades of overflowing water.
Personally, this sort of activity isn’t what we really look out for. And considering the climate I can’t say it is one of the best tourist spots. But it would definitely be a good place to chill out on a hot sunny day.
Useful Information
After spending a week in Cebu and exploring tourist spots in and around Moalboal, we decided to make our way further South and headed over to Negros Island. (Dumaguete is located on Negros Island)
Getting from one island to another is straightforward but if you need more help we created this guide on getting from Cebu to Dumaguete. This guide is actually on how to get to Siquijior, but by scrolling down you will find a section specifically on getting from Cebu to Dumaguete.
In total, we spent 7 nights in Dumaguete and most days we were working on this blog. And when we weren’t, we cruised around. Here are the places we visited:
Pulangbato Falls (near Red Rock Hot Springs)
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