There's a new camping site in Bohol and it's making buzz all over social media so a few days from its opening day, our family had an impromptu visit to check if it is indeed what the online people are saying. It's just nearby so we had no reason not to get there within its first week. They opened on August 9 by the way.
Lakeside Camp - A Lakeview Escapade offers a safe place for camping amid a beautiful lake in Mabini, Bohol. The camping ground is a rolling hill and the mountain ridges ahead were just a marvelous view.
But before reaching the said place, we also had an intro of amusement as we passed by several rice fields already green as it was planting season again. We utilized our barely-used Insta360 camera! Thankfully it had batteries when we were about to go! We found out it was fun to take videos with a 360 camera!
Getting to the location was easy and you won't miss it because of the signage in several spots along the way. Plus, locals were truly truly so you have nothing to worry about getting lost or whatnot.
From Guindulman, we traveled 30 minutes to reach Barangay Abaca, Mabini. The entrance fee for a day tour is Php 20, kids are free of charge. I am not sure until what age are the free ones as all our kids were free we had 7 years old, 4, 3, 2, and 1 with us. Parking is also Php 20. Overnight camping is Php 200 per person.
Day tours are allowed only from 3 PM to 9 PM while overnight guests can check in from 2 PM to 11 AM the next day.
The campsite offers a range of camping equipment too for rent including tents, camping tables, chairs, lamps, tent mats, pillows, blankets, and canopy tents! This is great, especially for those who have no camping equipment yet but want to try out this outdoor adventure!
If one is interested, a prebooking is required and a payment of 50% is required. As for the rates, you can check out their Facebook page instead!
They also have a shuttle service which is quite a good amenity to all visitors without means of transportation. Their pickup point is at La Union, Candijay, that’s the highway, or at Ka-Porsing, which is the crossing going to Abaca. The fees are as follows:
If from La Union:
- 1-4 Pax = Php 200 per head
- 5-9 Pax = 100 per head 10 Pax or more = 50 per head
If from Ka-Porsing:
- 1-4 Pax = Php 100 per head
- 5-9 Pax = 50 per head 10 Pax or more = 25 per head
I am not sure what vehicle they have, but this is still a good option for those who want to check out the campsite.
Food and drinks are welcome to be brought in without any corkage fee but they have a mini restaurant and camp store onsite just in case guests would prefer to purchase food or refreshments.
To make a reservation, message their Facebook page, they are quite responsive and there’s a little bit of data signal at the campsite, not too strong but there are spots where you can get a signal. Still, if you are camping, it is best to be out of the digital world and enjoy the time with nature.
As soon as our kids saw the rolling hills, they went gaga and ran around, going downhill and then going uphill. The sun was almost down and it was covered by the clouds but we still got a little bit of golden hour. Some were pitching their tents too and more visitors were coming in. I must say, it is indeed becoming popular, it won't surprise me if one of these days, it will be full of people just like what happened in Sirao, Cebu. I really can't forget how it was flocked by people it gave a bad image to the place. I hope it won't happen!
I flew the drone and it was fun to see the bigger picture, with the size of the lake surrounding the hills and the mountains in front of us, it was such an amazing place indeed!
After an hour, we decided to head out because it was already getting dark. I am glad we came and were planning our family camping but I found a post on Facebook that they were temporarily stopping their operations as DENR was requiring them to secure an ECC permit. Not sure what it is but I believe they'll be able to secure that anytime soon.
Til then, I am going to check their reopening and book as soon as possible. I hope they'll be reservation-only for crowd control so as not to make the place too crowded. I hope the green grasses will be preserved and that they'll maintain the beauty of this place.
That's it for today, do check out my video here:
If the above video doesn't work, check this link. Thanks for reading!
