Hello everyone! Indeed, summer has come and a lot of people are surely planning their summer getaways by now. Travel promo advertisements could be found here and there. Apart from beaches, which people love to go to during summer, people also love visiting cool places to escape the warm summer weather. So yes, I am back with my Baguio City trip blogs. For this blog, I will share to you another popular tourist destination in the city, the Mines View Park.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Mines View Park observation deck or view deck.
Mines View Park is one among the very popular tourist spots of Baguio City. The park is situated on a promontory land at the northeastern side of the city. It is very popular for its observation deck where you can get a panoramic view of the mountains and an overlooking view of the Balatoc Mines (gold and copper mining) operated by Benguet Corporation. (I'm not sure if the Balatoc Mines still operates up to this day but I read that they are open for mine tours for travelers.) Aside from the Balatoc Mine, you'll also get a view of the Amburayan Valley and the Cordillera mountains.
HOW TO GET HERE
The Mines View Park is not that difficult to reach. It is about 5 kilometers away from the city proper and just takes around 15 minutes to get there. You can either take a jeepney or a taxi if you don't have a private vehicle. The jeepney fare, of course, is the cheapest. Probably just around Php 10. (Sorry, I can't remember it well.) Meanwhile, it will cost you around Php 75 to 100 for the taxi. Well, the taxi fare actually depends on the traffic condition. (Flat rate for taxi fare in Baguio City is Php 35.) Less traffic and faster travel means cheaper taxi fare.
It's also near and just next to The Mansion and Wright Park. So if you are going to these spots (including Baguio Botanical Garden), you may want to drop by Mines View Park before heading back to the city proper.
ACTIVITIES AT MINES VIEW PARK
OBSERVATION DECK
(image source: Katsanslimites)
View from the observation deck.
The observation deck is of course the main reason why tourist visit Mines View Park. One needs to go down the rock stairs to reach the observation deck. In this area, you'll get a nice panoramic view of the mountain ranges and the clouds closely hovering on them.
The observation deck is sure a nice place to take photos and relax but the only problem that I always encounter when visiting here is the crowd. Seriously, there are too many people on this area even on weekdays. If you are planning of getting a solo photo of yourself here, then sorry to crush your plan. The observation deck is not that wide, so you will most likely get people photobombing on your picture or worst, getting in front of you. So when you are at this area, always be aware of your surroundings and don't forget to say "excuse me" when passing by people taking photos.
If you are tired from standing, you can take a seat at the gazebo located right at the middle of the observation deck. However, good luck getting a space for you because the gazebo is fully occupied most of the time. According to my mom, the metal structure of the gazebo was still the same as the one she had seen when she last went here during the 70s or 80s. She said it was just repainted and also praised it for being a resilient structure.
TAKE A PHOTO OP WITH THE HORSES AND DOGLAS
Aside from the amazing view at the observation deck, visitors can also enjoy taking photos with rainbow-haired horses and Doglas, the very popular St. Bernard dog of Baguio City.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Doglas, the big and fluffy St. Bernard superstar dog of Baguio City. Look at his tongue. Haha!
I haven't tried taking a photo with the horses but my mom and I got to have some photos with Doglas. Two men, which I assume are the owners of the dog, said it costs Php 50 to have three photos with the dog. My super fascinated mom immediately agreed and we were guided to seat at the monoblock bench. I gave my phone to one of them to be used as the camera while the other man guided the dog to take his position in front of us.
My mom and I were both surprised when the huge dog, Doglas, leaned and rested its belly on our laps. We can definitely feel the dog's weight but it was really a nice fuzzy feeling having photos with a cute huge dog. Amazingly, the huge dog won't also budge and seemingly knows his task. He just stays on his position while one of its owners was doing the counting for the picture. After some photos, which definitely went beyond 2 shots, the owner charged us Php 100 because he took 5 shots. We had no choice but to pay for it.
WEAR A TRADITIONAL CORDILLERAN ATTIRE
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Me wearing a Cordilleran attire.
Another activity people can enjoy here is experiencing to wear a traditional Cordilleran costume. For just Php 20, you can rent a full set of the costume. The stall is run by Cordilleran grandmas. You just have to approach them and say that you want to wear a costume. While you're standing, grandma would dress you the costume carefully and makes sure it fits you perfectly. The costume will be placed on top of your clothes so you don't need to remove your clothes. (Lol.) Grandma also chooses the accessories and headdress that looks good on you. Just be patient on getting your turn to be dressed up because there are always lots of people wanting to wear one.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
My mom and I in front of the colorful stall where we rented the attires.
You can take photos as much as you want and there is no time limit of wearing the attire. My mom and I literally got tired of taking so much photos with it that we returned it in less than 30 minutes. When returning it, return it properly and don't forget to pay.
PLANTS AND FLOWERS FOR SALE
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Some of the plants and flowers for sale inside Mines View Park.
Entering the park, your will be greeted with so many varieties of plants and flowers being sold at almost every corner. If you love plants, you would definitely spend a couple of minutes just by strolling around these area. My mom was tempted to buy some plants but had to put the idea down because we were the taking public transportation and was afraid we would just mishandle the plants while traveling.
Other than that, there are some food stalls too which sells steamed corn and all sorts of foods in strawberry flavor.
SOUVENIR SHOPS
By the way, outside Mines View Park is a long line of souvenir shops. There are tons of souvenir items you can find here like bonnet, shawl, sweater, scarf, keychain, etc. They also sell Baguio City's food delicacies here like lengua de gato, crinkles, peanut brittle, strawberry jam, strawberry wine, etc. My mom and I bought 3 bonnets at one of the stores for Php 90 or 100. (I can't remember the price well, but it could be from the two I have mentioned.) There are also lots of taho vendors on this area and you would surely be surprised at how nice their voices sounds when they shout, "TAHOOOOOO!" They sell three flavors: strawberry, ube, and the original flavor.
(video source: The Hungry Syrian Wanderer via Youtube)
Good Shepherd's ube jam.
Aside from the stalls and taho, there is a popular shop near the area that tourists love buying from. The Good Shepherd. I always forget to stop by at this shop but according to people who had went here, Good Shepherd has the best ube jam. It's a bit expensive but they say it's all worth it.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Mines View Park signage outside the park. Glad I was able to take a photo of it alone before the next group of people stood behind it to have their own photos.
There are also huge signages of the Mines View Park at the entrance where people love taking photos. There are actually three huge signages. The biggest one is the one inside right after the entrance.
CHANGES AT MINES VIEW PARK
(image source: Katsanslimites)
The gazebo at the observation deck.
My mom who hadn't been to Mines View Park for some decades had pointed the changes she had noticed at the observation deck in a heartbeat. She was so much dismayed to see so many houses at the foot of the mountains. Long before, there were no houses seen from the view. Just plain mountains and the green trees. That's the real gorgeous view of Mines View Park, my mom said.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
View of the cliff from the observation deck.
She also narrated that back then, there were children below the observation deck wherein they would pick the coins tossed by the visitors. She said that the children can even find the coin that was stuck in between the cracks. This always leaves me puzzled whenever my mom would tell this story because no matter how much I stare at the cliff, I still couldn't find the ground. Anyway, there are no longer children doing this and visitors are no longer tossing coins.
A PLACE YOU SHOULDN'T MISS
(image source: Katsanslimites)
My mom looking at the mountains while remiscing how used to look like.
Overall, Mines View Park is a nice place to visit. Your whole family and friends will surely enjoy this park as it has different activities to try. The mountain ranges are picturesque which are just like painting. But it's really saddening to see houses below which tarnishes the beauty a bit than it used to be. Anyhow, the view still looks amazing. Another thing I love at the observation deck is staring at the cliffs. No, I don't have plans of jumping! (Haha!) I just love staring at it with amazement of how deep it is from where I am standing.
(video source: The Hungry Syrian Wanderer via Youtube)
A fun tour around Mines View Park.
Mines View Park is a lovely and lively place; always filled with people. It's near and accessible from the city proper so it's not that difficult to reach this park. There is also no entrance fee to be able to enter the park. Despite the additional view(houses) on the observation deck, I would still love going back here. If you are visiting Baguio City, you should never miss dropping by Mines View Park!
Thanks for reading!
✧ Katsanslimites
