Hello and good day! I know rainy season had already begun here and summer is just about to begin in other countries. So to combat the dull skies hovering our country, here’s something that would brighten up our day. This is a blog that I planned to write last summer but business tasks just keep coming, surprisingly.
I'm sure nobody wants to be lost inside a maze. But would you rather if I told you it's a maze full of sunflowers? Yes, you read it right! And you no longer have to travel very far because it is right in this country! The first ever sunflower maze in the Philippines!
THE A-MAZE-ING SUNFLOWER
(image source: Katsanslimites)
A close up shot on one of the many sunflowers in the sunflower maze.
The popular "A-Maze-Ing Sunflower" is located at a peaceful farm called Allied Agri Technology Inc.(AATI) at Barangay C. Lichauco of the humble town of Tayug in the province of Pangasinan. The farm is owned by Allied Botanical Corporation(ABC), a Philippine seed company. It has a land area of 3 hectares while the maze measures about 2,100 square meters.
AATI, after being accredited as a day farm by the Department of Tourism, opened last February 17, 2017 which ran for a few months. The farm is open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Meanwhile, tourist would not only enjoy seeing thousands of sunflowers but also different varieties of flowers and vegetables. The company also helps educate their visitors while being an agri-tourism destination.
INSTANT POPULAR DESTINATION
(video source: COSMOPOLITANPH via Youtube)
A little tour around the farm.
In our digital world, one that catches the attention of people can easily go viral in a short span of time. And with Filipinos who loves sharing posts on social media, there is no wonder why A-Maze-Ing Sunflower became a hot topic in social media especially for the Pangasinenses. From a simple post of a local advertiser in the province to being featured in the national mainstream news after a few days. Even though Pangasinan is just a few hours away from Baguio City, where different beautiful flowers bloom, the sunflower maze in Tayug remains one of a kind which never failed to get unnoticed.
HOW TO GET TO A-MAZE-ING SUNFLOWER?
(image source: Allied Botanical Corporation via Facebook)
How to get to AATI.
I would recommend that you travel to A-Maze-Ing Sunflower with a private vehicle because the AATI is a little far from the town proper. As you can see on the photo above, the management provided different routes on how to get to there via public or private vehicle. In my case, we used our car to get there so I’m not sure about how long and how much would it take if you choose to ride a public vehicle. However, the advantage of it is that you no longer have to worry much about the directions because the driver surely knows the way to the farm. Unlike for visitors who would use a private vehicle, they should prepare their GPS(Global Positioning System), otherwise, they have to make a stop every now and then to ask people for directions. So I suggest you to bring your gps device or turn your phone’s gps on.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
On our way to the sunflower maze.
In the bible, a star helped the three wise men find the newborn king. Today, we have the satellites to guide us reach our destination.(Lol.)
Luckily, I live on the same province as where this attraction is and it only took us 1 hr and 30 minutes to reach the farm. This is our first time to visit the town of Tayug so gps is really a necessity. I remember they kept asking me if my gps is leading us to the right direction when we reached a road where there were no houses visible. They think we were lost so I told them to trust the route the gps says. Yup, we successfully arrived at our destination.
In all fairness, there were signs that will lead you there as you get near the farm although they were quite small so slow down and keep your eyes sharp.
ARRIVING AT AATI
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Cute sunflower stamp on my wrist.
Before you could enter the farm, you need to go to the registration area to list your name and purchase ticket/s. A ticket costs 100 Pesos(around 2 US Dollars) while students, senior citizens and PWDs(persons with disabilities) can avail of a discount.
Sunflower foods like sunflower seeds and sunflower brittle can be purchased in this area as well. They are sold a few Pesos cheaper than those in the supermarket. You should try them, it's really good!
At the entrance of the farm, you have to present your ticket and they’ll ink you with a sunflower stamp on your hand before entering. Look on the photo above, isn’t the stamp cute?
HUNGRY? DON'T WORRY!
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Some of the many food stalls the visitors can choose from.
If you didn’t bring any food with you to munch on, no worries because there are variety of food stalls to choose from. I am not sure if foods and drinks are allowed inside the farm but it would be proper not to bring them inside to avoid trash scattered everywhere. Respect nature!
Anyway, along the food stalls is also where you can find organic vegetables and plants sold at a very cheap price! There are also souvenirs sold on this area and hats available for rent if you don't want to use your huge umbrella or maybe just to step up your outfit for the day. We brought our own hats so we didn’t rented anymore.
A WARM WELCOME FROM VARIOUS FLOWERS
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Colorful flowers and vineyards you'll see before reaching the maze.
Before the maze filled with sunflowers, you will be greeted with different flowers on a beautiful landscape wherein materials used were from old farm materials. There’s also an old car and a bicycle which they filled with flowers. To give a tease to its visitors of the labyrinth, they also planted some sunflowers in this area.
My mom asked me if these are all the sunflowers that everyone was getting so hyped about. Of course, I said no. Beyond this area and the vineyard filled with different vegetables is where the real fun begins! And my mom just went in awe upon reaching the entrance of the labyrinth.
ENTERING THE MAZE!
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Sunflowers at the maze entrance.
Upon the entrance of the maze, chest-level sunflowers are there to welcome the visitors. The beautiful flowers are irresistible and you can’t help yourself but take photos and videos of them at different angles!
The path of the maze is not that small, I guess it could fit two or three people walking side by side. Well, walking inside really does give you the vibe of being trapped inside a maze but in all fairness, the bright yellow petals of the sunflowers takes away your anxiety of finding the exit. It’s the kind of maze you’ll surely want to stay stuck longer. Plus, the flowers are not that high so you can actually see the paths ahead of you. (Lol!)
We went inside the farm around four in the afternoon when the sun rays wasn’t that painful to the skin anymore. Luckily, by the time we went inside the maze, there were already few people. The place was quiet and only the sound of the wind and leaves rustling against it could be heard. It was the best thing while walking on a path surrounded by pretty sunflowers. I wish the whole world could be this peaceful.
At the center of the maze, there are colorful chairs for people to take a break and rest their feet. They say you can finish the whole maze in just 30 minutes but if you can’t help to take lots of photos around, you might spend an hour or more inside. Putting chairs within the maze was indeed a good idea.
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Inside the maze.
Halfway of the maze, I was surprised to see full-grown sunflowers and they were taller than me. Near the exit, there was a scaffolding where people can go up to see the whole maze from above. The panoramic view of the maze adorned with the sun setting on the background was an oh-so-amazing breathtaking sight to see with your bare eyes.
I have also uploaded three videos of my sunflower maze adventure here on bitLanders. Here are the links! (video 1, 2, 3)
OBEY THE RULES
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Signages to always remind visitors to be careful with the flowers.
The A-Maze-Ing Sunflower opened its doors for public last February 17 and guess what? After a week, they were forced to close the farm temporarily due to most flowers and plants withered. The cause? Human traffic or too much people. Careless people also stepped on the flowers and some even pull them just to get a perfect photo. As the management says, plants and flowers are also living things and so we should take good care of them very carefully.
By the time they reopened last March 25, they became more strict and placed as many reminders as they could. Aside from the rules posted on the photo above, drones and tripods were also prohibited within the area. Tripods will block the path of other visitors while drones can wreck the flowers with their propellers. Simple as that.
However, with the strict rules being implemented the management also never forget to remind their visitors to bring umbrellas, hats, sunglasses to protect themselves from the heat of the sun.
AMAZING!
(image source: Katsanslimites)
Lovely sunflower!
What else is a better way to describe this place? Amazing! Yes, that is the perfect word to describe it. A-Maze-Ing Sunflower is one of the beautiful places I’ve ever been. Flowers are never ugly for me that’s why I really enjoyed it. The calm and peaceful surrounding was perfect.
Best time to visit here is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. You don’t want to get burned under the heat of the sun and go in a sea of crowd as these times are most likely the time where there are few people inisde. Timing is everything, my friend!
The only thing I wish they improve is to put more tables and chairs at the food stall area to be able to accommodate more visitors who would like to take a little break before or after going inside the farm. Aside from this, everything was good.
The time and effort spent just to see these flowers was worth it. If you still haven’t gone here, I highly recommend this place for you to see. Hopefully A-Maze-Ing Sunflower opens again next year to amaze more visitors.
Before I end this blog, let me share to you a video showcasing more about the Allied Botanical Corporation.
(video source: Allied Botanical Corporation via Youtube)
Allied Botanical Corporation compilation videos from 2016 up to the making of the sunflower maze!
For more information and updates about Allied Botanical Corporation, visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube accounts.
Lastly, a querlo chat about travelling. How often do you travel?
Thanks for reading!
✧Katsanslimites
