You’ll be picked up from your Manila or Makati hotel in the morning for your day trip two hours south to Villa Escudero Plantations, a 2,000-acre (800-hectare) plantation and estate that’s famous for providing a unique experience of Philippine culture and history in a beautiful rural setting.
With your guide, tour the plantation aboard a cart drawn by a carabao, an indigenous water buffalo, while being serenaded by a native band. Admire the picturesque showcase of traditional plantation life as you pass interesting artifacts such as a Spanish horse-drawn carriage and planes and canons from World War II.
You’ll then visit the plantation’s museum for a look at the Escudero family’s vast collection of historical, religious and cultural artifacts.
The highlight of your day will be sitting down to lunch served on bamboo dining tables at the base of a calm spillway from the Labasin Dam, the first working hydroelectric plant in the Philippines.
A few inches of cool, crystal-clear running water will trickle over your feet as you dine on a buffet lunch of local dishes such as grilled tilapia, liempo (roasted pork belly) and kaldereta (meat stew with tomato sauce and potatoes). Enjoy views of the sparkling waterfall and spend some time swimming in the villa’s spring-fed pools after lunch.
After this unique experience, you’ll be taken back to your Manila or Makati hotel.