The island of Mindanao.

Mindanao is the second largest island in the Philippine archipelago with a land area of 97,530 sq km (37,660 sq mi). This is almost the same size as the US state of Indiana (36,419 sq mi). This was where we were staying while in the Philippines. We were staying in the southern portion of Mindanao, to be more exact, and we wanted to journey across Mindanao. This was after we came back from our Escapade to Siargao.

Dahilayan Adventure Park.

Dahilayan Adventure Park was our destination for this road trip. We covered a distance of around 266 km (165 mi). We were driving to a location at the foothills of Mount Kitanglad. This was a Swiss alpine village inspired park. There were lodgings, restaurants, and playgrounds in this park.

The road trip.

The trip was on the road by the break of dawn. Wally’s Transportation Services was transporting us to Dahilayan and came highly recommended. Adrian and Alvin, if I remember it right, were our drivers and they did an excellent job in transporting us to our destination. Our route was going through the much improved BuDa National Highway (Bukidnon-Davao national highway). Along this route, there were a lot of interesting places to visit and see. Visiting all these places was for another time and adventure.

We were doing a leisurely road trip. We were planning an overnight stay and full day at Dahilayan Adventure Park. There was no hurry to get there.

Rest stop and breakfast.

A short stop at Jack’s Ridge @ BuDa was for rest and breakfast. We were needing some movement for the legs and back. Breakfast was excellent. I figured that the establishment was not functioning at full capacity yet. Despite this, the service was excellent.

The Abbey of Transfiguration Monastery.

The next stop was at the town of San Jose. This was in the Malaybalay, the capital city of the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. Benedictine monks run Abbey of Transfiguration Monastery at San Jose. The monks lives independently and hold prayers at the Abbey. The general public can visit the Abbey, whether in prayer or just to visit, and were encouraged to keep the Abbey solemn.

Another rest stop and lunch.

It was slightly past lunch when we reached the corner of Sayre Highway and San Miguel-Camp Philips Road. We started traveling through Bukidnon Davao National Highway that eventually became Sayre Highway when we reached Bukidnon. Now, we were turning to San Miguel-Camp Philips Road to reach the town of Dahilayan. Pinutos, a restaurant at the corner of these highways, was a good place to stop for lunch. The locals were rating the restaurant as good ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to excellent ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for their menu. We thought that their service and menu were good ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finally, Dahilayan.

We finally were navigating the last part of the route until we reached Dahilayan. Dahilayan Adventure Park was at the edge of town and at the foothills of Mount Kitanglad. Our reserved cottages were waiting ready for us. The cottages were occupying a corner of the Swiss alpine village inspired section. A small playground in the courtyard and a coffee shop/restaurant were next to our cottages. Tables and benches were in the pine forest behind us. Further down the road, there were more restaurants, lodgings, gardens, and playgrounds. Two in our party were celebrating their birthday. We celebrated it in the bigger restaurant before retiring for the night. We ended up spending the next day exploring most of the park. By late afternoon, we were on the road again and heading towards Cagayan de Oro City.