Nueva Ecija may not be as popular as other provinces in terms of tourism but it does hold a lot of promise if you take time to get to know it better.
Nueva Ecija, while blessed with beautiful green plains, is not really known
as a tourism powerhouse. For one, being a landlocked province, Nueva Ecija
could not really boast of pristine shorelines like
Pangasinan
and
Batangas.
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| Photo courtesy of pexels.com |
5 Top Places To Visit In Nueva Ecija with Kids
Nueva Ecija as a tourist destination
However, of late, my home province gained popularity among travelers because
of Minalungao National Park. There are peaks within the Sierra Madre
mountain range that are becoming the favorite destination among
mountaineers.
Probably unknown to many people, Nueva Ecija has a rich tradition and
colorful cultural heritage. The province has many beautiful historical
churches as well as unique festivals like the Taong Putik that will surely
attract heritage buffs.
The first Harvest Festival
Just recently, the Nueva Ecija Provincial Tourism Office held the first-ever
Harvest Festival. The objective of the event is to promote the culture of
the nine municipalities that comprise Nueva Ecija.
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| Winners of the Costume Festival |
A component of the Harvest Festival was the Costume Festival, a gown design
contest that showcased the resourcefulness of Novo Ecijanos. The materials
used for the dresses were indigenous resources used in local industries in
line with the province’s One Town One Product strategy.
Artists from the nine municipalities, namely Cabiao, Pantabangan, Jaen, San
Antonio, Bongabon, Zaragoza, Gabaldon, Llanera, and Aliaga, and from the
Science City of Muñoz, competed in the Costume Festival.
Most of the costumes represented rice or had workings representing rice
because Nueva Ecija is the Rice Granary of the Philippines.
In the end, Aliaga town was hailed the winner of the Costume Festival. The
first runner-up was San Antonio town while Llanera was the second runner-up.
Aliaga town’s entry was a dress made of dried banana leaves which took
inspiration from the Taong Putik Festival which is celebrated in honor of
St. John the Baptist.
The representative from my hometown, San Antonio, presented the creation
which won first runner-up. The design was nature-inspired with
embellishments made of tambo (a type of grass used for making broom) and
palay (rice).
The costume which won second runner-up was from Llanera town. It had rice
grains and abaca for decoration and it represented the industriousness,
perseverance, and heroism of farmers.
Top things to do in Nueva Ecija with kids
Honestly, I have not explored my home province extensively. I have visited
old churches and I have also been to many towns in Nueva Ecija but I have
yet to extensively see or experience what these places have to offer in
terms of culture and tourism.
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| Photo courtesy of pexels.com |
For those of you who are also planning to visit Nueva Ecija’s top tourist
destinations, here are suggested spots that you may want to include in your
list:
1. Minalungao National Park
Located in General Tinio, this is arguably one location that further gave
Nueva Ecija’s tourism industry a boost.
Here, you could behold tall limestone walls that flank the clear river that
traverse through the rock formations. Aside from picnics, trekking, and
boating, spelunking is also a must-do at Minalungao National Park.
2. Pantabangan
The town of Pantabangan is the site of a dam, one of the biggest in
Southeast Asia, that serves as a beautiful and stunning foreground to the
majestic Sierra Madre Mountain range.
At the man-made lake, visitors may jetski or leisurely catch fish. As a
small piece of history, the old town of Pantabangan lies beneath the calm
waters. In the early 1980s, the old submerged town made an appearance after
El Niño brought the waters down.
3. Central Luzon State University (CLSU)
The sprawling campus grounds of CLSU, one of the premier institutions of
higher learning and research in the region, is perfect for those who are
looking for a quiet afternoon stroll or jog amidst tall trees. Savor the
cool provincial breeze as you enjoy the relaxing surroundings of CLSU.
4. Philippine Rice Research Institute (PHILRICE)
PHILRICE, located in the Science City of Munoz, is one of the leading
research institutions not just in the Philippines but in Asia as well.
A tour of its facilities would give visitors some insights into research
related to the improvement of rice varieties, planting techniques, and pest management, just to name a few.
5. Philippine Carabao Center (PCC)
The Philippine Carabao Center is also located in the Science City of Muñoz.
Also one of the leading research institutions in the region, PCC is involved
with studies and promotion of the carabao not just as a farm animal but also
as a source of meat, milk, and other products derived from the carabao.
PCC’s mandates include strengthening of the carabao gene pool, wide-scale
upgrading, enterprise development, and research and development.
Epilogue
While you are in Nueva Ecija, you might also want to visit my hometown, San
Antonio. It is a small, quaint municipality that typifies what bucolic
living is.
There are still old, Spanish-era houses that stand around the town center
and which you may view when driving around. These are privately owned though
so you might want to ask permission from the owners if you want to take
photographs of the houses.
PIN THIS POST
Information source: PNA and DOT.
The photo of the winners of the Costume Festival was from SM Megacenter's
Facebook Page.
This post may contain affiliate links, including those from Amazon Associates, which means that if you book or purchase anything through one of those links, we may earn a small commission but at no extra cost to you. All opinions are ours and we only promote products that we use.
Download a free copy of my Churches of Nueva Ecija eBook HERE!
I haven't been here in Nueva Ecija yet, I love that there's a lot of beautiful places to visit. I like to see those Spanish era houses, I love seeing antiques.
ReplyDeleteThis is just a neighbor,sa aking probinsya sa pampanga. Ang Cabiao ang boundary neto ,mula sa Amin sa arayat ,ANG akibg tanda jn ,eh ung Jaen ,tunay na napakaganda Ng Nueva ecija
ReplyDeleteTalagang Ang daming mapupuntahan sa nueva ecija. Ang gaganda pa at nakaka relax talaga. Ang daming mga tourist spots po dito and love their culture. Gusto ko po talaga ito mapuntahan Lalo na Ang Minalungao National Park Nila 🥰
ReplyDeleteMagandang place din po talaga ang Nueva Ecija. Isa din ito sa Mga gusto kong mapuntahan. Bukod pa dito napakadami pa talaga na pwedeng mapasyalan .. Talaga namang marerelax at mag eenjoy ka kasama ang Ating Family and Pati narin ang Mga friends natin.
ReplyDeleteSana makapunta po ulit kayo dahil iba talaga dito sa Nueva Ecija maraming magandang puntahan, masasarap ang mga pagkain at mababait ang mga tao. Hindi po namin to probinsya pero sa tagal ko na dito napamahal na ko. Ilan lang to sa mga lugar na worth it pasyalan ng buong pamilya. Nakakamiss lalo na yung Minalungao National Park ang linaw ng tubig at daming activities ang pwede gawin. Ingat lang po kasi nangunguha daw yun ng pogi. 😅
ReplyDeleteHindi pa po ako nakakarating sa Nueva Ecija pero palagi ko naririnig sa friend ko na maganda daw po talaga mamasyal jan hanggang sa nabasa ko to lalo tuloy ako na amazed sa lugar nila. I like your list po thank you sharing dadi .
ReplyDeleteIsa sa mga Kilalang dindayong Lugar dahil sa magagandang mga Pasyalan Dito, Beach, at iba pa., at super Ganda rin po talaga ng mga Culture at event nila jan .. Kaya Should visit din po talaga..
ReplyDelete