The Reality of Mt. Kalugong Eco Park

[Note] This is an article printed in a brochure promoting the Mt. Kalugong Eco-Park in La Trinidad, Benguet. It was written by Recy C. Kitano. It’s an interesting piece that provides you with an idea as to what to expect when you go there yourself.

Mt. Kalugong Eco Park aims to show the world a part of the culture of the Igorots in the olden times. Aside from its earnest desire to preserve the natural charm and pleasant serenity of the park, it wants to revive some of the primeval practices which make the Igorot culture different from those of the other indigenous people of the Philippines.

All that Mt. Kalugong Eco Park offers is simplicity. Modern and well-furnished cottages have no place in the park. This explains why Igorot huts and the Poor Man’s Cabin were built instead. These simple dwellings are built as they are because that is how the Igorots used them as their homes in the earlier times. A certain culture will only be appreciated and understood through actual experience. Mt. Kalugong Eco Park is a challenge for the guests to get away for a moment from their sophisticated lives. To experience simple living and the tranquillity of the primitive way of life is what the park is all about.

The bumpy road leading to the Mt. Kalugong Eco Park is part of the challenge. The spirit of adventure will be best attained if we pass the rugged road which our forebears tread. Not everything rough is bad and not everything smooth is good. Mt. Kalugong is for real. It is a portrait one has to see far beyond the image – a portrait which connects the Igorots of today and the Igorots of yesteryears.

Let us embrace our culture and traditions. Long live the Igorots!

[Other mountains in Benguet that you should climb and check out: Mt. Pigingan, Mt. Tabayoc, Mt. Yangbew, Bakun Trio.]