Before I was only confined to these when I think of Baguio - a 1D Baguio itinerary or my very first customized overnight 2D Baguio itinerary (everything had to do with staying within Baguio..). La Trinidad was always a short trip or just a side trip for the Strawberry Farm (which we associate with Baguio still) and the Bagsakan for fresh veggies. Now, my list of places to go near Baguio just expanded with this newly found appreciation for Benguet and the Cordillera Region! How about a homestay experience in La Trinidad or camping under the stars in a Pinoy organic farm? Of the 3 farms we went to on this visit to Benguet, only the Lily of the Valley Organic Farms was set up for a complete experience (told you they each had their own charm, I'm sure others have plans but as of now, only LOV has the structure in place). Now that their kids are all grown up and are based somewhere else, the Laruans have opened up their cozy home for homestay-ers, happy campers and those who want to stay for a few days and do their organic agri trainings and tours.
If you stay here, not only do you get some tips for organic agriculture, you also get to meet a family of farmers who know the value of going back to the basics and have made farming sustainable in the modern times. They have converted the land that they've inherited from their ancestors (who are also farmers) and continued to innovate on practices that are both friendly to the environment and cost-efficient. Here, they have an organic coffee shop where you can spend your lazy afternoons
Upstairs, there's a homey common room - more like a big flat bed haha. If you're a group of 10, this is a good barkada getaway near Manila. You can fill up this house =) There's a minimum of 10 people in fact for the homestay, but if you lack the people maybe you can ask them if they would allow.
(P1800 for up to 6 people, includes breakfast for 2, 12x24 feet, with T&B). I heard you can pick fruits/flowers from trees from one of the windows haha.
It has a nice view of the farm too. You can also go camping overnight (P1000, 1 tent sleeps 4 people) under the stars if you want.
Other Meal Rates:
A set breakfast costs P200-P250. An organic lunch or dinner set costs P300.
Organic meals from fresh crops, herbs, fresh juices and Arabica coffee are served on the coffee shop (open Mondays to Saturdays).
The Lily of the Valley Organic Farms is an ATI-CAR Learning Site so book ahead for slots and space and do call the Laruans before dropping by. The LOV farm is also not that accessible by public transpo. You can either bring your own cars or arrange with them to pick you up from Baguio and tour you around too from the farm (they have a partner for this).
Jefferson Laruan
MC-075 Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet
+63949-3397126
lilyofthevalley.benguet@gmail.com
Organic Farm Rank: 6 stars (there is such a thing)
To visit the different ATI-assisted projects (Organic Farming Learning Sites), you can drop by or ask the ATI Regional Training Center nearest you or inquire through:
Call -
982AGRI (982-2474) for Metro Manila calls
1-800-10-982AGRI (1-800-10-9822474) for provincial toll-free calls using PLDT landlines
Text -
For Smart and Talk & Text Subscribers, send a message to 391-DA (391-32).
For non-Smart Subscribers, send a message to 0920-946AGRI (0920-9462474).
Check out my other Organic Agriculture (OA) Adventure posts: