Lucban within the province of Quezon is greatest recognized for celebrating the Pahiyas Competition, one of many Philippines most colourful harvest festivals, each Could. The city is also referred to as a spiritual vacation spot for pilgrims because it’s house to the 50-feet excessive Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, reportedly the third largest Christ the Redeemer statue on the earth.
However if you happen to’re not into native festivals or visiting spiritual websites throughout Holy Week rides, Lucban and different close by cities like Tayabas and Mauban in Quezon are usually quiet and unassuming the remainder of the 12 months, making them preferrred locations for individuals who wish to go bike touring away from the busy metropolis.
To kick off January 2023, we went on a motorbike loop from Lucban happening to Mauban and again up by means of Tayabas. The climate wasn’t actually all that nice for biking. In reality, it was fairly horrible. The trip was principally lengthy stretches of rural roads, with rain dripping down my backbone the entire method. The second half of the trip concerned a sustained 40-km ascent, which made me query why I even recommended doing this trip.
I take pleasure in taking a look at surroundings and the meals pit stops probably the most after I go on bike rides, which I didn’t actually get to do a lot right here. I remorse not with the ability to take images, as I needed to maintain my telephone dry and it received too darkish to take pics on our method again. Nevertheless, biking provided a brand new expertise. Having motorcycled across the space a number of occasions earlier than and attended the Pahiyas Competition years in the past, biking gave us a recent perspective and motivation to revisit the place. It additionally allow us to take pleasure in (or in my case endure the uphills) at a slower tempo. At the very least hindi mainit.
Staying in a single day additionally gave us extra time to benefit from the swimming swimming pools and resort the subsequent morning earlier than testing.
In case you wish to discover the cities in and close to Lucban extra, right here’s an account of our bike journey with some ideas.
From Metro Manila, Lucban is a 2-3 automobile drive passing by means of the Rizal province by way of Manila East Highway or South Luzon Expressway. Coming from Quezon Metropolis, it’s extra handy and nice to go the scenic backroads slightly than the Expressway.
Alongside the route, you will get a view of the Pilillia Windmills, Laguna Lake from varied vantage factors, Pagsanjan, Luisiana (house of Hulugan Falls) earlier than you attain Lucban.
- Go to the Kamay ni Hesus Shrine
- Attend the Pahiyas Competition (Could 15)
- Cease by the San Luis Obispo Parish Church / Lucban Church
- Take images of Hobbit Homes at Teresita’s Backyard
- Strive the journey park actions at Batis Aramin
- Eat Pancit Habhab and Lucban Longganiza at native eating places
- NOTE: In the event you’re staying in Mauban, you can even mix a highway journey with island-hopping at Cagbalete Island (however you will have to allot additional time for the boat transfers)
The entire space gives a number of doable routes appropriate for highway bikers, mountain bikers, and bikepackers. You might mix biking with visiting church buildings in Laguna or Rizal, bike to San Pablo and go to the seven lakes, go bike tenting, and even do a full Banahaw Loop. You might additionally choose to bike all the way in which to Lucban from Metro Manila (which is over 100 km simply getting there by means of mountain roads) if in case you have extra time to spare.
For our bike itinerary, we determined to make use of Lucban as our base and bike to the coastal city of Mauban and return up by way of Tayabas on a clockwise route.
You can too sort out this counterclockwise, however the downhill is extra sustained going clockwise primarily based on Strava knowledge, whereas there’s nonetheless some restoration factors within the Tayabas route. The entire distance was about 75 kms from the parking space in Batis Aramin Resort in Lucban to Mauban Port and again.
It’s higher to take off early so that you’re not biking at night time and so you possibly can benefit from the surroundings extra. We initially deliberate to start out within the morning, have lunch someplace in Mauban after which bike again.
From Quezon Metropolis, we drove there within the morning, received to resort at round 9am (examine in is generally 2pm). Sadly, it was raining arduous the entire morning, so we needed to wait it out and have an early brunch as a substitute. Our precise take off was round 1:00 pm.
There have been a couple of attention-grabbing spots alongside the Sampaloc-Mauban Highway together with new eating places within the intersection going to Mauban, however I wasn’t capable of take images as a result of it was nonetheless drizzling arduous.
By 2:00 pm, we handed by Kainan sa Tubigan, a easy riverside restaurant, however since we had lunch already, we didn’t go in anymore. The entire first stretch was a really lengthy and fulfilling downhill, which meant that the return was going to be a killer ascent.
Probably the most scenic half was a riverside space the place we stopped for espresso at round 2:30 pm. There was additionally a dangling bridge close by, which we checked out.
We received to the intersection of Mauban previous 3:00 pm and to the Mauban Port at round 3:20 pm the place we stopped for a fast snack of espresso and bread, earlier than taking off once more.
It took one other 4 or so hours going again up by way of the Tayabas-Mauban Highway. It began raining once more and I used to be very chilly, moist, uncomfortable and hangry by this level. We noticed a couple of first rate trying eating places alongside the way in which, however I recommended we simply have dinner on the resort as a substitute after the trip.
It was actually darkish by the point we received to Tayabas. At round 8:30 pm, we determined to eat in Nawawalang Paraiso in Tayabas, about 7.4 km away from Batis Aramin. Due to the variety of company, it took some time for meals to be served, however I appreciated the recent sinigang on that chilly night time.
It was sort of eerie biking in a number of the stretches at night time. If not for our bike lights, we might have been biking in complete darkness. All you might hear was the sound of cicadas. Lastly, after what appeared like ceaselessly, we lastly received again to the resort in Batis Aramin near 10:00 pm.
In response to my Strava stats, the world we biked coated 75.86 km with a 745 meter elevation acquire, and nearly 7 hours of shifting time. Relying in your tempo, bikers may most likely do that sooner with minimal stops and higher climate situations.
Whereas this was not fairly a century trip, simply finishing the loop felt like an achievement, as a result of I critically needed to bail a number of occasions. I used to be simply comfortable to have a comfortable room to crash in and alter of dry garments ready.
In the event you plan to bike right here, I like to recommend bringing totally waterproof biking jackets as a result of climate is unpredictable within the mountains, bike lights, blinkers, snacks (powerbars, and so forth). and sufficient water. The espresso we introduced was a lifesaver. There weren’t a whole lot of locations to purchase meals and drinks alongside a lot of the the route we handed. The outlets/eating places additionally shut fairly early on the town in case you find yourself biking at night time. It additionally helps to put on shiny or reflective clothes, to extend your visibility on the highway.
In the event you’re planning a bike highway journey from Manila and again with an analogous route, that is doable as a day journey, except you’d wish to calm down and keep longer in a single day.
For this journey, we stayed in a single day in Batis Aramin Resort and Lodge in Lucban. This well-known institution is true throughout the Kamay ni Hesus Shrine and is simple to search out close to the freeway. It has a safe parking space for all sorts of autos.
As of January 2023, their fundamental room for two prices P2,750 per night time with a consumable meals voucher of P500 for a complete of P3,250. The in a single day room keep comes with complimentary breakfast buffet for two. You may simply guide rooms by contacting them on Fb.
The resort is sweet for household staycations, as there are a number of enormous swimming swimming pools, nature trails, an journey park, and IG-worthy photograph areas together with flower fields and hobbit homes.
NOTE: The flowers weren’t but in bloom in January 2023, however based on gardeners, they need to begin blooming by March-April in time for summer season months.
Batis Aramin Resort has an in-house bar and restaurant that serves buffet breakfast and ala carte dishes.
Specialties right here embody Lucban Longganiza and Pancit Habhab, a noodle dish that originated from Quezon. The pancit makes use of dried flour noodles that are referred to as miki Lucban and comes with loaded toppings.
There are a whole lot of new eating places alongside the principle Lucban freeway proper outdoors the Kamay ni Hesus Shrine, together with Samgyup locations, Japanese restos, carinderias, and extra. For espresso pit stops close by, the PTT Gasoline station on the Lucban intersection has a Cafe Jungle and a brand new restaurant alongside the Lucban Diversion Highway.
In Tayabas, one other eating possibility is Nawawalang Paraiso Resort and Lodge, which has a big restaurant that accepts walk-in company. They serve family-style Filipino dishes and Quezon specialties like Pinais, Budin, Chami, Longganisang Lucban and so forth.
One other common eating vacation spot close to Lucban is Kamayan sa Palaisdaan, the unique floating restaurant in Tayabas, Quezon. This restaurant includes a man-made pond with about 60 floating balsa and cottages. Friends can order typical Filipino dishes and recent seafood.
There’s additionally an airplane-themed restaurant known as Air Summit Connoisseur, the place you dine inside a small parked airplane throughout the Kamayan sa Palaisdaan resort.
Throughout earlier journeys within the space, we’ve additionally stayed at Graceland Estates in Tayabas. This resort, which has a lagoon and deer farm, has an in-house restaurant known as Memphis Backyard Cafe and Grille.
I’ll be sharing some video highlights of this trip (and different adventures) quickly. Please take a look at my different social media channels and depart a remark if you happen to’ve discovered any of my guides useful. Cheers!
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