Nueva Ecija Itinerary: 4D3N What to See and Do

I have this goal of visiting and exploring all provinces of the Philippines where Nueva Ecija is included. To be honest, every time I hear about the province, I’m still in doubt if there are really destinations to see in the area. The uncertainty on the availability of attractions was officially deposed during the Byaheng Nueva Ecija 2014. Microtel Cabanatuan created a Nueva Ecija itinerary that allowed us to explore the purlieus of the province to discover its interesting and inner magnificence.

DAY 1 – San Isidro, Gapan City, Cabanatuan City and Palayan City

We dropped by the Parish of the Three Kings in Gapan City after visiting Carron Dream Park and before engaging on a feast of overflowing and hefty food in some restaurants in Gapan and Cabanatuan City. Famously known as the Gapan Church, it is the site for two miraculous saints; the Three Kings and the Divina Pastora. Bricks that were used to build the church are evident upon arrival. The mural on the ceiling of the church’s cupola is really astounding as it depicts the Holy Trinity. We also tried to clamber on the choir loft located at the rear part of the church.

 
Left: Carron Dream Park (Photo by Maye Enriquez). Right: Posts of Gapan Church made of bricks.

We were amazed when the tour guide led us to the street adjacent to the church. The old town hall of Gapan, now ruined, is still standing along the road flanked with some ancestral houses (one is owned by Eula Valdez’s family).

 
The grand mural on Gapan Church’s cupola and the wooden ceiling.

 
Ancestral houses near Gapan Church.

Cabanatuan City is also known for their garlic longganiza which is a must try when visiting the city. We were able to witness how the famous sausage is being manufactured by Nueva Cabanatuan Meat Products. With the availability of modern technology in the meat processing industry, the business still practices the manual way of making the delectable Cabanatuan longganiza.

 
Left: Nueva Cabanatuan Meat Products. Right: World War II gallery in Museo Novo Ecijano.

From Cabanatuan City, we then traveled to Palayan City where the capitol building of the province sits. The magnificent and hotel-like semi-circular staircases will catch the attention of every visitor entering the edifice. On its hub is the statue of the late Governor Eduardo L. Joson casted in bronze by National Artist Napoleon Abueva.

On the left-wing of the building is the Museo Novo Ecijano. Interesting stuff to check out in the museum are the different minerals that can be found in the province. Minerals such as marble, feldspar, quartz, white clay, Kaolin white clay, bulk clay and manganese. The numerous festivals being celebrated in the province are also being displayed on the other section. Taong Putik Festival, Kariton Festival, and Tsinelas Festival.  A collection of old photographs during World War II is also available in one of the galleries.

Camp Pangatian, a historical landmark in Cabanatuan City, commemorates the Filipino guerillas who rescued the 516 prisoners of war on January 30, 1945. Apparent from entry in the compound are the two National Historical Institute markers, written in English and Filipino. Going beyond the platform is a structure with its roof-deck known to be a large sundial. The Gnomon of the sundial has a mural that portrays the American and Filipino soldiers during the battle while the names of the 516 prisoners of war were also inscribed on the other side.

It was already dusk when we reached the Katsinelasan in Gapan City. We were able to scrutinize the demanding process of footwear (slippers and sandals) making. Few meters from the area, you can already perceive the substance being used in the production.

DAY 2 – Muñoz City, Talavera, Fort Magsaysay, Cabanatuan City

An early morning trip from Microtel Cabanatuan to the science city of Muñoz was scheduled for us to roam around the Philippine Carabao Center and Milka Krem. We also dropped by Central Luzon State University where we finally experienced the famous Tilapia Ice Cream. We can’t sustain the extreme heat so we decided to eliminate the sticky feeling at Crystal Waves Resort in Talavera. It is the first resort in the province to offer the wave pool.

 
Tilapia Ice Cream and Milka Krem’s dairy products.

The tour was followed by a taste-test of the cool and yummy frozen dessert of Puno’s Ice Cream. They offer about 9 (and still counting) flavors: Cheese Cashew Macapuno, Langka Cheese Cashew, Chocolate with Cashew, Fruit Salad, Cookies and Cream, Corn Queso, Buko Sherbet with Lychees, Ube Cheese and Strawberry. It was my first time to try the other flavors but my loyalty still went to the Cheese Cashew Macapuno combo.

 
Left: The slide of Crystal Waves in Talavera. Right: Flavors of Puno’s Ice Cream.

Before we headed to Hunter Valley Plantation and Resort, we visited the Aquino-Diokno Shrine and roamed around Fort Magsaysay. Hunter Valley is situated in Sierra Madre Mountains and a perfect spot for recreation and relaxation with nature surrounding the area. The resort’s shuttle toured us around the 26-hectare resort that boasts on some cozy hotel and dormitory rooms, swimming pools, mini-zoo, picnic areas, butterfly garden, and hatchery as well as bike trails and pavilions.

 
Left: Hunter Valley Plantation’s Mini Bee Farm. Right: Microtel Cabanatuan’s swimming pool.

DAY 3 – General Tinio

Directly from the chiropractor beds of Microtel Cabanatuan, we made our way to General Tinio. The town is located 2 hours away from the city. Our itinerary for that day was the unveiling of the attraction in Nueva Ecija. The attraction will probably put the province in the Philippine tourism map, the Minalungao National Park. Towering limestone and rock formations flanked the emerald to murky-green water of the river.

We ascend a thousand steps to the top of the hill where a cross was placed. It was really a hard trek as we climbed the paved way to the top under the sweltering heat of the sun. From the other side of the river, we rode the raft to have our lunch served at the cottages on the riverbank.

In addition to an exhaustive day at Minalungo, some of the members of the group tried target shooting at Nipa Hut Firing Range. Several calibers of rifle were shown with a trainer assisting everyone as they aim for the bulls-eye.

DAY 4 – Gabaldon  

We still wanted to explore the outskirts of Nueva Ecija to discover its hidden attractions even if it was a Sunday. Found in a magazine the previous night, our interest was pulled by a waterfall located in the town of Gabaldon. Along the way is El Pobre Viewdeck which is a great point to have an overlooking view of the plains of Nueva Ecija. Mount Arayat is also visible on the hazy horizon.

We stopped when we saw a bridge where we were enchanted by the river water underneath it: clean and green. Mountain ranges joined us on our way to Gabaldon. We reached the jump off point to the falls located at NEUST Gabaldon Campus around 11AM. The 30-45 minute trek took us an hour since we did stop at points of the trail to take pictures.

We left Gabaldon around 3 in the afternoon and dropped by the Dupingan Resort along the Gabaldon-Dingalan hi-way to take pictures. I speculated that Nueva Ecija doesn’t have attractions to offer to its visitors, and I was wrong. Four days of traveling around were also insufficient to visit and cover all the tourist destinations that the province has to offer.