Our first excursion since the pandemic began! And what a worthy first trip that was!
Ticking Our Pandemic Trip Checklist:
So it took us a while to go on an excursion because I had a hard time looking for a place that ticks all the boxes on our checklist! (See related post: Traveling When You’re Paranoid During the Pandemic)
In a nutshell, we chose Camp Boa because it’s:
- Outdoors
- Little to no contact with staff (More below)
- Limited number of people inside
- Allows us to park our car at the site itself
- Spacious area so we can “set up camp”
Getting to Camp Boa:
Camp Boa is located in Rizal. You can easily locate it via Waze or Google Maps.
The thing you need to know about this place is THERE ARE 2 RIVER CROSSINGS that you have to pass through! It’s our first time to experience off-roading and it was very interesting. 😉
We used a 4×4 to get there and this is also what they recommended as well. If you don’t have a 4×4, best to ask them prior to booking. Sometimes the rivers are shallow, sometimes they get a bit deeper. Travel at your own risk!
We also chose Camp Boa was because it’s not very far. It took us only around 2 hours to get there. We didn’t even need bathroom breaks. Yay haha.
IMPORTANT: No signal at the area so you have to save your maps offline.
Limited Guests
One of the reasons we also chose Camp Boa was because they limit the number of guests: only 20 pax (or 5 cars) per day. So if your whole group is already 20, then the whole place is yours to enjoy.
We were only 5 when we went (on a Tuesday) but we didn’t really see other guests! Either they were stationed far away from us or there weren’t any guests at all. It was wonderful and felt like we had the place to ourselves.
When we arrived, we were met by the caretaker who just informed us that if we needed any assistance, she’ll be over there to help. Thankfully too because we DID need her help when a stray dog circled around our food for a while during lunch hahaha. But other than that, everything was peaceful!
Camp Boa Rates: P500/head day tour and P800/head overnight. Kids 5yo and below are free.
Setting Up Camp
When we arrived, we were assigned a “cottage.” Our plan was to set up our toilet tent (see below for more info haha,) tables and chairs and then leave all our things in the car.
The hut was nice though. So, after wiping down the surfaces, we propped up our makeshift sink (basically, a water dispenser) and also placed our other bags there for easy access.
Toilet Set-Up
So I’ve shared extensively about our toilet set-up already on my previous post “Traveling When You’re Paranoid During the Pandemic.” But here’s a photo again. It’s a pop-up shower tent but we used it as a makeshift cubicle. Then each of us had our own portable urinal to use.
This was such a great buy because we’d also use this cubicle when we needed to change clothes. Hehe.
Lunch by the River
It was our anniversary celebration (9 years!!) so Mor brought steak and cod! Yummy!
He cooked them while I was playing in the river with the kids. Typical us. 😉
Mor just cooked the steak and cod. The rest were already pre-cooked (all take-outs haha) and we just reheated them at the grill.
Had a beautiful picnic with the family!
River!
The kids spent the entire day playing in the river. They only stopped for lunch break and went on to swim again after. It was their first time to swim in a river and they didn’t want to leave. I don’t blame them!
Very clear and clean! Dylan was singing the entire time. I’m not kidding. THE. ENTIRE. TIME.
Mor tried to relax a bit by propping his chair as he drank ginger beer. But Luke didn’t let him. Haha.
I joined him but requested if we could transfer to a shallower part so my shorts won’t get wet. Hehehe.
Later on, Luke wanted to try the tire swing. I let him (well, after I disinfected the rope and tire! :D)
Overall
Pleasantly surprised and exceeded our expectations. It was a very memorable trip. Highly recommend the place. You can contact them at their Facebook page: Camp Boa
Things to remember:
- 2 river crossings
- No signal
- Bring your trash home
I hope they maintain limiting guests to only 20 pax! We definitely wanna go back again soon!
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