"Forest Bathing " at Camp John Hay Eco Trail

With so many things to do and places to visit, hiking in Baguio City could be the last thing one can think of. I have to admit, in the many years that I have been coming to the City of Pines, never have I gave it a go until last month. The recent boost in sns shares of the place especially tru Instagram, Camp John Hay Eco Trail is catching more people's attention. Since we stayed at Baguio Country Club, well within the vicinity of Camp John Hay, we decided to give it a try.

There are several names to this trail. Originally called Camp John Hay Eco Trail because it is inside the camp, they used to call it Yellow Trail as well. More recently, a name name emerged being Forest Bathing Trail which makes sense because whilst you see pines trees anywhere you go in Baguio City, there is little chance that you could walk up to 2 hrs through pine trees unless you try this trail.

Starting Point: Le Monet Hotel
It is easy to find. Even if you are coming from the city center, just grab a cab to Le Monet Hotel inside Camp John Hay. Just across the hotel, you can find Paintball Republic Extreme Outdoor Adventure Park --that's where the entrance to the eco-trail is.

The trail is actually an easy one. Be ready for alternating ascends and descents but nothing too steep to deal with. Be sure to  have the proper footwear, it didn't rain the night before we hiked I am sure but some sections of the trail were muddy in the early morning we hiked. We started at 7:00 am. We intended to finish the trail and traverse at the opposite end but we ended up going back to our starting point after realizing that we had to catch our breakfast buffet at our hotel. With lots of nice sections for photo opts, we consumed a good two hours for half the trail and back.

My #StandWithHongKong photo at Camp John Hay Eco Trail 

It was a very pleasant activity I would say, as refreshing at the fresh mountain air. I reckon that even if you do this during noontime, heat would not be a problem since the pine trees provide the needed relief from the scorching sun. I would say it was unique experience worth repeating especially if you are the health-conscious type. I am very glad my friends suggested this activity. I really enjoyed it so much.

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