Want to go on a picnic in a forest setting without leaving Metro Manila? Well, you should seriously check out the La Mesa Ecopark, which is within the La Mesa Dam watershed in Novaliches, Quezon City. Officially named as the La Mesa Watershed Resort and Ecological Park, the ecopark provides weary Metro residents with a respite from the polluted downtown areas.
The park was inaugurated on April 28, 2004 and is a product of the joint effort of the Quezon City government, MWSS (the water supply government agency), and ABS-CBN’s Bantay Kalikasan Foundation, among other donors.
Among the things you can encounter in the park is the centerpiece salt-water swimming pool (supposedly healthier than chlorine-treated fresh-water pools and quite visible in Google Maps), a really extensive orchidarium, the Shell Flower Terraces, a fishing pond, and a lagoon where you can go row-boating a la Burnham Park in Baguio City.
Photo by Harold Heindell Tejada.
You can get to the La Mesa Ecopark by entering the East Fairview Subdivision from Commonwealth Avenue. The entrance fee is at an affordable 40 pesos per adult; Quezon City residents even get a 50% discount (with a valid ID). The swimming pool has its own (cheap) entrance fee (60 pesos for adults, 30 for kids). Possibly the only problem you might have with the park is that it’s so popular (with hundreds of people visiting everyday) that it’s almost impossible to find a nice quiet spot inside to indulge in your solitude.
If you want to read more about the park from people who have visited it, try our sister blog, the Pinoy Travel Blog, or a Manila Bulletin article by Annaliza Villas, or this travel guide from ClickTheCity.com.
Download KML file (for Google Earth)
26 people have responsed to “La Mesa Ecopark”
need pbang mgpareserve pra mkapxok?
no nid to reserve basta come early na lng para makapili kayo ng bench at table near the pool cguro
Hi i just want to ask kung san ung exact address nyo and magkano po ang entrance fee??
Why not visit them at http://www.lamesaecopark.com/
La Mesa Watershed is not the primary source of water for the 12 million residents of Metro Manila.
Most of the water in La Mesa Reservoir comes fom Ipo and Angat Watersheds. La mesa is just a “reservoir” of water coming from Ipo and Angat Watersheds. Please see this map: http://upmencom.multiply.com/photos/album/68/Watershed_Maps#2
La Mesa Watershed has 85% forest cover and is improving while Ipo has only 30% forest cover left!
Twelve percent of Metro Manila’s water supply comes from Ipo Watershed while only 4% comes from La Mesa Watershed.
La mesa Watershed has a total land area of about 2,700 hectares while Ipo Watershed has 6,600 hectares. Ipo Watershed has denuded areas comparable to the size of the entire La Mesa Watershed!
We hope that IPO DAM WATERSHED can also be protected and rehabilitated just like the smaller La Mesa Watershed.
Please visit http://upmencom.multiply.com/journal/item/13 for more infomation about Ipo Watershed.
videos of Ipo Watershed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPAs-dbD6-0
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgi4iQu5JZ0
Mag do-donate po ako ng 10 trees as part of our program for our pollution control. Kung i-aaccept po ninyo pwede po email nyo po sa akin ang contact number po ninyo…
Thanks po…
we will have a year end party and one of my option is going la mesa eco park but i need some info from ecopark ;;;;;
1.what time will be open?
2.what great activities can we enjoy?
3.how much is the entrance fee?(for 12 and 13 yrs old)
4.how much are the fees in other activities like the rock climbing etc.?
thank you
This might be of help. I got it online from someone (i think) who works there. For some reason though i could not access the website. Hopefully, you can.
LA MESA ECOPARK Info
General Operating Hours:
8am to 5pm Daily (Park is closed during certain holidays.
For information, please call: 4305207/4305208/4304051)
PARK Admission Rates
above 3ft P50
3ft & below FREE
SPECIAL Rates
QC Residents (w/ valid proof of residence) P40
QC Students (w/ valid id) P20
QC Senior Citizens (w/ valid id) FREE
Non-QC Senior Citizens P40
POOL Admission Rates
above 3ft P80
3ft & below P40
(9am – 4pm) Daily – Proper swimming attire is strictly implemented – no cotton made fabrics, no buttons & zippers. – Pool Admission rates apply to all who enter pool compound, whether they will swim or not.
BUTTERFLY TRAIL & HATCHERY
Admission Fee P30/head
IPIL PAVILION – P 5,000
Max. Capacity: 250 persons (entitled to 80 persons free park admission)
NARRA PAVILION – P 5,000
Max. Capacity: 150 persons (entitled to 80 persons free park admission)
NEPTUNE PAVILION – P 4,000
Max. Capacity: 80 persons (entitled to 50 persons free park admission)
ORCHIDARIUM EXCLUSIVE – P 20,000
Max. Capacity: 150 (entitled to 100 persons free park admission)
BOATING PAVILION
P10,000 daytime
P15,000 nighttime
Max. Capacity: 150 (entitled to 100 persons free park admission)
BOAT RENTAL
P100/boat/30minutes
Max. Capacity 4 adults/boat
PAINTBALL RENTAL
P350/head (gear + 50 bullets)
P500/head (gear + 100 bullets)
P750/head (gear + 220 bullets)
BIKE RENTAL
P50 – P80/hr
FISHING
P80/kl (pay what you catch)
FISHING ROD
P20/day
TABLES & CHAIRS
P120/set (1 table & 4 chairs)
PARK RULES & REGULATIONS – Strictly no littering, P500 fine is implemented. – Videoke and loud music is strictly prohibited. – Liquor, alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs are strictly prohibited. – Strictly only emergency and authorized motorized vehicles are allowed beyond the main entrance gate.
For reservations and inquiries, please contact: 430-4051 430-5208 430-5207 telefax
SARAH – 09062234125
DONG – 09159013772
marcial_genonangan@abs-cbn.com
lamesaecopark@abs-cbn.com
www.lamesaecopark.com
i heard there is a zip line, is this true? since i cannot open their website, tried numerous times already. will appreciate your reply, thanks!
available n b ung mountain climbing??
may bayad b per activity??
how much??
hi, mgkno po ang cottage sa swimming pool? at mgkno tlga ang entrance, sa park pti sa pool?
tnx..plz.answer
does LaMesa allow overnight (2 nights 3 days) camping?
ei..what is that overnight facility i read? parang camping ba..pno un..
Hello!we are planning to go there,But I just want to know if we are allow to bring Dog?Thank you
mag kano poh cottage jan plzzzzzz answer
hi.. f magcocomute lng po, pnu b magpunta ng la mesa eco park?? from sta. rosa laguna po..
Kung magcommute po kami d po b mahirap kumuha ng taxi pag pauwi na kami? wala po kami service kasama ko po kc mga anak ko.
iwould appreciate it very much as well as other picnickers going to La Mesa Eco Park,if the management would allow over nite camping.the site is beautiful,i hv been there.but over nite camping would be more enjoyable..thanks
is bringing in of food allowed?
Hi, Is it true that there are a mountain climbing and rappelling in this park? Please reply. Me and my friends plan to celebrate our birthday’s here and it will be more exciting if we can go for mountain climbing and rappelling since these are our favorite hobbies.
tlga bng bwal mgswim kpg nkshirt k lng at shorts.?
para sa mga magsiswimming take note of this poh……alam ko ang NOT ALLOWED lng is yung mga cotton made fabric n damit kasi salt water swimming pool ung pool nila. ayun. i hope nakatulong me marie joy
do i need a booking. i want to visit the place by april or may. how much is the cost. send me your telephone numbers.
La Mesa Eco Park is ok. You would enjoy it unless you have to deal directly with their staff (particularly the “first aid lady” and the “guys at the zip line”). The lady was not helping my friend feel relaxed at all when she had to give her first aid treatment for her foot which was injured when she fell off one of the horses in the park. Instead of making her feel that it was just a simple bruise & she need not worry, she scared her more by telling her “to make a deep breath” so she can “PULL THE SKIN off her toe”. In the end, she just had to cut it, which was a lot better than pulling off the skin. On the other hand, two of the zip line crew (which are all male) were just plain “bastos” (disrespectful). They didn’t know how to treat their customers right and acted as if they didn’t care at all whether you enjoy the activity or not, as long as they enjoy themselves embarrassing you in front of other people. They won’t stop saying things that sometimes didn’t even matter to the topic on hand. My bf tried to tell the first guy what he did wrong but he became defensive and he told my bf that it was just a joke (same thing I was told). They, or rather HE (coz the other one just disappeared from my sight) only apologized after my bf told him that we have a video of what really happened. IF I WERE THEIR BOSS, I’LL EITHER GET THEM RE-TRAINED OR JUST FIRE THEM IMMEDIATELY. NOT GOOD FRONT LINERS FOR A BUSINESS.
You can see bastos people anywhere because of their low salaries with so much work to do. Do not complain about them and maybe the management didn’t give them proper training at all. It’s always with the management and how they treat their employees so they pass it to the people.
ask ko lang po. pano mag punta sa eco park kung magcocomute lang kami? from valenzuela to eco park? thanks.