Tagum's Nature's Delight

Imagine yourself immersed in a sea of green, where the air is soothing as the morning calm and where birds sing to their heart’s content. The chirping of the birds welcomes as you walk through the well-manicured foliage and embrace the open blue sky.

You might think of Baguio or Tagaytay or even the Eden Park of Davao or the mighty hills of Bukidnon to experience this kind of thrill. The thing is, you don’t really have to because right at the outskirts of Tagum City lies a perfect getaway for those who want to commune with nature.

Located in the rural barangay of San Agustin, just a mere 15-minute ride from the city proper, is the Tagum Botanical Park. Solely developed by the City Government of Tagum, the 50-hectare park is brimming with lush greeneries, with tropical trees of different varieties planted in its hills. The sprawling park has several gazebos perfect for family picnics and gathering and will soon feature a zipline and trails for both biking and hiking. The Tagum Botanical Park is good alternative to the well-known and well-loved Energy Park, another city-developed nature park in Barangay Apokon.

Mayor Rey Uy, the visionary leader behind this landmark project, envisions the park to be fully-developed by the year 2020. Of course, it would take years for the trees to grow. One thing that’s amazing with this park is that aside from you’re communing with nature, one would also have the chance to learn. All over the park, various tropical tree species from different countries are planted, giving its visitors a chance to see trees not found in the Philippines.

Personally, I would think this is really good investment. Tagum is not really blessed with natural wonders that would boost up tourism in this part of the Davao Region and for the government to put up such man-made destination is truly commendable. This is truly a classic example of spending government resources that would benefit the people and the environment. In years time, the park would really make a big name in tourism in Davao that would surely spur local economy.

“Tagum City is growing. And with that, we can’t easily stop progress but we have to make sure that we won’t sacrifice our environment just for the sake of progress. We have to do mitigating process to jive with progress,” Mayor Uy declared. The principle of ecological balance led to the birth of Tagum Botanical Park—a bold testament to the city’s environmental protection efforts amid rapid urbanization.

Visit the Tagum Botanical Park now and enjoy your precious weekend here, immersed in a sea of green, where the air is soothing as the morning calm and singing birds welcome you with heavenly delight. 

Blogger's Note: The park will be fully-developed by the year 2020. Various tree planting activities are being conducted here which generate participation from different private organizations in the city, augmenting the trees planted by the city government. All seedlings of foreign tropical trees bought by the local government, along with local species, are grown at the City Nursery inside the Energy Park in Barangay Apokon. All photos below are taken by blogger and CIO Chief Photographer Leo Timogan of tagumexposure.com

Early Morning at the Tagum Botanical Park

Sea of Green

Panoramic View

One of the Gazebos found in the Park nestled in the hills of San Agustin, Tagum City

Another gazebo in the sprawling park

Immersing myself in a sea of green!

The blogger planting a tree from India as part of the activities of the observance of the 15th Araw ng Tagum.

The blue sky makes a good backdrop! With the blogger is City Councilor Atty. Mylene Baura. Mayor Rey Uy, the brain of the park's development, stood in the background.