Christmas Zamba
The so-called Christmas Samba, or carols rearranged with the signature Brazilian dance beat, is a common tune in the airwaves and Spotify. For road trippers, a different tune is ringing in their heads as they head out to the countryside with the family for the holidays—Christmas Zamba.
Up to the year 2019 BC (Before Covid-19), Zambales was a top destination in Luzon because of its splendid roads and proximity to the metropolis. Situated just outside Subic Freeport, the province provides the more bucolic face of the former American naval base.
To reclaim its pre-pandemic magnetic pull, the provincial government recently launched the Surf and Glamp Adventure which features two of its top recreational adventures—surfing and glamping, and everything in between.
Zambales governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said the province experienced a surge in tourist establishments during the pandemic to provide travelers vast greenery and safe spaces.
Blessed with a 300-km coastline, you can hop across the infinity of powdery sand beaches. Below are some of the suggested family-oriented pit stops for a memorable Christmas Zamba.
Pit Stop 1: San Felipe. This seemingly obscure municipality is the surfing mecca of Zambales, with the famed Liwliwa beach and surf site as recreational hub. For homebase, there are glamor camping resorts such as The Glamp and the Bali of Liwa, which offer adventures such as surfing and bodyboarding 101, beach sports, yoga, bonfire, acoustic entertainment, barbecue, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) ride, and a host of events for an activity-laden stay.
Tucked inside the town’s mountainous portion is Lubong Nangaluan Waterfalls which has a curtain-like cascade and cool pool where you can get a refreshing dip.
Pit Stop 2: San Antonio. This interior town was placed in the country’s cultural map by the Victorian-inspired Casa San Miguel, the music and arts center of Zambales, established in the late 1990s by world-renowned violinist Coke Bolipata. Situated inside a vast mango orchard, it boasts of an art gallery, concert hall, cozy bed and breakfast, and an artsy gourmet café.
And if it’s your lucky day, you might just get a front row seat to watch children and teens from the Pundaquit Virtuosi performing classical music on rehearsal or intimate concerts.
One shouldn’t miss Anawangin Cove, a sought-after tent city canopied by pine trees and has been a hot spot for roughing it out since the mid-2000s, the islands of Camara and Capones which has a Spanish lighthouse, and the Pundaquit surfing beach.
Pit Stop 3: Botolan. The home of Mt. Pinatubo, the legendary volcano’s caldera lake can be reached after several hours of trekking and is a mustsee for true-blue outdoors lovers.
In the lowlands, there’s the Botolan Mangrove EcoPark which can be accessed through the Bancal River Adventure Park which has a bamboo boardwalk, restaurant and floating cottages, and navigated aboard a stand-up paddle board (SUP), kayak, or pedal boat.
It is also home to two religious landmarks—the limestone coral church of Sta. Monica and the Ina Poon Bato Shrine, which houses the town’s patroness.
Pit Stop 4: Iba. The provincial capital of Zambales and the birthplace of former president Ramon Magsaysay, the town has a Christmas Village at the neoclassical Capitol Complex with brightly-lit Yuletide displays, food street and flea market. The quaint public park also has evening shows to provide inexpensive entertainment to the community and passers-by.
While here, pounce on the rare dinamulag mango, the large and sweet-tasting variety of the fruit or take home exquisite home decors from Zambrox made up of Serpentinite Stone.
Pit Stop 5: Candelaria. An hour to the north is this town which takes pride in Uacon Cove which is a colony of the largest beach resorts in the province. A paddling distance away is Potipot which is being redeveloped for a mid-market glamping and water-based recreation.
The cove is connected by a river to the placid Uacon Lake, once adjudged as one of Central Luzon’s cleanest inland bodies of water. Kayakers can triangulate these three natural features and paddle in the calm water.
With this feast for the senses, it is not surprising to see road trippers doing the Zamba this Christmas as if it was the infectious Brazilian beat.