Back To Baguio (With Mama) : Things You Should Know Before Visiting Strawberry Farm in Benguet

We arrived in Cubao from Cavite around 12:30 am in the morning and from there, we waited for our tour coordinator to pick us up. It was almost a 6 hour long travel from Manila to Baguio but we made some stop-overs from time to time. We had our breakfast at Leeza’s Restaurant in Sison, Pangasinan.It’s a simple yet spacious restaurant which seems to open 24 hours a day. It was around 4 am yet the amount of customers are pretty much overwhelming. Our budget-friendly breakfast. I think we spent less than Php200 for our meals.

Arriving In La Trinidad, BenguetIt is a Baguio tour indeed but a trip to Baguio will not be completed without dropping by to its nearby town, the La Trinidad of Benguet. It is not really my first time in Strawberry Farm and I really had an amazing experience when I first got here. You may want to check this post – Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad Benguet.

Now allow me to list down the things you should know before visiting the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad Benguet

Strawberry Field Of The Philippines
The municipality of La Trinidad in Benguet is known for their huge strawberry plantation and it is not really surprising why the town earned its title as the “Strawberry field of the Philippines”. The town remained faithful to its title and promote their famous product (strawberries) not just in the country but also abroad in full extent. In fact, they currently hold a  Guinness Book of World Records for baking the world’s largest strawberry shortcake.

La Trinidad Strawberry Festival
You might have missed the Panagbenga Festival last month but you can still experience and equally enjoying event in La Trinidad. Panaspulan Strawberry Festival or more popularly known as the La Trinidad Strawberry Festival is an annual month-long festival in Benguet which is being celebrated this month (MARCH) to honor the town’s best produced product ~ the strawberries! The festival started 1981 with grand festivities like float parade, street dance, strawberry cake fest and a whole lot more. You can check this page for the La Trinidad Flower Festival schedule of activities.
The Best Time To Visit the Farm
We arrived in the Strawberry Farm around 6 am which I personally think the most ideal time to visit the farm. It was freaking cold and you can clearly see the vapor coming out from your mouth (parang nasa states lang haha). The strawberry harvest period covers the month from November to May but the best month to visit the place is between February and March because that’s the time when flowers bloom (you can enjoy the scenery of La Trinidad at its best)

Entrance Fee To Strawberry Farm
I’m getting a lot of inquiries regarding on how much the entrance fee to Strawberry farm is. Well, I’m happy to inform you that there is NO Entrance fee to the Strawberry Farm. Visitors are free to explore the huge hectares of farm as long as they are not picking anything from the plantation. Although I was also informed that there are some people from the farm that will ask you to pay an amount of Php10 but you’ll get a keychain in return which I personally think not a bad idea at all.

You Have to Pay for Photo Ops!
So Yeah, the entrance is free but one thing I noticed once you entered the farm compared to my last visit are the fees that the farm owners charge to visitors if they want to take photos of their products. A Photo op rate usually starts from Php5 to Php20 and you’ll get an unlimited number of shots. For example if you want to take a photo near a fully grown sunflower, you have to pay the owner first which is not bad at all. It is actually a nice way to help the farmers.

Strawberry Picking Rates
If you really want to enjoy your trip to Strawberry farm, then you should definitely experience picking strawberries by yourself but just to set an expectation, this could be a bit pricey. The rate of strawberry pick ranges from Php400 – Php450. Here, you will be given a basket and you can get a pick strawberries until you have collected a kilo of them. Take note that the farm is composed of plots and gardens designated to different farmers so don’t be surprised if you will be approached by different farmers while navigating the farm. Sometimes, the strawberries you pick could go beyond a kilo but they will still charge you with the same price but what really matters most here is the experience and the fun that strawberry picking could bring.
Not Just For Strawberries!
The farm is not just for strawberries because wide range of veggies are being cultivated here too! You can also buy the freshly harvested one in such an affordable price. You can get three bags of lettuce for only Php100. Other veggies like cabbages and spinach are also available in the farm.
You Should Not Miss Strawberry Beancurd (Taho) and Sherbet
Aside from picking strawberries, another thing that you should definitely not miss when visiting the strawberry farm is the Strawberry Taho (bean curd). This is not just your typical flavored bean curd because the taho is really infused with real strawberries! A cup of Strawberry Taho is worth Php50. Same thing goes with the Strawberry sherbet or ice cream.

Cheaper Strawberries Outside the Farm
If you are in a budget or if you find the strawberry picking rate quite overpriced, then you might consider buying strawberries outside the farm as they sell them almost or more than half the price. A box of strawberries can be bought from Php50 to Php250 which is really practical. You can also spot wide range of strawberry-related items outside including strawberry jam and strawberry wine!

Cheaper Souvenirs
Do not miss the opportunity to buy souvenirs outside the farm. I realized that the souvenirs here are way cheaper that those being sold in Mines View Park. A pair of shirt for example can be bought here around Php100-Php 150 while you can buy them in Mines View around Php200 and up.

My mom and i had a blast and oh by the way, make sure to bring sun protecting clothes as it could be very hot here. My mom had to buy a hat because the heat becomes unbearable especially around 7 am on wards.

After the Strawberry farm we headed to Baguio and had a quick visit to Camp John Hay.  I’ll share you our experience in my next entry.

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You might also want to check my previous Baguio-related Entries below
►Panagbenga Festival Grand Float Parade 2016
►Wright Park And The Mansion
►Mines View Park
►Cordillera World Museum
►Strawberry Farm
►Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto
►Things To Buy When Visiting Baguio
►Things To Consider and To Expect Before Going to 2017 Panagbenga Flower Festival
►Side Trips in Baguio During the Panagbenga Flower Festival