A paradise in Diadi
Photo and a short story by Art G. Valenzuela
A FEW years ago, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources donated a portion of its 25,000-hectare forest reserve to the local governments of the Municipality of Diadi and the Province of Nueva Viscaya for weekly tree-planting activities where on-site picnics were held by participating government employees and private volunteers after each activity.
Soon after, provincial officials saw the full potential of the forest reserve and called the enclave “Paraiso Tribu Viscayano” later renamed simply Lower Magat Eco-Tourism Park which boasts of primeval and man-made forests.
It is located at the boundary of Nueva Viscaya and Isabela provinces more particularly between the towns of Diadi (Nueva Viscaya) and Cordon (Isabela).
The park is now fully developed and offers the following amenities to tourists: cemented roads, log cabin, dormitories, a pavilion, picnic huts, a fishing pool, eco-trails for hikers and bikers, and camping areas, among others. Included in the development plan is a first-class hotel and restaurant.
The whole park is teeming with teak and mahogany trees that cover the forest with a canopy of green and brown colors.
From Manila, the whole trip to the park should take about five to six hours forking somewhere at the NLEX and connecting to either Muňoz or Cabanatuan at Nueva Ecija passing through the zig-zag highway at Dalton Pass and over flatlands in Nueva Viscaya towns like Sta.
Fe, Bambang, Bayombong, Solano, and the second zig-zag road at Diadi town — the location of the forest reserve.
As for me, I have visited the place three times in the past eight years and witnessed with my own eyes its development as well as full potential as a tourist destination. For nature lovers, this is the right place for you. The provincial government of Nueva Viscaya manages it.
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