Balay Buhay sa Uma Bee Farm
Part of Sorsogon Countryside Tour
After our visit to Bulusan Lake Eco-Tourism Center, we proceeded, on a short 2.8-km. (7-min.) drive, via Bulusan Lake Rd., to the secluded Balay Buhay sa Uma Bee Farm for lunch. The 3-hectare Balay Buhay sa Uma Bee Farm (literally meaning “house of farm life”), a combination of a resort, bee farm and restaurant, is located on the slopes of the 1,565 m. high Mt. Bulusan in a verdant area in Sorsogon.
Check out “Bulusan Lake Eco-Tourism Center”
The ornately designed gate, a backdrop for group picture taking, welcomed us. Upon arrival, we walk through the trellis lined pathway planted with summer blooms of hyacinth and bougainvillea.
Dining Pavilion
After a good 10 minute walk, we arrived at a small pavilion (open till 5 PM) built with bamboo, wood and other native materials, where a well laid lunch buffet table featuring local Bicolano food was served.
The author (left) at the Dining Pavilion (photo: Mr. Marlon Atun)
Fare included healthy options consisting of Bicol dishes such as adobadong suso (boiled edible freshwater snails in coconut milk), tinolang manok, deep-fried tilapia, pork belly salad (lechon kawali with salted egg), enseladang pako and pipino plus fruits in season, all washed down by melon juice.
Pork belly salad
Adobadong Suso
Deep-fried tilapia
A good, very attractive, relaxing, refreshing and colorful place to stay, there’s no internet, no TV, just peace and quiet. Its garden has so many plants, trees and flowers, as well as fish ponds.
For those who want to swim or escape the summer heat, there’s Batis sa Uma, a very refreshing and nice, mountain fed cold water swimming area located at the farther end of the bee farm.
The author at Batis sa Uma (photo: Mr. Marlon Atun)
Batis sa Uma
Picnic huts beside Batis sa Uma
Along the way, we passed through the scenic view of the bee hives located on both sides of the trail.
Bee colonies
As its name implies, the place has an amazing 2,400 colonies of stingless ligwan (Apis cerana) and pukyutan (Apis dorsata) bees. The bee farm started in 2003 with 38 colonies of European honey bees (Alis mellifera) which did not do well in this climate. In 2004, they shifted to 5 colonies of indigenous stingless bees brought by slash and burn farmers.
During the December 2015 Typhoon Nona, many colonies were lost. From these colonies, they harvest pollen (about 230 kgs. each year), propolis (about 180 kgs. each year) and honey (about 750 kgs. each year packed in 25 kg. containers).
To harvest pollen, they remove a coconut shell and take out the contents. From the bee pots made of cerumen, they then take out the yellow-brown lumps of pollen. In partial shade, they scatter the contents.
Red button ginger (Costus woodsonii)
The bees come, collect the cerumen (but not the pollen) and take it back to their hive. The pollen is dried for three days and then packaged in bags and sold to wholesale buyers. The propolis, on the other hand, is just washed with water and dried.
Aside from swimming, other activities you can do here are fish feeding, gardening and honey tasting.
Orange Bauhinia (Kock’s Bauhinia)
Philippine Catmon (Palali)
Easter Lily Vine (Herald’s Trumpet)
The DOT-accredited agri-tourism farmsite also sells a lot of organic products such as wild honey, honey-based products (soap, lotion, shampoo, etc.), turmeric tea and even pili oil, all produced by the farm.
Native-style cottages
For those who want to stay overnight, there are small, quite nice, native-style cottage with balcony. The air is cool so you don’t even need to use the fan.
The farm resort also has a reception area where you can hold wedding banquets or seminars.
Salon de Floren
Salon de Ligwan – serves hot and cold coffee, pasta and fries
The author (left) at Salon de Ligwan
Balay Buhay sa Uma Bee Farm: Purok Bacolod, Brgy, San Roque Bulusan, 4704 Sorsogon. Tel: (02) 8986 4355. E-mail: balaybuhaybeefarm@gmail.com. Website: www.balaybuhaysauma.com. Mobile number: (0910) 918-8599. Open daily, 8 AM – 5 PM. Entrance fee: Php50 (if buying food) and Php100 (if touring). GPS coordinates: 12.73943,124.09711.
How to Get There: Bulusan is located 557.3 kms. (a 13-hr. drive via Pan Philippine Highway/AH26) from Manila and 44.5 kms. (a 55-min. drive) via the Junction Abuyog-Gubat-Ariman Rd., from Sorsogon City.
Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Office: Ground Floor, Capitol Building, 4700 Sorsogon City. Mobile number: (0968) 624-6279. E-mail: tourism@sorsogon.gov.ph. Facebook: www.facebook.com/sorsogonprovincialtourismoffice.
Bulusan Municipal Tourism Office: www.facebook.com/ExploreBulusan.
Ur Place Travel & Tours: OLV Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon. Mobile number (Viber): (0927) 950-3927 (Ms. Annie Gueb). Facebook: www.facebook.com/urplacetravel.