Bonsai No Sato Park and Resort
The peaceful and relaxing Bonsai No Sato Park and Resort, a botanical garden in Cauayan City, features an ever growing collection of over 300 exquisite bonsai trees, some on sewing machine stands.
Its owner, Ms. Librada Gatan-Africano, a retired school teacher, has been fascinated by bonsai, the Japanese art of growing and shaping miniature trees, since 1986.
Ms. Librada Gatan-Africano
The grounds are also planted with colorful flowers, celosias (Konnichiwa Flower Garden), tall and graceful bamboo, fruit trees, ornamental plants, melons and strawberries. Every spot in Bonsai No Sato, is Instagram-worthy.
Events Center
It also has an events center, for weddings, birthdays, and meetings, which can accommodate 400 guests. The Japanese Village has a kominka built using traditional Japanese architectural methods.
Its Kissaten Restaurant offers halo-halo (Php150), fresh from the farm fruit shakes, classy yet delicious pansit bihon and their bestseller Bonsai No Sato Pizza.
The Farmhouse
The garden also has a kiosks, two swimming pools, and picnic huts (Php300). For children, there’s also a playground, trampoline, inflatable island, bikes and electric go karts.
The long-lived and slow-growing sampalok (tamarind, Tamarindus indica) tree, a great outdoor bonsai, is prized as a bonsai due to the very attractive rough bark that it develops.
The popular Argao (or Alagao) Taiwan (Premna microphylla), one of the easiest bonsai trees to culture, was imported to the country from Taiwan, by bonsai growers from Luzon, sometime in the 1980s and 1990s.
Tugas (Vitex parviflora), also called the Smallflower Chastetree or the molave tree, is a favorite bonsai specimen inthe country due to its relatively pliant stems, ease of propagation, tolerance to harsh climatic conditions and its gnarled and twisted trunks.
Every Thursday to Sunday and holidays, eat-all-you-can grilled food (pork, chicken, fish, Php299) is offered from AM to 9 PM. A live band plays every weekend.
For overnight stays, they have a Japanese villa (standard, family, Php1,900-3,600) and farmhouse with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, dining room and a kitchen for Php10,000 (Php12,000 with exclusive pool).
The author at Konnichiwa Flower Garden
Bonsai No Sato Park and Resort: Brgy. Faustino, Cauayan City. Mobile numbers: (0945) 572-9401, (0960) 293-2262 and (0956) 068-2101. E-mail: klengguimbarda@yahoo.com. Open daily (except Mondays), 9 AM – 8 PM (9 PM, Fridays to Sundays). Admission: Php50.
Isabela Provincial Tourism Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-3146. Mobile number: (0917) 317-3820. E-mail: isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com.
Isabela Provincial Information Office: Provincial Capitol Complex, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel: (078) 323-0248. Mobile number: (0927) 395-7555. E-mail: letters_info@yahoo.com.
How to Get There: Cauayan City is located 394.8 kms. (a 7.5-hour drive) from Manila and 35.5 kms. (a 45-min. drive) from the City of Ilagan. The park is located beside Villa Virgilia Resort.