This eco-park located in the foothills of Sierra Madre will connect you with nature

MT. PURRO NATURE RESERVE is a 36-hectare park comprising thousands of trees, plants, and various eco-friendly amenities located in the mountains of Calawis, Antipolo Rizal. This eco-park was started by Toto Malvar and is now run by the whole family.

Inspired by his mother and grandfather who were also environmentalists by heart, Toto Malvar launched a privatelysponsored reforestation project a couple of decades ago in hopes of rehabilitating the degraded Upper Marikina Watershed, using Mount Purro as the identified primary site.

In a few years, Malvar was able to grow and maintain 700,000 trees. However, due to the isolated location of the mountain, natives in the area struggled to make a living which made them resort to small-scale illegal logging, kaingin farming, and charcoal making. At this point, Toto Malvar realized that before one can take care of the environment, people from that certain area must have sustainable livelihood.

Because of this, Malvar created the Mt. Purro Nature Reserve. It started from a small nipa hut where families can enjoy their time together and engage in various activities like hiking and swimming, It also became a social enterprise that would provide a livelihood to locals with the goal of stopping these people from doing environmentally-degrading activities.

From the total land area of 36 hectares, only eighthectares has been dedicated to operation facilities while the rest are maintained as a natural environment.

THE PARADISE IN THE FOOTHILL OF SIERRA MADRE Mt. Purro Nature Reserve offers amenities that will help guests connect not only with nature, and with their companions. The place has a swimming pool area that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

Pathways through the forest are almost everywhere. This basic yet important feature of the eco-park is that it will give you a firsthand experience of nature. As you walk through the paths, the aroma of forest trees, sounds of chirping birds, and fresh cool winds will accompany you along the way.

Aside from the swimming pool and pathways, there is also a playground for both children and adults. The pavilion in Mt. Purro and the open garden space where guests can build tents are also perfect for team building activities.

These accommodations sound good already, but there’s more than an eco-park like Mt. Purro can offer. It has its own organic garden dedicated to growing vegetables and fruit trees like cotton fruit, rambutan, and others.

TJ Malvar, one of the family members who helps run the ecopark, shared that harvests will be part of their guests’ meals, but if there’s really a lot of supply, they sell it to customers or give them to whoever needs it.

Although Mt. Purro is an eco-park, it also has a hotel that focuses on nature. It does not have air-conditioned rooms because the management promotes a sustainable lifestyle. Fortunately, due to the many trees in the area, it can be really cold during the night, which helps guests enjoy their stay.