Mambukal Mountain Resort & 7 Waterfalls Trek, Negros Occidental

An hour from Bacolod city, at the foot of the active Mt. Kanlaon volcano, Mambukal Mountain Resort sits inside a 860-hectare nature reserve that the provincial government of Negros Occidental has managed as a conservation area since the 1950s. The resort is famous for two things: its seven waterfalls trail and its natural sulphur hot springs — the only sulphur springs in the entire Visayas region.

The waterfalls trail is the main event. Seven distinct falls of varying height and character are linked by a well-maintained path through primary dipterocarp forest, each one rewarding enough on its own but collectively forming a waterfall circuit that takes most trekkers three to four hours at a comfortable pace. The first few falls are easily reached and family-friendly; the upper falls require more scrambling and offer more dramatic scenery and complete solitude. Sulphuric steam drifts across the path near the upper trail — a reminder that Kanlaon's volcanic activity continues quietly underground.

The natural sulphur hot springs near the resort entrance are the perfect reward after the waterfall trek: warm mineral water in concrete pools set in the forest, with sulphur concentrations low enough for comfortable bathing but high enough to carry their volcanic signature in the smell and silky mineral feel of the water. The whole experience — forest, waterfalls, and volcanic hot springs — is unique in the Visayas and completely unexplored by most international tourists. Book via Klook for a day trip from Bacolod with transport and guide included.