Discovering the Enchanting Bonsai Forest of Mount Redondo
Loreto, Dinagat Islands, Philippines — From our lunchtime cruise to the Blue Lagoon of Pangabangan Island, part of Libjo municipality, we sailed northward, back to our accommodation in Loreto. I grabbed my laptop and picked a comfortable spot at the homestay’s spacious, floating gazebo. I had the rest of the afternoon to catch up on work. The next morning would see us leaving Dinagat Islands for Surigao del Norte aboard a two-hour fast craft, then another ferry bound for Siargao.
Mount Redondo’s Natural Bonsai Forest
But just when we thought that our less-than-48-hour tour in the island province had ended already, Dario Fracks Apole, Loreto’s Tourism Officer, called us back for one last destination. “Minsan lang sila pupunta dito sa atin, dalhin mo na” (They only visit us once, better take them there), his boss (the town mayor) had instructed him over the phone, he said. Thus, putting back the bonsai forest on the day’s itinerary, which we skipped because of the boat ride from the Blue Lagoon that consumed a significant chunk of our time.
How to get there
Visiting the bonsai forest was not an easy feat. It required us a 4×4 pickup truck to get there, revving for about 30-40 minutes along an established gravel road that cuts through Mount Redondo, the highest mountain in Dinagat Islands.
Nestled within the majestic slopes of Mt. Redondo lies a captivating bonsai forest that has thrived for over a century, covering more than 100 hectares of land. This enchanting haven is filled with miniature trees, most of which stand at a modest height of around 2 feet, creating a stunning tapestry of green that beckons nature lovers and enthusiasts alike. The unique vegetation flourishes in the mineral-rich soils of the mountain, showcasing nature’s incredible resilience and beauty.
While Mt. Redondo boasts this remarkable bonsai forest, it is not the only location in the country where such wonders can be found. Similar forests also grace the landscapes of Mt. Hamiguitan in Davao Oriental and the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in Isabela, each offering its own distinctive charm and allure to those who seek to explore the delicate artistry of these miniature trees.
On our way to the top, we needed to pass beyond a gated area. Past these gates was an astonishing open-pit mining site, the remnant of a chromite extracting company that had already ceased operations some decades ago. “Wala na kasing chromite dito” (Chromite deposits have already been exhausted here), says Jojo, our tour guide.
For its geological richness, Dinagat Islands was declared a mineral reservation area in 1939. Large-scale mining concessions had covered almost half of the province’s landmass, which, in the long run, had put them in conflict with the island’s rich biodiversity.
The trails of Mount Redondo were not the only silent witnesses to the adverse effects of the mining industry in the region. It was also evident in other parts of the island, like in some of the town’s rivers whose heavy-flowing waters had already turned brown. Even the bonsai portion at the top of the mountain was not spared by this damaging human activity. There were some areas where the bonsai trees’ roots were exposed, apparently due to the diggings.
According to Apole, the local government and the mining companies had already come up with an agreement to designate the remaining hectares of the forest for conservation efforts, in order to tap its potential as an eco-adventure tourism site. Dinagat Island’s bonsai forest is among the few of its kind in the country. The same flora exists in Mount Hamiguitan in Davao Oriental, which in 2014 became a UNESCO-inscribed natural heritage site.
We reached the peak of Mount Redondo just before sundown. At 929 meters above sea level (MASL), every inch of the mountain’s summit, hundreds of hectares of it, is covered by these elfin trees. “Every square meter of this bonsai forest has 20 species of bonsai trees,” Apole explained as we took close-up pictures of the trees that each stands only about two feet on average. Also present in the area were wild pitcher plants (Nepenthes belli) and some unusually colored and odd-shaped insects that I have never seen before.
Besides the peculiar trees that blankets the highest point of Dinagat Islands, Mount Redondo also offers a calming vista of a sea of clouds and golden sunset. From where we stood, Gibusong Island, one of the islands that Ferdinand Magellan and his men visited during their famous circumnavigation of the world, nestles undisturbed from afar.
We descended the mountain just before the sun completely lowered itself behind the horizon. We were back at the hotel in time for dinner. Mount Redondo’s centuries-old, natural bonsai forest has been a wondrous conclusion to that short trip to Dinagat Islands.
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