Mambukal Resort: A Nature Day Trip From Bacolod

Bacolod is a city of chicken inasal, sugar money and festival crowds, so it surprises people how quickly the land climbs into cool forest once you head inland. About 45 minutes to an hour east, on the lower slopes of Mount Kanlaon in the town of Murcia, Mambukal Resort mixes warm sulfur pools, a river trail lined with waterfalls and a colony of fruit bats that roosts above the picnic grounds.

It works well as a day trip. You can leave the city after breakfast, soak and hike through the middle of the day, and be back for dinner in Bacolod. This guide covers how to get there by public transport, what to do once you arrive, what changed at the resort in 2026, and what Kanlaon's current activity means for your plans.

Mambukal is owned and run by the Negros Occidental provincial government, which means prices stay modest and the place fills with local families on weekends and holidays. Plan around that and the day goes much more smoothly.

Getting to Mambukal by Public Transport

The usual route starts at Libertad Public Market in Bacolod. Any jeepney or taxi heading that way will drop you near the market, and the terminal for Mambukal-bound jeepney buses sits close by, in front of the Savemore at Libertad. Ride to the last stop, which is the resort entrance. Expect about 45 minutes to an hour on the road, since these buses stop often to pick up passengers, and a one-way fare in the range of ₱50 to ₱60.

A taxi or rented car is faster and lets you leave whenever you like, which helps if you want to stay for the late afternoon. Grab is useful for the trip out, but finding a ride back from Murcia is harder, so agree on a return time with your driver or ask the resort staff about the last trip to the city before you settle in.

What to Do at Mambukal

The sulfur pools and the old bathhouse

Hot springs were the first reason people came here. The provincial government set up a hill station in Mambukal in the 1920s, and the Ishiwata Bath House, designed by Japanese architect Kokichi Paul Ishiwata, was built in 1927. Today the resort has a public sulfur pool, an open-air Japanese-style bath and smaller dipping pools fed by water that comes out of the mountain close to boiling and is cooled before it reaches the pools. The smell of sulfur is strong, so leave silver jewellery in your bag.

The seven falls

A river trail runs uphill from the resort past a string of seven waterfalls. The first falls is the easy, family-friendly target, and the province built a new nature trail to it in 2026. Each falls beyond that adds distance, stream crossings and slippery rock, and the seventh can take around three hours to reach on foot. The farther falls need a resort guide, with fees that rise the farther you go, so register at the tourism desk early in the morning if you want to go deep. Wear shoes with grip rather than slippers.

The bats

Thousands of fruit bats, including the giant golden-crowned flying fox, an endemic species and one of the largest bats in the world, hang from the tall trees inside the resort. By day they doze and squabble overhead. Their big flight out to feed happens around dusk, which day-trippers usually miss, so this is one good argument for booking a room and staying the night.

Pools, boating and the butterfly garden

Families with young children often spend the whole day near the entrance, where there are swimming pools, a small lagoon for boating, picnic huts for rent and a butterfly garden. It is a gentle option if your group has grandparents or toddlers who are not up for the trail.

What Is New in 2026

The resort has been upgrading. The province scheduled the new trail to the first falls and a small cluster of Lake View Villas to open in September 2026. The villas are three units, each sleeping up to five, with private hot and cold pools that use the area's geothermal water. These are the premium end of Mambukal's rooms. The older cottages, villas and lodge rooms are still booked through the Provincial Tourism Office, and they sell out fast around long weekends.

Fees, Hours and What to Bring

Entrance is cheap compared with private resorts, usually well under ₱200 for an adult, but the province has revised its rates more than once, so check the board at the gate. Pools, huts, guides and activities are paid separately. The resort generally opens from about 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM for day visitors.

Bring cash in small bills, a change of clothes for after the sulfur pools, insect repellent and a light jacket, since the air is noticeably cooler than in Bacolod. Food is sold inside, but a packed lunch is common and perfectly normal here.

Mount Kanlaon: Check Before You Go

Mambukal sits on the slopes of Kanlaon, one of the country's most active volcanoes, and the resort was historically a jumping-off point for the summit trail. Climbing is off the table for now. Kanlaon was under Alert Level 2 in October 2026, after a short explosive eruption on 10 October, and the 4-kilometre permanent danger zone around the summit stays closed. Light ash from the October eruption fell on nearby areas such as La Castellana, La Carlota and Salvador Benedicto, and wind and rain can change that quickly.

Before heading out, check the latest PHIVOLCS bulletin and the resort's official page, and avoid the river trail after heavy rain, when water levels rise and lahar warnings may be in effect. Our explainer on Kanlaon alert levels and what they mean for visitors walks through the levels in plain terms.

A Simple One-Day Plan

Leave Bacolod by 7:00 AM so you reach Mambukal while it is cool and quiet. Walk to the first falls, or further with a guide, and come back down for lunch near the picnic grounds. Spend early afternoon in the sulfur pools, then watch the bats rustling in the canopy before catching a bus back around mid-afternoon.

If you still have energy, you can end the day in Talisay at The Ruins, the shell of an old sugar baron's mansion that glows at sunset, which pairs well with the stops in our Ruins and Silay heritage day plan. Getting there takes a car or taxi rather than the Mambukal bus, so arrange transport in advance.

Is It Worth It?

Mambukal is not a polished spa, and on a holiday weekend the pools can feel like a town fiesta. Go on a weekday, though, and it becomes a calm, green escape with real forest, real waterfalls and wildlife that most of Bacolod's visitors never see. For other places to soak around the country, see our guide to hot springs in the Philippines.