Mabinay Coconut & Banana Area
Description
Coconut and banana farming in the Mabinay upland barangays. In Mabinay, the karst interior town on the cross-island road, all caves and upland farms. Bananas here are several distinct varieties — saba for cooking into banana cue, turon and ginanggang; lakatan and latundan for eating fresh. Coconut groves feed three chains at once: copra, sap for tuba and vinegar, and fresh buko. Roadside stalls beside the groves are the cheapest place to buy either.
Tips
The natural halfway stop if you"re crossing the island by land, so plan a meal break here rather than pushing through. Cave tours and the food zones are on opposite sides of town; a habal-habal for a couple of hours is the practical way to see both.
Stops
Dumaguete–Valencia Food Belt
How to get there
On the cross-island road between Dumaguete and Kabankalan/Bacolod — buses crossing the island stop here.
Best Times
Early morning — markets, landings and roadside stalls all run hardest before 8am.