Valencia Banana Belt
Description
Banana farms in Valencia uplands. In Valencia, the upland town above Dumaguete, cooler and wetter, feeding the city’s markets. 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
Fees at the falls change often and are quoted inconsistently online — check at the Valencia tourism office before setting out rather than trusting a published figure. Habal-habal drivers will wait for you at the falls; agree the return before you get off. Bring footwear you don"t mind soaking for Casaroro.
Stops
Dumaguete–Valencia Food Belt
How to get there
Jeepney from the Valencia terminal in Dumaguete, roughly 9km and 30 minutes, historically ₱12-24. Habal-habal onward from Valencia terminal to the falls and upland farms.
Best Times
Morning for the falls and the market; late afternoon for view cafés.