Mt. Kanla-on

Mt. Kanlaon is the Tallest Mountain in the Visayas and is actually shared by the 2 provinces of Negros; Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental. It is an active volcano and has an elevation of 2,435 meters and a base diameter of 30 km and is dotted with pyroclastic cones and craters. The summit of Kanlaon contains a broad elongated northern caldera with a crater lake. A smaller but more active crater lies in the south.

The volcano has three hot springs on its slopes: Mambucal Hot Springs on the northwest, Bucalan Hot Spring, Bungol Hot Spring. Its adjacent volcanic edifices are Mt. Silay and Mt. Mandalagan, north of Kanlaon. Canlaon City now stands beside the mountain.

Evolving for over a million years, the wilderness of Mt. Kanla-on contains a delicate ecosystem containing plants and animals living in harmony. The beauty of the mountain’s natural environment- with exotic flora and fauna, awesome geologic and other natural features of great interest, have been widely noted for their scientific, educational, and recreational importance, as well as its historical, cultural, artistic and aesthetic values. For these attributes, Mt. Kanlaon has been found and identified to possess all the necessary pre-requisites required for its status to be considered and declared as a National Park on August 8, 1934.

For a more enlightening park experience, an unhurried quiet walk lets the visitor sense the unique environment. Travelling slowly through the dense forest, one will discover each area somewhat different from the other; various kinds of unique plantlife, from the enigmatic strangler fig to delicate orchids and the ferns and epiphytes of the mossy forest. Wildlife sounds abound beneath the triple-canopy forest and if your group is quiet and observant, a number of these animals can be seen. Mt. Kanla-on National Park is the home of many species of birds including the endemic hornbill, colorful parakeets, and even migratory birds from northern Asia. The huge but harmless monitor lizards scramble over fallen logs and Draco the "flying" lizard might glide overhead. Although there are several harmless species of snakes which are rarely encountered, avoid handling any because the poisonous cobras make their home here too.

At the ridge top, panoramic scenes of sheer rock walls and cliffs with the lush cover of the dwarf forest, clash with the Margaha Valley's cogon grass and shrub-covered floor. Mornings come late and the evenings early in the Valley. Pastel patches of greens, yellows, olives, ochres and tans from agricultural lands below are suddenly cut by the deep blue sea with cloud formations hugging the curve of the horizon.