LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — Just minutes from Baguio City, the La Trinidad Strawberry Farm offers travelers a refreshing escape into the cool Cordillera countryside. This 79-hectare agri-tourism destination lets visitors pick fresh strawberries straight from the vine while supporting local farming families.
A Highland Sanctuary for Strawberry Lovers
As morning mist lifts over Barangay Betag, the highland sun catches the dew-kissed leaves of thousands of low-slung crops. Framed by pine-forested ridges and mountain shadows, the farm transforms into a glowing patchwork of green and crimson each harvest season.
Owned and maintained by Benguet State University, the land is divided into plots leased to hundreds of local Ibaloi farming families. This partnership ensures that while researchers study sustainable cultivation, local growers remain the true stewards of the soil. Their labor earned La Trinidad its title as the Strawberry Capital of the Philippines.
Hands-On Harvesting in the Cool Cordillera
From November to May, visitors receive woven baskets and are invited into the neatly lined mounds. Walking along narrow furrows, they learn from seasoned farmers to look beneath broad leaves where the biggest heart-shaped berries hide from the sun.
Harvesting requires a gentle touch—a delicate pinch and twist above the stem releases the fragrant berry without bruising its flesh. The joy of plucking fruit fresh from the vine, bathed in crisp mountain air, creates a connection to the land that no supermarket can replicate.
A Feast of Strawberry Delicacies
Beyond the rows, the farm is a sensory festival of flavors. Vendors greet guests with warm strawberry taho, a silky tofu dessert drizzled with home-brewed strawberry syrup and topped with chewy sago pearls. Nearby stalls churn creamy strawberry ice cream.
Wooden shelves display vibrant fruit wines, artisanal jams, strawberry-flavored pastries, and freshly harvested temperate vegetables like lettuce, broccoli, and sugar snap peas. Every product carries the cool, sweet essence of the highlands.
A Community Rooted in Agriculture
Strawberries were introduced to Benguet during the Spanish colonial era and further developed during the American period. It was the resilience of local farmers that turned cultivation into a thriving regional economy, weaving the fruit into La Trinidad's identity.
Every March, the town erupts in celebration during the La Trinidad Strawberry Festival. Street dances, float parades decorated with live blooms, and giant strawberry cake competitions honor the community's bountiful harvest. The festival proves that this valley is the heartbeat of the region's agricultural success.
Celebrating the Strawberry Capital
Though often grouped with Baguio in travel brochures, La Trinidad's municipal pride shines brightly. The farm offers more than a day trip or souvenir photo—it is an immersive tribute to human dedication and nature's generosity.
As afternoon sun casts golden rays over the valley, visitors leave with stained fingertips and heavy baskets. The gentle magic of La Trinidad remains etched in memory—a timeless mountain sanctuary where every bite carries the pure, cool essence of the Cordilleras.
