For tourists, Manila is often just a stopover between flights on the way to another destination.
If you have a short time to spare in the metro, why not visit this IG-worthy museum that allows you to travel and experience 11 Regions of the Philippines without having to leave Manila?
Lakbay Museo offers 14 unique experiences in 11 different destinations and lets you travel to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and get to know more about Philippine history and culture without having to spend days of traveling and a lot of money.
Take your taste buds on a journey with different Pinoy food and drinks, take a look and even try on various traditional clothing and textiles, open your eyes to the many traditional dances and shows and, of course, go around interactive exhibits which you can experience through different senses.
Here’s a tour inside Lakbay Museo…
First Things First
Lakbay Museo is located at S Maison in Conrad Manila at the Mall of Asia complex.
It boasts 1,000 square meters of Instagram-worthy displays and interactive stations showcasing the best of the Philippines. (Opens to the public on July 12.)
There are three ways to enter the museum: either take the the Jeep or the Vinta or climb their unique Airplane display where you can slide down to enter the gallery. This reminds us that you can travel around the Philippines—being an archipelago—by water, by land or by air.
The online rate is P699 while the walk-in rate is P799. This includes a two-hour museum pass, 14 unique experiences…
…and 12 chips which you can use to buy different Pinoy treats and snacks inside the museum. (Goodies cost around 1-4 chips.)
Lakbay Museo Experience
When you enter, you get to dress up in original Pinoy fashion with authentic handwoven designs and fabrics.
The Luzon Exhibit is my favorite. Here, you’ll find Luzon’s gorgeous traditional houses and festivals. There’s a life-size display of the Pahiyas Festival, Batanes’ Ivatan House and…
…the Ifugao house bale made with zero nails. Here, you can also try and balance as much rubber palayoks as you can!
The Pahiyas Festival in Quezon Province is a colorful celebration of the region’s bountiful harvest. Kiping (colorful decorations made from dried rice paste) are used to decorate the houses along with various fruits, vegetables and flowers.
The museum also provides job opportunities to out-of-school youth, non-professionals, local artists, disabled persons and senior citizens.
Listen to the music, voices and sounds of the Filipino!
It’s a full-blown production, with cultural performances all throughout the day. Performances include traditional dances from Luzon to Mindanao: Pandanggo sa Ilaw, Tinikling, Cariñosa, Sayaw sa Bangko, Ifugao Kaloob dance and Maguindao’s Sagayan.
(The Bicol Region’s Mayon Volcano is famous for its perfect cone.)
One of the main attractions in the museum is the miniature display of the Mayon Volcano beside the famed Cagsawa Ruins.
Insiders tip: go inside the small tunnel, under a replica of the Mayon Volcano, that’s filled with mirrors.
Instagram-worthy Empanada installation in the Ilocos region.
Of course, learning about Philippine culture is not complete without sampling a few snacks. Feast on the exhibit, quite literally, with over 600 known Filipino dishes in the collection. While most of the displays are replicas, you’ll still be able to try some snacks using the tokens that come free with the admission fee.
Filipinos love sawsawan! Try different strength levels of the local vinegar with their fish crackers. (Free)
Smell some coffee beans, relish in delicious bagoong (shrimp paste), or drink some local wine. (Free)
Pinoy street food from fishballs, to quek quek, to kakanin, to sago gulaman, down to halo-halo. (Token)
Exchange your tokens in the carinderia and get a full meal of arroz caldo, pancit lucban, ginataang mais and halo-halo. (Token)
(“Tinapa” dried fish, local fruits, vinegar, coffee and different kinds of rice can be found in the market.)
Taste the sour, sweet, salty, spicy, bitter and so many other flavors plus learn about the variety of dishes in the country.
You can touch the textures created by the country’s weavers through the fabric collection—including the t’nalak from Lake Sebu and inabel from Northern Luzon—that comes with local stories.
The Visayas region is known for its beaches and seas brimming with life. Nearly all of the exhibits were constructed using 4,560 old and used rubber slippers and scrap materials, 328 old rubber tires, 453 old car mats and a variety of recyclable materials.
At the end of the tour, you’ll find the museum shop, which partners with 189 micro, small and medium scale enterprises in the country to help sell local products.
Final Thoughts
Lakbay Museo is the perfect place to rediscover our Filipino identity in a fun learning environment. I just hope visitors come not just to #DoItForTheGram, but also to learn about our roots and appreciate the richness and diversity of Philippine culture.
Live an Awesome Life,
ABI of Team Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: We were media guests of Lakbay Museo. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions and insights.
P.S. We are giving away 2 Tickets to Lakbay Museo. Simply follow @ourawesomeplanet on IG and follow the instructions on the Lakbay Museo post! Good luck!
Would like to visit the soonest possible to share to my studs the experience with a great entry discount
wow, a lovely place to explore & learn the Filipino Culture. I hava a scheduled training on the ist week of August w/ a colleague from Cagayan de Oro, hope we can do side trip on this place… Indeed a bucket list to fullfill.. Hope to avail the 2free pass. Thank you. Lulu
pag 1 yr old po n Bata may bayad Po b?