Burnham Park

Pine-shaded park with a boating lagoon at the city's heart

The green lung of Baguio sits squarely in the centre of the city — 32 hectares of pine groves, a man-made lagoon, gardens, jogging paths, and a children's playground. The lagoon at the eastern end has rentable paddle boats in the shape of swans; in the early morning, before the smog from the city's traffic rises, you can rent a bike and follow the perimeter loop in the cool mountain air.

The Rose Garden on the north side is best in the dry season; the Orchidarium is open all year. A roller-skating rink, an athletic bowl, and the Igorot Garden round out the park. On weekends the place fills with Filipino families on picnics, students, and snake-oil hawkers selling miracle balms.

Baguio's most important market — the Plant Market — runs along the western edge, with orchids, ferns, hanging plants, and bonsai pots from the Cordillera highlands. Even if you can't take a plant home, it's a fine half-hour wander.

things to do park sight
A story
The park was designed in 1905 by Daniel Burnham, the American architect of Chicago's lakefront and Manila's colonial plan. He sketched out the entire city around it, intending Baguio as a model hill-station for the new American colonial regime.

Other places in Things to Do