Sirao Flower Farm, Cebu's Little Amsterdam

I've been living in Cebu City for over a year now. I moved here, from my beloved General Santos, to pursue a career as a Structural Designer. I have yet to explore all the wonderful places Cebu has to offer. One of these places is Sirao Flower Farm, also known as The Little Amsterdam of Cebu City. 

The urge to come here was because of a splurge of photos that bombarded my social media feeds. Even my friends from General Santos who are visiting Cebu have photos taken here. It's safe to say that this place has already been established as a go-to location as far as tourist destinations in Cebu go. Sirao Flower Garden contains a field of flowers, mostly are Celosia flowers which derived its name from a Greek word that means 'burning'. This name is appropriate because its head does look like burning flame.

There's an entrance fee of P50.00 as means of maintenance and for further improvements.

I was immediately awestruck with the flowers when we arrived. However, after a while, I got a bit disappointed because it wasn't what I had expected. The flower garden was way smaller, there were too many people, and it really took a lot of effort to take a good photo (without any photobombs). The flowers at Sirao Flower Farm were fabulous though and the vivid colors were a fantastic visual treat for my eyes. It was also great to breathe in fresh air after being stuck in the polluted city for so long. 

The famous Sirao Flower Farm was originally just meant for growing and selling flowers. However, over the years, it has attracted flocks of tourists and photo enthusiasts. The influx of people wanting to see the celosia flowers in full bloom convinced the owners to turn it into a well maintained tourist destination instead. 

Previously, you would have to wait for the flowers to be in season to enjoy this spectacular site since the flowers will have to be harvested for Sinulog and All Soul's Day Season. If you didn't know, Celosia has grown to become the official flower of Cebu's Sinulog Festival. Currently, you can visit the farm all year round and still get a glimpse of a sea of flowers. The management purposely leave some flowers unharvested for the visitors to see.

To increase the European feel of the garden, several ornaments, such as a windmill, rainbow bridges, statues, bicycles, etc., can also be seen in the area. 

There is also a cafe where you could enjoy refreshments like buko juice and a lot more. A lot of stores offering these are present outside for a cheaper price.

You can also purchase bundles of flowers that are grown from the garden which you can take home.

When visiting, you have to dress appropriately. It could get muddy. This means wearing your favorite white sneakers could yield an unfortunate mess. 

How to get there: 

The most common way to reach Sirao Flower Farm is by riding a motorcycle (locally known as habal-habal) from JY Square Mall. A bunch of drivers would instantly approach you especially if you look like tourists. P200.00/head roundtrip fare is already enough. You can discuss additional charges with your driver as an incentive for waiting for you. You can also opt to ride a taxi but the usual charge would start at P1500.00. If you have a car, you can simply just Waze it and you'll be good to go. 

Tips:

• Make a very clear payment arrangement with your driver so there are no gray areas that could cause misunderstanding. Be wary of being tricked to pay more though. Some habal-habal drivers (definitely not all) are known to charge a whole lot more especially if they realize you're not from Cebu. Speak Bisaya if you can. 

• If you're taking your own car, be careful as the road going up could get pretty challenging and slippery. 

• Some habal-habal drivers would offer you a three-way tour, which would allow you to visit three famous Cebu tourist destinations: Sirao Flower Farm, Tops Skyline Garden and Temple of Leah. This is already very worth it. The usual price is P300.00/head, excluding entrance fees.

• Please be a responsible tourist and give respect to the management's effort of beautifying the place. Don't pick flowers, step on them or leave any trash behind. The destruction of these lovely flowers is a big price to pay for your perfect selfie. Please be mindful of other tourists as well. They, like you, are struggling to take the perfect picture too.

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