I live in a very urban area, and I rarely get the opportunity to bask in nature.

So when my mother wanted to go to Masungi Georeserve for her birthday last year, we all jumped at the chance.

It's a conservation area in the Sierra Madre mountain range of the Philippines, and uses geotourism to help in conservation, education, and sustainability. The area is largely untouched, with humans being the ones adjusting to the terrains and trails. Our guides were so knowledgeable and passionate about the place and its conservation, and we truly learned so much. We saw wildlife and flora unique to the area.

And the views were breathtaking. I'm asthmatic, and not once in the entire trek did I have difficulty breathing. The air was so pure and so clean, and so refreshing.