Last Updated on February 2, 2023 by Tina
In 2021, I posted some pictures from our visit to Bato de Luna Art Gallery on my Instagram stories. One of my friends who saw my IG stories sent me a message telling me that my posts are scandalous (but he was just joking). You will probably understand what he meant when you see the pictures later.
We visited Bato de Luna the same day we visited Immuki Island. We left our house (in San Juan) around 2:30 PM. The tricycle driver suggested that we visit the place before going to Immuki Island because it is still hot. Also, he said that my nephew will like the place.
Bato de Luna Art Gallery
Bato de Luna is an art gallery that showcases the works of Mr. Bong Kim, a Korean stone sculptor. It exhibits different art using stones (Luna has a pebble-covered beach) and mural arts. It is located in Nalvo Norte, Luna, La Union. Prior to Bato de Luna, there was Bahay na Bato, then Kamay na Bato (Stone Hand). Bahay na Bato is the resthouse of Dr. Edison and Dra. Purita Chan Noble, constructed along the coast of Luna, La Union. It was decorated by Mr. Kim with carved stones, antique materials, and wood carvings. The couple opened their resthouse to the public in 2014 and we were able to visit it in 2016.
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When my friends visited La Union in 2017, I wanted to show Bahay na Bato to them but found out that it is already closed to the public. But opened near Bahay na Bato was Kamay na Bato. Kamay na Bato includes art gallery, murals, a souvenir shop, and a function hall. I don’t know when they changed it but now it is called Bato de Luna. It looks different from Kamay na Bato, although some artworks from Kamay na Bato are still on display. Bahay na Bato is already open too and is located 100 meters away from Bato de Luna
Here are some pictures from Bato de Luna Art Gallery:
Maybe you’re wondering which part is scandalous. Well, I saved it for last haha. Though it was actually just an exaggeration.
Of course, I’m not going to end this without sharing our picture from 2017. We were laughing so hard when we took the picture back then. The crazy things we do when we are together.
Rates
Entrance fee- Php 50 per head (~US$ 1) (free for toddlers)
Parking- free (they have a wide parking lot)
There is a souvenir shop that sells pots decorated with pebbles but I have no idea how much it costs. And there is a shop that sells snacks, just in case you get hungry.
Operating Hours
Bato de Luna is open daily from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Because of the low number of active cases now, children (my nephew is 2 years old), as well as senior citizens, are now allowed to visit the place.
How to Get There
Bato de Luna is located in the municipality of Luna in La Union. You can combine your visit here with a visit to Namacpacan Church, Baluarte (Luna) Watch Tower, Balaoan Watch Tower, Almeida Manmade Forest, and Immuki Island. If you don’t have your own car, you can charter a tricycle from San Juan to visit all of these places. The rate for a whole day tour is around Php 1500 (~US$ 30).
If taking the jeepney, you can ride a jeepney bound to Luna and alight at the intersection going to Bato de Luna.
Hope you didn’t find the pictures in this post scandalous. 😂 You can check the highlights of our visit to Bato de Luna on my Instagram account. If you need more information about traveling to La Union, you can check out La Union Travel Guide.
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