hike Archives | Meghy Was Here

Mt. Manabu: Overnight Travel Guide

Meghy — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 14:57:42 +0000

I can say that trekking Mt. Manabu is one of the easiest climbs I’ve done so far. Not just because the trail is relatively easy but also the trail itself is mostly covered by trees and shades that could tone down one’s exhaustion during the overall trek. There are also a lot of stations you can rest along the way making it a good Mother Mountain for any beginners. Not only beginners would love the place but there are a lot of ace hikers who keeps on getting back here to spend a night to relax, enjoy nature and just to have a fun day of hike.

Knowing Mt. Manabu:

Mt. Manabu is one of the peaks that can be found in the Malipunyo or Malarayat Mountain Range. Malipunyo Range is an extinct volcano that lies across the provinces of Batangas, Laguna and Quezon. The range is known for its three distinct peaks namely: Mt. Manabu, Mt. Malipunyo and Bagwis Peak or also known as Susong Dalaga. For this trip we only went to Mt. Manabu where jump off point is located in Sitio Sulok, Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Manabu came from the word “MAtaas NA BUndok” which means “high mountain” in English. Difficulty level is 2/9 and one can reach the peak in about 3-4 hours.

How to go to Mt. Manabu:

From Manila

From Buendia/Cubao ride a bus bound to Lipa, Batangas and ask the driver if it will pass through Fiesta Mall junction. If not, tell the driver to drop you off in Robinsons Lipa. From Robinsons Lipa ride a jeepney bound to Fiesta Mall Junction. From there, look for a tricycle that will take you to Sitio Sulok. Inform the drive that you’ll go to Mt. Manabu (fare is 40 Php each). You’ll be needing to stop over the registration office to register and pay for an environmental fee first before the driver will drive you again directly to the jump off.

From Laguna

Make your way to Turbina Terminal and look for jeepneys bound to Lipa. Tell the driver to drop you off in Fiesta Mall junction and fare will be 70 Php each. At the Fiesta Mall junction charter a tricycle that will take you to the jump-off in Sitio Sulok.

Start of trek:

We reached the jump-off point (which is the parking area too if you bring your own car) at around 9:30 AM but decided to eat first as we didn’t have any breakfast yet. We just asked some locals and found this local “karinderya” that cooks and sells the famous Batangas Lomi. After eating, we started our trek at around 10:30 AM. Our supposed tour guide, Kuya Allan, was still on the station 5 of the Manabu trail as we arrived too early on our agreed time. So, he let his uncle, Kuya Floren, guide us for today during our ascend. We started the trail by passing through a water tank (station 1) and the trail was kinda forthright. Station 2 is just few hundred meters away and there are huts and sari-sari stores to buy snacks and take a seat to rest along the way. One store sells wooden trekking poles for 10 Php that I suggest you to have one as the trail could be muddy especially during rainy season. You’ll be needing it as a support if you always stumble on a muddy trail.

About 500 meters from station 2, you’ll be reaching station 3 which is located beside a creek then take another 378 meters and you’ll be reaching station 4 where you’ll be seeing a Jackfruit tree as a landmark. The trail is almost covered by trees and plant lives so no intense heat of the sun that could make you too exhausted.

After another 25 to 30 minutes, we reached station 5 where the famous kubo of Tatay Tino can be found. Mt. Manabu, aside from its peak, is famous also for the civet coffee that Tatay Tino offers to the hikers for free! Here, you can drink as much coffee as you want. You can also purchase Tatay Tino’s civet coffee as he already had it packed if you wish to bring some back home. They also sell foods, drinks and Mt. Manabu’s souvenirs such as bracelets, keychains and t-shirts. We also met here our supposed tour guide, Kuya Allan. Tatay Tino and our current tour guide, Kuya Floren, are brothers and both uncle of Kuya Allan. Their family owns this hut in station 5. We sat here for some time and talk with our Kuya guides and Tatay Tino. Your hiking experience wouldn’t be complete without meeting and talking to Tatay Tino and I think all hikers on Manabu will share the same thoughts.

After some rest, we started the last leg of assault going to the station 6 (Manabu peak). I must say that this is the hardest part of the trail as it is a continuous ascend and there are parts not covered by trees anymore so scorching heat will make your way harder. There are around three camping grounds located just below the summit. We reached Mt. Manabu summit by around 2 PM and were greeted by the big white cross. We had the stunning view of Batangas from above all by ourselves. We were blessed that we had a clear view during our visit though the weather signals a rain anytime soon. We spent some time on the peak for picture taking (of course! Haha) and enjoying the view right in front of us.

Camping ground for our overnight stay:

After getting enough photos, we decided to trek down back to the camping grounds to setup our tents since we’ll be spending the night here. Kuya Floren left us and informed us that Kuya Allan will fetch us by the next morning. Right after setting up our tents and settling our things, a heavy rain poured down. Water came inside in one of our tents so I suggest to bring a waterproof tent especially when there is a high chance of rain on the day of your hike. Good thing, the rain only poured for about an hour or two. We ate early dinner and took some rest.

At around 5:30 PM, another two sets of well-equipped campers arrived. I can say that they’ve been to Manabu multiple times since they came without a guide. They setup their tents, cooked foods, invited us over dinner and spent the whole night talking about life and likes. I can say that hiking is their escape. Manabu is a perfect sanctuary to relax and disconnect with the reality and turmoil of the jungled city once in a while. If you’re looking for solace, Manabu would happily give you that.

The next morning:

We woke up at around 6 AM and decided to get back on the summit wishing that we could witness a sunrise but due to the thick clouds, we were not able to see one. We sat on the summit and waited for the clearing. It was such a nice encounter to just sit down and behold how the clouds slowly getting washed away by the wind and greeted again by the same beautiful view from yesterday that I’ll never get tired of seeing.

We packed our tents and stuffs and started our descend at around 8 AM. It was Kuya Allan who went back and fetch us instead. We opt not to do the rosary trail anymore and decided to just continue our trek down back to station 5. The trail down back to station 5 became trickier as the path became muddier due to the rain the other day. We took a lot of rest along our way down and even washed our muddy shoes on the waters of the creeks we passed by. And I think that’s the purpose of traveling and hiking, to just slow down and enjoy every experience of it.

We reached the jump-off point at around 11:30 AM. There are bathrooms and comfort rooms on the post so we cleaned ourselves, took a bath, fix our things and head back home.

Other things to know:

Registration fee that you have to pay is 30 Php.
If you are looking for a tour guide, you can contact Kuya Allan on this phone number 09099586191 or contact him through his facebook page here.
Jump-off point of Mt. Manabu is in Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Sto. Tomas, Batangas while Mt. Malipunyo jump-off point is in Brgy. Talisay, Lipa, Batangas. So, if you wish to have the Malipunyo-Manabu traverse you’ll be having a different entry and exit point.
Hiking to the summit could take around 3-4 hours.
We paid our tour guide 1,500 Php for an overnight hike. We didn’t get the day hike rate but you can contact the guide beforehand.
If you’ve been to Mt. Manabu before and you’re confident enough that you know the trail path, tour guides are no longer required.

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Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite: Journey to Mt. Kulis and Noah’s Ark

Meghy — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 15:40:27 +0000

The municipality of Tanay is probably the must-go destination now in terms of mountain hiking due to its accessibility from our country’s center, Manila. And one of its newest attraction is Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist Campsite or also known as Mt. Kulis or “Bahay ni Cardo” that made fame from Coco Martin’s TV series “Ang Probinsyano”. The campsite is the perfect venue to catch a beautiful Sea of Clouds that won’t require a radical hiking to reach the top. Yes, you read it right. It was an easy hike (pabebe hike as they say) that you can only reach Mt. Kulis peak by around 15 minutes from the registration office.

Getting to Know Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist:

The campsite is located in Sitio Maysawa Brgy. Cuyambay/Laiban, Tanay, Rizal just few meters away from the entrance gate of Treasure Mountain. The difference is that, Fresno is on a higher location which means a better chance of getting a nicer view. The place is new as well so there are lesser crowd here for you to enjoy the sight. One of its major attraction is the house built for the TV show “Ang Probinsyano” starring Mr. Coco Martin, the place was made as a shooting area for few months before it finally opened to the public.

Mt. Kulis, Sambong Peak and Noah’s Ark:

When we contacted the campsite through their official facebook page, we were given options where to pitch our tent for our overnight stay. First option is on Mt. Kulis where “Bahay ni Kardo” is located and where most of the campers spend the night. Second option is in Sambong Peak which is the peak next to Mt. Kulis or third option is on Noah’s Ark which is our main purpose of visiting. We heard and read about that as early as 5am there are already a long line of people wishing to ride the arc and take pictures on it. So we decided to take the third option so we could be the first in line to ride the arc and as recommended, this vantage point has the higher chance of seeing the Sea of Clouds.

According to our tour guide, we were the first group of campers to pitch our tents beside this distinct vantage point of Noah’s Ark! Take note that there is no proper camping area beside Noah’s Ark. We only pitch our tents on the man-made bamboo bridge that they made where the long queue of people stand while waiting for their turn to ride the arc. As per our tour guide, Kuya Lolong, the camp area on Noah’s Ark can only accommodate up to five tents.

Our Overnight Journey:

We supposedly start our trek at around 4pm but due to the heavy traffic and the heavy rain upon reaching Tanay, we started our trek at around 5:40pm. We first settled our bills and entrance fees on the registration office before starting our ascend. It’s almost dark and we were wearing raincoats as it is still raining when we reached Mt. Kulis and picked up the tent we rented. It’s already dark when we head to Sambong peak where we met another set of campers who were already set for the night on Sambong.

The trail after Sambong peak became a bit complicated as the trail is pitch black and we only have one headlight with us and the rest used their cellphones to see through the dark. And since there was a heavy rain on the afternoon, the trail is too muddy that you can’t even step your feet properly due to the heavy mud that piled up on our shoes and sandals. A lot of sliding into the muds happened that made our clothes and bags full of dirt.

After more than an hour, we reached the Noah’s Ark. No more rain, we assembled our camping tents and washed ourselves to had a dinner. After an hour or two, the Sea of Clouds started to show from our camping area and it’s one of the most beautiful overnight scene I’ve ever witnessed. Though it’s night, you can still see the Sea of Clouds as the moon shines so bright from above. I keep on getting out of our tent from time to time and we had the Sea of Clouds view all by ourselves on the middle of nowhere. I can’t still believe with the beauty that stays right in front of my eyes.

We slept for few hours and manage to wake up at 3am. As early as 4am we already saw a group of trekkers from afar making their way on the Noah’s Ark so we started to fix our tents and things so we could start the line and wait for the sunrise. In order to take a photo within the arc you needed someone to climb a rock formation in front of it. Good thing, we had Kuya Lolong to take a photo of us and he was a good photographer.

As we ride the arc, we saw from above the long queue of people waiting for their turn and its kinda awkward to pose with all eyes on you (lol). I can’t imagine ourselves waiting on that long line and it’s really such a good decision to spend the night in Noah. We started our trek down to take photos on both Sambong Peak and Mt. Kulis as we didn’t get a chance to get good photos the other night.

Upon reaching back Mt. Kulis and “Bahay ni Cardo”, there is a small store that offers “silog” dishes for P100/meal only. We tried their tapsilog and tocilog. Other attractions of the site that you can visit are the Lion Falls House, the Hanging Bridge and the newly open Spider web.

Rates and Charges:

Day trip– P150/pax (4:00am-3:00pm)

Overnight– P200/pax (4:00pm-1:00pm)

Tent Rental– P500 (Good for 2 persons)

P800 (Good for 4 persons)

P200/tent pitching (Bring your own tent)

Guide Fee– P500/5 pax (Day tour)

P1250/5 pax (Overnight)

Note: Mandatory guide if you go on Noah’s Ark and Lion Falls House

How to get there?

Via Cogeo

Ride a jeepney or van to Cogeo Gate 2. Jeepney fare is about P25 and van fare would be P35 each. Walk towards the end of the City Market to reach the jeepney terminal bound to Sampaloc. Tell the driver to drop you off in Maysawa Circuit and fare will be P48 each. Upon reaching Sitio Maysawa ride a tricycle that will take you to Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist. One tricycle ride would cost you P150 good for 4 pax.

Via Tanay

Ride a jeepney or van going to Tanay town proper. From Tanay Public Market, ride a jeepney that will take you directly to Sitio Maysawa. Upon reaching Maysawa charter a tricycle that will take you to Fresno.

Additional information:

Address: Sitio Maysawa Brgy. Cuyambay/Laiban, Tanay, Rizal

Contact number: 09465523659

Official website: Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist

Official Facebook page: Fresno Agro Forestry and Eco Tourist

I Was Here Baybayin Travel T-Shirts

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Mt. Talamitam: Day Hike On Its New Trail

Meghy — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 10:32:11 +0000

Most people probably heard and experienced the beauty ranges of Mt. Batulao but most people do not know as well the charm of its “younger sister”, Mt. Talamitam, has to offer. Mt. Talamitam is located on the other side of Mt. Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas. The mountain got its name from the “Talamitam trees” that used to grow on its slopes but sad to say the tree no longer exists on the highland.

Though Mt. Talamitam does not have the mountain range landscapes as grand as those found in Mt. Batulao, it has a huge grassland next to the summit that will makes you feel stepping on the rolling hills of Batanes or New Zealand!

How to get there?

Manila to Mt. Talamitam

From Manila ride a Nasugbu bound bus (DLTB or BSC) and asked the driver to drop you off in Mt. Talamitam drop off point (that is before Sitio Bayabasan Basketball court). Then you have to charter a tricycle that will take you to the registration point in Brgy. Kayrilaw.

Laguna to Mt. Talamitam

If you will be coming from Laguna, you can ride a Nasugbu bound van from Balibago Complex (Fare is P150) and asked the driver to drop you off in Mt. Talamitam drop off point (that is before Sitio Bayabasan Basketball court). Then you have to charter a tricycle that will take you to the registration point in Brgy. Kayrilaw.

The Climb

Mt. Talamitam has now a new trail that passes through Brgy. Kayrilaw. After the bus drop off in Nasugbu hiway, you actually need to ride a tricycle going to the registration point in Brgy. Kayrilaw but we didn’t take the drivers advice. We decided to start our trek from the hiway and it took as an hour to reach the registration area. We already got tired of the 3 km walk before starting the real trek (haha!).

The old trail actually passes through Sitio Bayabasan in Brgy. Aga. According to the person in charge in registration point, one part of the old trail passes through a private property and the owner no longer allows any hiker to pass through the property. The registration is P50/person and tour guide is required to reach the summit. Tour guide fee is P500/group. We were 14 in the group and they required us to have 2 tour guides for this journey.

According to the locals, the new trail is actually longer but easier compared to the old trail. At first, you will pass through the forest like trail, the way is manageable until you reach the first jump off point where series of stores are situated selling variant of foods like hotdogs, barbeque, fishballs and even banana cake! As per the locals, horses are the their means of transporting goods to the mountain top. Imagine how strong their horses are?

After taking a rest on the first drop off, we walked through the woodland again. By this time the way is becoming steeper and challenging. There are moderate slopes and many trail disparities until you reach the wide grassland where the Talamitam peak lies. The scene is picturesque that it takes us time to capture its beauty. This part will give you a “Batanes feels” so you can get as many worthy pictures as you want. This part of the trail is an open green field without any trees or shade so the trek can be very exhausting due to the direct heat of the sun. There is another store on this point where you can quench your thirst with their cold drinks and where you can rest for a while before you can start your trek again on the last assault before reaching the summit. I already felt the exhaustion at this point of the trek that takes me time in reaching the peak. Since the last assault is really steep, I literally took a rest every minute before finally reaching its mesmeric summit.

At the peak, you can reward yourself with a Halo-Halo being sold by the only store on the peak. The view from the summit is mesmerizing making your trek a worthy one. The view is so dreamy and makes you feel happy and fulfilled that you did something you never thought you could. The green plateau and the summit for me is the most scenic view I had on the whole trail. We rest for a while and when we got enough photos and rest, we decided to start our descend at 4PM.

How long did it take?

As per the locals, the trek should only take 2 hours per way or a total of 4 hours but on our case it took us almost 8 hours to finish the whole trail. The trek time is acceptable since the walking from the hiway that started about 10:30 AM already consumed our time and energy which can be saved if we ride a tricycle. Since we are 14 in the group with few first timers, we took a lot of rest time and talk with the locals on both ascend and descend. We reached the registration point of Brgy, Kayrilaw at 6:30 PM and ate Batangas Lomi and Arrozcaldo near the Baranggay outpost.

What Realizations I Got?

I am not used to physical activities that requires strength and stamina or for short, I am not your sporty gal. When I am in grade school, my teacher would always let me stay beside or sit during our PE class since I have this allergy that comes out every time I sweat or stay under the heat of the sun (I already overcome that allergy now!). So each time I decided to go up to the mountains, I always tell myself that “I won’t be doing it again!”. I can easily judge myself based on my known capabilities without knowing that there’s still more of myself that I can give. But after all the struggles that I have every hike and telling myself that this won’t happen again, I always eat my words and do it again next time. Maybe it’s the irony of life like how we still decided to love even how many times we got hurt or how we still decided to forgive someone regardless how painful the mistakes they given us. Because at the end of the day, we need to focus on the beauty that we can get from love and forgiveness that we decided to give like how we focus on the beauty that awaits us in the mountain summit. I think we just need not to let our pain and struggles hinder us from getting the greatness we deserve and always remember that somewhere between the lowest ground and the mountain top is the journey that makes you believe that you CAN.

Have you ever been to Mt. Talamitam before? Share your experience below.

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Dingalan Travel Guide: What to do and What to expect in Dingalan, Aurora

Meghy — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 00:26:43 +0000

After I graduated college, It’s been my yearly tradition to treat myself with a travel trip during my birthday. I always think that a gift of a travel experience is more worth it than buying myself a material gift or treating myself on a fancy restaurant.

So for this year’s celebration of my another year of existence, I decided to explore the hidden beauty of Dingalan, Aurora!

Dingalan, Aurora:

Dingalan is one of the most scenic place I’ve ever been in the Philippines. It is often tagged as the “Batanes of the East” because of its views and hill-like scenery that resembles those found in more famous location, Batanes. But this silent town of Aurora has its own beauty waiting to be discovered.

It is a perfect place to fill in your adventurous heart. From trekking the high mountains, to discovering the hidden caves, to chasing waterfalls or to simply swimming on its blue waters and playing with its waves, I can say that this is worth the visit.

Located on the southernmost part of the Aurora Province, facing the Philippine Sea on the east, has a montainous landscapes because of the Sierra Madre Mountains and has big waves flashing on the scenic cliffside where the green grass meets the blue waters. What a must view to catch!

Going to Dingalan:

From Manila:

There are bus terminals that offers a ride to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija from Cubao, Pasay or Caloocan. Fare is P185 and ride may took 2 hours.

Upon arriving in Cabanatuan City Transport Terminal, catch a van going to Dingalan, Aurora. Vans are parked near 7/11 and fare is P120. It may take another 2 hour ride.

Getting Around Dingalan:

To go places in Dingalan, you can ride a tricycle and fare may be around P20 depending where you are heading to. There’s a lot of tourist attractions to visit but for this trip we only decided to go on its iconic spots, the Dingalan View Deck and Dingalan Lighthouse. As much as we wanted to go on other tourist spots, we are already tired from our Baler trip prior going to Dingalan.

Start of our journey:

Upon arriving on Dingalan Transport Terminal, we ride a tricycle going to the Feeder Port located in Brgy. Paltic (fare is P20). Feeder port is the starting point of your Dingalan Tour. From here, you need to register and pay for the Environmental Fee of P50. A tour guide is required to go on any desired Dingalan destination. No worries, it won’t be hard for you to look for a registered tour guide since they flock on the port area with their uniform and IDs. Tour guide rate is P200 per location. If you wish to eat first before starting your Dingalan activities, there are few food stalls or “karinderya” on the Feeder Port area that offers food for cheap prices.

Going to the White Beach:

White Beach is the drop off point to Dingalan View Deck and Lighthouse. You have two choices going to the White Beach from the Feeder Port. First, you can rent a boat for P800 good for 10 persons or second, you can trek from the Feeder Port to White Beach for 30-40 minutes. On our case, we decided to take the second option.

We started our trek at 6:30am. Trekking might be easy but tricky at times. You have to walk on the sea shores with big rocks while big waves are coming your way. At times, we have to wait for the waves to calm down before crossing the big rocks and do it as fast as possible before catching the next big wave.

The tour guide will require you an additional P200 if you choose to trek instead of renting boat. Upon arriving on White Beach, there are open cottages available where you can rest for some time before trekking the mountain.

Going to Dingalan View Deck:

Trekking from the White Beach going to Dingalan View Deck may take arond 30 minutes. Most part of the way to the top is covered with trees so trekking is a bit easy but still tiring at times. The path is well guided, there are posts and ropes that you can rely on.

Upon reaching the top you will be fascinated with the beauty that you will be seeing. It’s much like looking on a masterpiece of an artist on a painted canvass. The view is really jaw-dropping that won’t stop you from staring and taking pictures.

Going to the Lighthouse:

After you’re done with the View Deck, you have to trek down for 30 minutes. Once reached the jump off point on the White Beach area you have to climb again on the other side for another 30 minutes to reach the lighthouse. Unlike the path on the View Deck, there’s no shade or trees on your way but instead, you will be seeing tall grasses along the way.

Upon reaching the top, another beauty awaits you. It’s windy on the lighthouse area compared on the View Deck which will be a good place to relax and scream your heart out. I actually enjoyed lying on the grass and feel the fresh air coming.

Note: Climbing the lighthouse itself is prohibited

Going back to the Feeder Port:

Once you are done with the trekking, it’s up to you if you want to stay on the White Beach for swimming or head to other Dingalan spots. On our case, since we only decided to visit the lighthouse and view deck we decided to head back to the Feeder Port.

You can trek back to the port for another 30-40 minutes but since we are a bit tired of all the trekking we’ve done we chose to rent a boat for a cheaper price of P400. (You will only pay half the boat rental fee if you will be coming from the White Beach)

Going Back to Manila:

You have to ride a tricycle from Feeder Port back to the transport terminal and ride a van going to Cabanatuan. By this time, the travel time to Cabanatuan only took 1 and a half hour. It’s much faster than our travel time from Cabanatual to Dingalan.

On Cabanatuan Terminal, we looked and ride a bus back to Cubao for P185.

Other Tourist Spots you can visit in Dingalan:

Tanawan Falls
Lamao Caves
Matawe Beach
Laktas Falls

Breakdown of Expenses (for 2 pax):

Expenses	Fares/Fees
Fare from Cubao to Cabanatuan	P185
Fare from Cabanatuan to Dingalan	P120
Tricycle fare to Feeder Port	P20
Environmental Fee	P50
Tour Guide Fee (2 locations and additional fee for trekking)	P300(P600/2)
Food	P45
Tricycle fare to Dingalan Terminal	P20
Fare from Dingalan to Cabanatuan	P120
Fare from Cabanatuan to Cubao	P185
Boat Rental	P200(P400/2)
Total	P1245

Expenses will be cheaper if you will be coming on big groups

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