hiking 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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Mt. Gulugod Baboy And Anilao Beach Travel Guide 2021

Meghy — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 08:03:14 +0000

Aside from being famous as a diving hotspot of the south and an oasis of rich marine life, Anilao in Batangas is also known to its climbing spot, Mt. Gulugod Baboy. Just 2-3 hours away from Manila, Anilao is a perfect place if you want to experience and see lushes of the mountain and at the same time see more of our prolific aquatic existence.

Knowing Gulugod Baboy:

Mt. Gulugod Baboy which means “Pig Spine” in English was named because its peak resembles of a pig spine. The mountain is also known to the locals as Mt. Pinagbanderahan. As per locals there was a Japanese aircraft that crashed on the mountain long back. The Japanese aircrews survived and raised a flag on the mountain that’s why it was called “Pinagbanderahan”. Standing 525 MASL with a 2/9 difficulty level, it is a famous hiking spot for beginners. The trek may take around 2-3 hours depending on your pace and you will be rewarded by a scenic lush rolling hills on the top with a 360-degree view of blue waters surrounding Mabini and nearby islands of Sombrero and Tingloy.

How to go to Mt. Gulugod Baboy:

From Manila

Ride a bus (Buendia or Cubao) bound to Batangas Grand Terminal. Upon arrival, look and ride a jeepney bound to Mabini (fare is 70 Pesos each). From Mabini ride a tricycle to Anilao, tell the driver to drop you off on the registration area located after the Philpan Diving Resort sign.

From Laguna

Make your way to Turbina Bus Terminal and wait for buses bound to Batangas Grand Terminal (fare will be 92 Pesos). Upon reaching Batangas Grand Terminal, ride a jeepney bound to Mabini then from Mabini proper ride a tricycle that will take you to Anilao.

Mishap before our trek:

We initially decided to stay overnight on one of the resorts in Anilao so that we could start our trek early in the morning and have a chance of watching sunrise upon reaching the peak. Since we still have work the same day, we waited for our shift to end and left around 3 PM hoping that we can still catch public transpos going to Anilao. We ride a bus from Turbina at around 4:30 PM but due to heavy traffic we reached Batangas City at 7 PM and were not able to catch the last trip to Mabini which is 6 PM (last trip is now earlier due to pandemic).

We’re actually unsure of what we’ll do by that night. We’re thinking of just staying overnight on the terminal and just ride the first trip to Mabini by 4 AM, look for a nearby transient houses or rent a vehicle that would take us to Anilao. All these options went all down to buying the famous Batangas Lomi on one of the remaining open food stall in the terminal. Who can’t resist this delicious food especially when your tummy says it’s hungry? While eating, drivers and dispatchers gathered around us negotiating to take us to Anilao for around 1500 to 1800 Pesos which is too much for us. Good thing our tour guide from Anilao, arranged a jeepney ride for us for only 800 Pesos. It’s a pretty good deal because we decided to just start our trek that night and just sleep on our tents halfway of the trail so there’s no need to pay for an overnight stay on a resort. We’re luck enough that our tour guide made sure that we’ll be able to reach Anilao safe that night.

Start of journey to Mt. Gulugod Baboy:

We reached Anilao at almost 9 PM and were welcomed by our guide on the registration area. We paid 50 Pesos as registration and started our trek right away. First part of the trail is a very steep cemented road. Though the road is cemented and kinda easy to walk on your first few steps, it gets too exhausting because of the continuous ascend of the road.

After the cemented road, we set foot on the unpaved or dirt trail where our exhaustion slightly toned down. The trail was dark but thanks to our phone’s flashlights and few light posts along the way. You’ll also see few houses on the course. We finally reached our guide’s house at around 10:30 PM where we’ll be spending the night. We setup our tents inside their compound, freshen up and took a sleep so we could be ready for the next half of our trek by the next morning.

Journey by the next day:

We woke up at around 5 AM by the next day, geared up and ate some biscuits to have some energy before we start our ascent. The trail of Gulugod Baboy is pretty direct and uncomplicated. We saw few more settlers along the path and as per our guide, those settlers are also their relatives who are native of the place. Around 6 AM we didn’t witness any sunrise due to the rainy and cloudy weather the other night. The place was so gloomy, no clearing and what we can only see are mountain fogs all over the place. We decided to stay on a sari-sari store first to eat some decent breakfast before our final ascent on the top.

1.5 hours had passed, there’s still no signs of clearing and I was already losing hope. We decided to take on the last pace of the trek to the peak. Upon reaching the top, we can’t appreciate fully its beauty yet since no view can still be seen. We decided to take some photos first while hoping and praying for a clearing.

We waited for about an hour before our prayers were finally answered! The sun shines so bright, mountain fogs were washed away and we were greeted by a beauty no one can’t deny. We’re stepping on a green rolling hills similar to Batanes and we’re surrounded by blue waters of Batangas Bay. Such a beauty we can’t resist and I thank God for letting us see the scenery He created.

Descent and visiting Anilao Beach:

Seeing the blue sea from the peak will make you want to splash on its waters upon descent. So, we decided to go down as fast as we can so we’ll have more time to swim our hearts on the beach. We haven’t been to the beach for a long time due to lockdowns so we were really excited. Our guide introduced us to a local resort. The resort doesn’t have any name but it’s definitely cheaper compare to other known resorts on the area. We bought foods to cook and let one of their local cook it for us for a very affordable price. She even let us borrow eating utensils since we really don’t have any at all. The place is an old resort but we really enjoyed it since we’re the only guests, no crowd and the beach water is as clear as like on the other expensive resorts. If you wish to go here, you can simply ask our guide Ate Rose Ann.

Recommended tour guide: Ate Rose Ann/Kuya Jaymar Ilao (you can contact them through their facebook page here)

Other things to know before going:

Tour guide fee is 500 Pesos for dayhike and 800 Pesos for overnight hike.
If you are not into hiking, there’s a road on the other side of the mountain where you can ride a vehicle. The road leads to the parking lot of the main campsite.
If you wish to stay overnight on the main campsite, please coordinate with the people from the registration first or with your tour guide.

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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. Kalugong Travel Guide: Journey On Its Eco Park and Cafe (Updated 2022)

Meghy — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:46:38 +0000

It was my second time around Baguio City and I wanted to visit a place less known by tourists in order to relax and be stunned by a beauty that awaits me on this ‘hidden’ sanctuary. Mt. Kalugong Cultural Village didn’t failed me and actually go beyond my expectation. It is one of the highlight of my Baguio/Benguet trip and I can’t wait to share with you the beauty that awaits you on this place.

Knowing Mt. Kalugong:

They named the place ‘Mt. Kalugong’ because “kalugong” is a local term for ‘hat’ and the rock formations on the peak looks like a hat when you’re down the valley. The place which is located in Brgy. Tawang, La Trinidad is well-known for its rock formations on the top of the mountain with an overlooking view of La Trinidad, Benguet.

How To Get To Mt. Kalugong:

From Baguio City, ride a jeepney bound to Tomay/Camp Dangwa. Jeepney terminal is located in front of Baguio City Hall and it’s the same jeepneys going to Strawberry farm. Just ask the driver to drop you off on the road or jump off going to Mt. Kalugong. Fare is P12.00 each. (Updated fare as of November 2022 is P17.00 each)

Once dropped in Kalugong road located in Brgy. Cruz you need to hike on a very steep road before reaching the eco park. Hiking might take around 30 minutes but it depends on your pace.

Journey To Mt. Kalugong:

Since there is road that lead to the eco park you can use your car going up if hiking is not your thing but be careful as the road is so steep and narrow. From the drop off point in Kalugong road, hiking my take around 20-30 minutes before reaching the registration point of Mt. Kalugong Cultural Village. I was not on my proper hiking get up when we decided to climb that’s why it took us more time before reaching it. The rain just stopped, I was wearing pants and a pair of boots and I was forced to hike on a muddy trail just to reach the registration. Registration fee is P100 per person.

After the registration, there are two roads to take. The trail on the right will lead you to the rock formations and café while the trail on the left will lead you to the park where picnic tables and huts are located. We decided to take the trail on the right first. The trail going up is well-managed as they put tires as stairs but it can still be tricky especially during rainy days as it can be very muddy. You can reach the peak in about 15 minutes from the registration point. Upon reaching the peak you will be amazed by a lot of striking rock formations with an overlooking view of the strawberry farms and local houses of La Trinidad. It’s very risky to take pictures on top of rock formations but if you’re careful and brave enough you could have great shots with its perfect view. For my case, I didn’t took too much risky photos on the rock formations because as what I mentioned earlier I was on my boots and having a hard time walking on the muddy and rocky areas (lol).

*Updated (March 2022)

Upon reaching the entrance of Mt. Kalugong Cultural Village, take the path to the left as the right path now leads to Tayawan View Deck. You will take an ascent trail heading to the registration point. Registration is now located on the park where picnic tables and huts are located. Trekking to the rock formation may take you another 10 minutes.

After you’re done with all the picture taking and appreciating the beauty of the rock formations, you could stay on their newly-built café. It is just beside the rock formations and I highly recommend it! For me, it could be one of the highpoint of your visit on the place aside from seeing the rock formations. The cafe is so beautiful and can give you the ambiance of a traditional cabin. It is a perfect place to relax, feel the cold breeze of Benguet while taking a sip of their in-house coffee! The café has its own viewing deck as well to appreciate the beauty of La Trinidad from above.

Back on the registration point, you can take the road to the left that would take you to the park. On the park you could see picnic tables, traditional huts, swings, overnight stay accommodations and other amenities perfect for family bonding. There’s lot of pine trees as well on the area that I can compare with the view I saw in Camp John Hay. Since there are only few people visiting the place, it is suitable place to unwind and get away from the crowd of more known attractions.

Additional Information:

Kalugong Cultural Village is located in Brgy. Tawang but drop off point is on Brgy. Cruz, La Trinidad.
Kalugong Café/Kape-an is open from 7am to 6pm and no bystanders allowed.
Entrance fee is P100 and P80 for Senior and PWDs.
If you have further inquiries, you can contact them directly on their facebook pages. Here’s the link: Mt. Kalugong Cultural Village Mt. Kalugong Kape-an/ Cafe

What are you waiting for? Visit Mt. Kalugong and be stunned by the beauty that awaits you.

Additional Photos From Our Recent Visit March 2022

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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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