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| Hiking | 6.40 Miles |
1,859 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.40 Miles | 3 Hrs 40 Mns | | 1.75 mph |
| 1,859 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This was a very exciting and fun hike which I did for the second time in 5 or 6 years. My only regret was getting there as late as I did (~11 am). It was incredibly humid between 11 am and about 2 pm which slowed me down a lot. After 2 pm there was a bit of a breeze and the sun went behind the clouds. I stayed the previous night at the Purple Orchid Bed & Breakfast which was about 32 USD per night including breakfast. I would rate this hotel stay as very good and I would stay there again. The hotel was closer to Tagaytay and there were some nice restaurants nearby but nothing within walking distance. Getting to the trailhead from the hotel was a bit expensive. It was approximately 21 km from the hotel to the trailhead and the hotel was able to find us a tricycle driver to do the roundtrip drive for about 27 USD. It would definitely be more economical to take a bus from Manila or possibly more economical to take a grab taxi from the hotel if that option is available.
I got to the trailhead around 11 am, paid the 25 peso registration fee (roughly 0.50 USD). I was told that a guide was available for 600 pesos (or about 11 USD). I decided to skip the guide because I basically knew where to go and I also had a rough GPS plot that I found online somewhere. I only made one wrong turn, which took me about 10 minutes out of the way, but then turned back around and found the correct way.
From the registration point, I started hiking North, then Northwest down the road which is paved on the steep parts. After 0.5 miles I saw a campground area where showers were available for a small price. There were camping spots here also, which I may have been interested in if I didn't have a lot of luggage with me. I passed the campground area and continued for another 0.1 miles and encountered a concrete bridge going across a stream. I crossed the concrete bridge. Shortly after crossing the concrete bridge I saw the primitive bamboo bridge crossing a stream to my left. I exited the road at this point and carefully crossed the bamboo bridge. This was quite fun and interesting for me as I have not seen many bamboo bridges like this before. Once across the bamboo bridge I turned left and followed a trail for about 100 feet. Next, I found the trail branch leading UP and to the right. I continued up the steep jungle trail for 0.3 to 0.4 more miles. Then, I reached the clearing and saw a bamboo bench. I stopped here for a 10 minute water break which I needed badly because the humidity was incredibly high.
I continued on from here and noticed that the trail opened up more and there were less trees and more grass. I saw some grazing cattle and then after getting higher up saw some goats and horses. Most of the goats roam free, but the cows and horses have a leash and can only travel so far. Along the trail there were some vendors selling water/drinks at various spots along with some farmers/ranchers. Soon, the peak came into view. In some places, I didn't see a trail, only grass, so I just kept walking UP. After a while I passed an agricultural plot on my left and as then up ahead saw a treed area with some primitive bamboo structures.
A trail led toward a small store where they sell water, Gatorade and snacks. The guy operating the store had a few roosters, a cat and a dog. It was hard to believe there was a store way up in this mountain but I suppose they make enough money to keep it operational. I met a hiking group of about 5-6 people who stopped at the store area to rest while they were coming down. They said they started at 5 am and did 3 summits of a total of 3 peaks (including Apayang and one other). It would have been much more comfortable had I started at 5 or 6 am, and I would have included the 3 peaks in my hike but there was no time today. I continued past the store and the trail continued up toward the summit. From here, the trail wrapped around the mountain and there was some more needed tree cover. I also saw some bamboo growing in this area. Looking at the topo map, I believe there were 2 possible ways to summit. When I did this hike in 2017, we had a guide and ended up taking the shorter steeper route. This time, I took the more gradual route which was slightly more scenic. When I got close to the top, I saw a lot of grass and noticed that there wasn't much shade at the summit.
On the summit, there was a sign marking the peak and elevation, a memorial, and a small shelter with a bamboo bench. Because of the insane humidity, I stopped for 30 minutes and drank almost everything I had - four seasons juice, pocari sweat (like gatorade), and a few smaller bottles of water. I also ate 4 kiat kiat, which are like mandarin oranges or "California cuties". I took my photos and left the summit around 1:30 pm. Not long after leaving the summit, it was great to get back into the jungle where I could get a little more shade. Not far from the summit, I found the "shy plant" which would fold up after being touched. I remember this plant from before when I was on this mountain. There's another plant which looks very similar which does not have this behavior. I captured some nice videos of how the shy plant reacts.
When I got back down to the store, I stopped and bought a small cold Gatorade for 60 pesos which is slightly over $1 USD and guzzled it. Then, I continued down the same way I came, stopping to take photos of some of the animals and views. After about 2:30 or 3 pm, it felt a lot cooler. I felt a sprinkle of rain after getting back to the road across the bamboo bridge. Then, the rain came just before I got to the registry area. I would have preferred to have a light rain while I was on the mountain but that could have made things a bit slippery. There were only a few muddy spots about 20-30 minutes after crossing the bamboo bridge on the way UP. Higher up the trail, it was mostly dry.
In summary, this was one of my favorite hikes in the Philippines and I would do it again someday. If you are new to hiking in the Philippines, also try Mt Batulao, Taal Volcano (if safe as there was an eruption in 2020), and Mt Maculot. On this trip, I also wanted to hike Mt Pico de Loro, but was not able because they required a reservation and there simply wasn't an available date - quite frustrating!! |
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Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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Route Editor
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