Mt. Apayang

A view of Mt. Apayang  from the summit of Talamitam

Mataas na Pulo, Nasugbu, Batangas
700+ MASL (Approximate)
Specs: Minor Climb

How to get there
Ride a bus bound to Nasugbu, Batangas, tell the driver to drop you off at Sitio Pasong Kawayan, Brgy. Banilad or Km. 91. Once you’re in Tumalim, there’s a queue of tricycle in the street corner entering Sitio Pasong Kawayan, ride a tricycle going to Brgy. Hall of Mataas na Pulo which is the registration point. You can either walk or hire a tricycle from the registration point  heading to the trail-head. 

The origin of its name
The locals decided to name the mountain as Mt.  Apayang because of its historical attributes of the fog engulfing the whole summit of the mountain which was evident from afar some time ago. As of today, fog is only evident depending on weather conditions. It ring all over the top so once you’re in the summit and there’s a presence of fog, you’ll be able to have a vague view of your surroundings . Most of the locals are not familiar about the history of Mt. Apayang name origins, they  prefer the name such as Pinagbanderahan or Bakas Paa because of its historical background. 



“Bakas Paa” is a trace of a giant's foot located at the summit carved in a stone; the probable trace of the left foot is located at some part of Toong.

Background
Mt. Apayang, also known as “Matandang Gubat”, is a neighboring mountain of Talamitam with glorious historical background located in Batangas particulary at Brgy. Mataas na Pulo. It was opened for hiking on August 23, 2015.

The neighboring mountains: Apayang and Talamitam

Majority of the mountain's area is forested. The area from the summit extending to Talamitam seems bald since only tall grass grows in that part of the mountain.

It is thru the initiative of three outdoor enthusiasts, mountaineers and philantrophists namely Sir Elvis Pimentel, Sir Jassim Guila and Sir Isagani Botabara that lead to the creation of trail and opening of Mt. Apayang for hiking with the help of Sir Ronald Arce Jr., 2 locals from Mataas na Pulo, and Kuya Paul from Sitio Bayabasan. Their main purpose is to help the locals of Mataas na Pulo thru the guide and registration fees. They also thought that opening up Mt. Apayang can help monitor the condition of the mountain and somehow protect it. Any form of illegal activities such as mining and logging can easily be spotted since the mountain can regularly be visited by mountaineers.

From left to right: Sir Elvis, Sir Ja, and Sir Isagani

The trail is designed as pure ascend starting from the campsite to the summit when you start at its jump off point in Brgy. Mataas na Pulo. On the other hand, if hikers start from Talamitam' s jump off point traversing to Apayang, it will be a pure descend from the summit to the camp site. According to a local source, the difficulty of trail was designed to challenge hikers and give them a thrilling hike; “Ginawang mahirap ang trail para may thrill daw”.

The trail along the forested area

      

Trail along the creek near the campsite

If you want to volunteer for tree planting upon your hike along the vicinity of the mountain, you can contact and approach sir Isagani or the local officials in the Barangay Hall of Mataas na Pulo.

Starting from the trail-head up to the campsite, the trail is easy and plain passing through a several homestead, bamboo bridge,  plantation of sugarcane and mango, and a creek. 

 Registration Point (Brgy. Hall of Mataas na Pulo)

 Trail-head

Camping site is near the abandoned Mango plantation nearing the forested part of the mountain. There are also areas at the foot of the summit and at the summit itself which are possible campsites though overnight camping is not allowed yet.  The campsite is wide except for the summit itself. Campsite area can accommodate hundreds of hikers.

Campsite area where the opening ceremony was held

 

The trail of the forested area starting from the campsite to summit is narrow and pure assault which requires a rope or a tree or strong vines to hold on. During rainy days the trail is muddy and slippery so make sure to wear proper hiking shoes or sandals.

It will only take you 30 – 45 minutes long to reach the first known campsite, and 2 – 4 hours more reaching the summit of Apayang, depends on the pace. On the other hand starting from the summit of Talamitam, Apayang's  summit will be reach 20-30 minutes long, save yourself and be careful from the “talahib” and “cogon” on your ascend and descend.

The view of Mt. Apayang from the summit of Talamitam

The view of Mt. Talamitam from the summit of Mt. Apayang

Upon reaching the summit, you’ll notice a rock with set of dates and likely name of groups carved in it dated decades ago. The rock serves as an indication that you already reach the summit.

 Carve in the stone are dates and names, the visible one label as "08/26/58"

When attempting to do full traverse, make sure to inform the authorities assigned at the jump-off for them to relay the information to your exit area which is the jump-off of Mt. Talamitam or Mt. Apayang depending on where you start. It is mandatory for hikers to pay the registration fee in both sides from the start point to exit point. If you’ll do full traverse starting from Mt. Talamitam, you are required to exit at the jump-off point of Mt. Apayang, which is similar when you start from Mt. Apayang.

Descending is quite easy compared to the ascend, it is recommended to have your own trekking pole to ease you on your descend going back to jump-off. It will only take you 2-3 hours long to descend back to the starting point.

From the starting point in Brgy. Mataas na Pulo you need to rent a  tricycle to go back to Tumalim.

Km. 91

Buses bound to Manila and jeeps bound to Tagaytay are available from where the tricycle will drop you off since their TODA terminal is just along the highway.

Make sure to log off at the Brgy. Hall of Mataas na Pulo after the hike for monitoring purposes.
 

Concerns

Contacts	09058534352 (Kagawad Jovy of Mataas na Pulo) 09057849830/09304840925 (John Paul (Guide) of Mt. Talamitam for traverse from Talamitam to Apayang) 09065763787 - Sir Isagani Botabora (for tree planting purposes)
Guides	Required. No fixed rates but P300/day is suggested, P500 for full Traverse
Limatik	None
Sidetrip	Mt. Talamitam Layong Bato Mt. Batulao Susong Dalaga Kalabawan Ridge
Water source	At the campsite near the creek
Registration	- Logbook in Brgy. Hall of Mataas na Pulo P20/head will be paid (P10 - Brgy. Mataas na Pulo, P10 - Mataas na Pulo Elementary School)
Full Traverse	Yes. (Apayang – Talamitam/Talamitam – Apayang)
Rattan	Some
Signal	Omnipresent, very strong
River Crossing	Below the Campsite near the Manga Plantation
Dayhikable	Yes
Budget	P500 – P800 (Dayhike)

Pictures

Standing at the summit of Talamitam with an overlook of Mt. Apayang

Buddy Maan

Tag along was our guide - Kuya John Paul

The creek near the campsite

 A store in the trail-head

Sample Itineraries
Note: Overnight camping is not yet available and hikers are only allowed to day hike until 5 pm. If you intend to do overnight, you can camp at the summit of Talamitam. 

Dayhike

0430am – ETA at DLTB Station, Gil Puyat

0500am – ETD from DLTB to Tumalim, Nasugbu, Batangas 

0730am – Arrive at Tumalim, Nasugbu, Batangas

0730am – ETD to Brgy. Hall of Mataas na Pulo

0800am – Arrive at Mataas na Pulo Brgy. Hall, register

0815am – Start walk to trailhead

0830am – Start hike from trailhead to Campsite

0930am – Arrive at Campsite of Mt. Apayang, Start hike to Summit

1100am – Arrive at the Summit, rest

1200nn – Lunch, Picture and Photo Ops, Exploration

0300pm – Start descent

0500pm – Arrive at the trail-head

0530pm – At Brgy. Hall of Mataas na Pulo

0600pm – Arrive at Brgy. Tumalim

0615pm – ETD from Brgy. Tumalim back to Manila

0830pm – ETA in Manila

Traverse (Apayang to Talamitam)

Dayhike

0330am ETA at DLTB Bus Station, Gil Puyat

0400am ETD to Tumalim, Nasugbu, Batangas

0600am ETA at Tumalim, Nasugbu, Batangas

0630am Arrive at Brgy Hall of Mataas na Pulo, register, secure a guide

0645am Start walk to trailhead

0700am Arrive at trailhead, start hike to Campsite

0800am ETA at Campsite

1100am ETA at Apayang Summit, exploration, photo and video ops

1200nn Lunch

0100pm Start hike to Talamitam Summit

0130pm ETA at Talamitam Summit, exploration, photo and video ops

0230pm Start descent to the Talamitam jump-off point

0500pm ETA at Talamitam jump-off point, register and pay for registration fee, tidy up

0600pm ETD to Manila

0830pm Arrive in Manila

Traverse (Talamitam to Apayang)

Dayhike

0330am - ETA at DLTB Bus Station, Gil Puyat

0400am - ETD to Sitio Bayabasan, Nasugbu, Batangas

0600am - ETA at Sitio Bayabasan, Nasugbu, Batangas, Register and secure a guide

0630am - Start hike to Talamitam summit

0930am - ETA at Talamitam summit, Photo and video ops

1015am - Start hike to Apayang summit

1045am - Arrive at Apayang summit

1100am - Lunch, rest, photo and video ops

1200nn - Start descent

0300pm - ETA at Campsite

0430pm - ETA at trailhead

0445pm - ETA at Brgy Hall of Mataas na Pulo, Register and pay for registration fee, tidy up

0500pm - ETD to Tumalim along highway

0530pm - Arrive at Tumalim along highway

0600pm - ETD to Manila

0830pm - Arrive in Manila

Expenses (as of August 2015)

Pasay –Tumalim, Nasugbu, Batangas: 160 x 2 = 320 (Back and Forth)

Tumalim – Mataas na Pulo: P60/rent, commonly P20 pesos per head if it excess to the number of passenger allowed

Registration fee: P20/head

Guide fee: P300-400/dayhike, P500 if you’ll do traverse or overnight (similar to Talamitam)

Note: As per agreement by officials of both barangays handling the mountain of Talamitam and Apayang, when doing a full traverse, all hikers must pay for their registration fee upon entering and exiting the area.

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Photo Credit: Maan Villamor
Special thanks goes to Sir Elvis Pimentel and Sir Jassim Guila