Mt. Makiling
JourneySetting up a dayhike event is not easy because I usually organize weekends in the mountains to enjoy camping overnight. Since fellow hikers requested and out of curiosity as well I was able to schedule a hike right away.
Group Photo at the jump-off
We were able to come up with an interesting mix of people in the team most of them are new friends I met from my recent hike in Benguet. It was a nice first time experience to hike with Tatay Nick, a seasoned hiker, along with his son and grandson. And Jack - a kind and strong Indian friend who loves the Philippine mountains also tagged along.
All individuals met at Gil Puyat, which is the usual meet-up place for hikers going to Batangas and Cavite mountains. We rented a van for our trip to Sto. Thomas, Batangas in order to avoid delays and dilemma commuting.
Upon reaching the jump-off point, we prepared for our hike – said our prayers and had a brief orientation about LNT.
All individuals met at Gil Puyat, which is the usual meet-up place for hikers going to Batangas and Cavite mountains. We rented a van for our trip to Sto. Thomas, Batangas in order to avoid delays and dilemma commuting.
Upon reaching the jump-off point, we prepared for our hike – said our prayers and had a brief orientation about LNT.
Another group photo at one of the station of Sipit Trail
We started our hike scaling a few kilometers of open trail before entering the forested part of the mountain. Seeing the forest made me more curious about Makiling’s Sipit trail because of the rumors about the aggressiveness of limatiks in the area and the beauty of the forest.
The rich diversity of flora in the mountain extending up to UP Los Baños part is one of the main attractions in the mountains. Even in summer the whole place is full of greens indicating that the person around the area preserves and respect the mountain a lot.
The rich diversity of flora in the mountain extending up to UP Los Baños part is one of the main attractions in the mountains. Even in summer the whole place is full of greens indicating that the person around the area preserves and respect the mountain a lot.
An attractive plant that we saw along the trail
Although a lot of stories circulate about Mt.Makiling being enchanted and a home to supernatural entities, still I keep coming back because of the peace of mind and resilience it gives me whenever I visit. You will surely forget about limatik concerns and all other horror stories about Makiling once you reach its beautiful peak overlooking some provinces.
The trail has its own uniqueness and it is quite established. You can barely see some lipa in some parts of the trail and the trail is surrounded by native trees especially at the Sipit trail, try to be vigilant as you scale the trail.
The trail has its own uniqueness and it is quite established. You can barely see some lipa in some parts of the trail and the trail is surrounded by native trees especially at the Sipit trail, try to be vigilant as you scale the trail.
Makiling forest
The overlooking view
I enjoyed getting to know Sir Jack, an Indian who has a vast experience in scaling mountains almost everywhere in Asia. He went easy in tackling the trails of Makiling helping me sweep some of our newbie teammates all the way til the end.
From left: Jack, Me, Marisa, and Divine
We shared stories about our previous hiking events and future upcoming hikes while we scale the path to the one of the famous viewpoints - the Haring Bato. Some of our fellow hikers immediately became interested when I mentioned about my Mt. Pulag hike happening in just a week after that current hike. They began asking questions about that famous mountain which happened to be one of their dream climb.
Sir Jack was able to join that hike to Mt.Pulag the next week after our Makiling adventure. The ladies who were then beginners were able to join our Akiki-Ambaguio event few months and many training climbs after.
Sir Jack was able to join that hike to Mt.Pulag the next week after our Makiling adventure. The ladies who were then beginners were able to join our Akiki-Ambaguio event few months and many training climbs after.
Me and Jack at Makiling Summit
This was our hike at Mt. Pulag after our Mt. Makiling dayhike
Reaching Haring Bato gave us a bright view of the mountains, an overlooking view of the forest and the cities. It is the only area where you can have a possible view at the Sipit trail.
We were mesmerized by the beautiful view and were able to take many pictures. The greener trees that we saw that day gave us captivating scenery. It would be nice to stay there longer if we weren't press for time.
We had a stop at the mossy forest to have our lunch before tackling the rest of the trail. As the rain started to pour we continued our trek to summit to meet our fellow hikers ahead of us. We were able to regroup at the summit and take group pictures before our descent through UPLB trail.
We were mesmerized by the beautiful view and were able to take many pictures. The greener trees that we saw that day gave us captivating scenery. It would be nice to stay there longer if we weren't press for time.
We had a stop at the mossy forest to have our lunch before tackling the rest of the trail. As the rain started to pour we continued our trek to summit to meet our fellow hikers ahead of us. We were able to regroup at the summit and take group pictures before our descent through UPLB trail.
At the summit of Makiling along with fellow hikers
Scaling down the UPLB trail feels like you are in a different country because of the thick forest filled with variety of plants in the area. Those resounding beauties made us slow down our pace and enjoy nature along with each other's company.
We were able to see bodies of water, cities, lagoon, and forest surrounding the mountain. Since the trail is heavily covered with trees we were only able to see a little bit of the surroundings at some part of it.
We were able to see bodies of water, cities, lagoon, and forest surrounding the mountain. Since the trail is heavily covered with trees we were only able to see a little bit of the surroundings at some part of it.
Walking to the jump-off point
The abundance of green nature and our slow pace descent allowed us to take pictures documenting the beauty of the mountain. We allowed nature to serenade us and let go a bit of our time concerns to just enjoy the mountain.
After several minutes resting at Agila Base, we proceeded to the jump-off point and cleaned ourselves, and were able to go back to Manila tired yet refreshed by our experience.
Concerns
Contacts
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Danny (Guide) - 09070521573
Joemar (Guide) - 09983555080
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Guides
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UPLB trail (Backtrail) - Not required.
Sipit Trail to UPLB Trail – Required. 1 guides is to 5
hikers; P1, 000/ 5 pax
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Limatik
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Yes
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Sidetrip
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Mudspring
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Water source
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at Station 7
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Campsite
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At Malaboo Campsite
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Dayhikable
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Yes
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Budget
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P500 – P800 (Dayhike)
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0300am Mcdo Gil Puyat near JAC Bus Liner
0400am ETD to Brgy. San Felix, Sto. Tomas, Batangas
0530am ETA Brgy. San Felix, Sto. Tomas, Batangas
0615am ETA at Sitio Jordan; secure guide
0645am Start hike
1100nn ETA Haring Bato; lunch
1130pm Resume hike
1200pm ETA Station 18
0100pm ETA Summit
0130pm Descent via UPLB Trail
0300pm ETA Agila Base
0400pm ETA Park Entrance; Tidy-up
0430pm Post Climb
0630pm ETD to Manila
Related blog about Mt. Makiling
You can also visit my first account about our Makiling Overnight hike here - Mt. Makiling.
0400am ETD to Brgy. San Felix, Sto. Tomas, Batangas
0530am ETA Brgy. San Felix, Sto. Tomas, Batangas
0615am ETA at Sitio Jordan; secure guide
0645am Start hike
1100nn ETA Haring Bato; lunch
1130pm Resume hike
1200pm ETA Station 18
0100pm ETA Summit
0130pm Descent via UPLB Trail
0300pm ETA Agila Base
0400pm ETA Park Entrance; Tidy-up
0430pm Post Climb
0630pm ETD to Manila
Related blog about Mt. Makiling
You can also visit my first account about our Makiling Overnight hike here - Mt. Makiling.
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