If you're lookin for a extraordinary date that is near Manila, then Mt. Talamitam is for you. Just a 2-hr drive from Manila, you can see in real life the Teletubby Land or Heidi Land (for batang 90s) and enjoy a scenic 360 degree view of Nasugbu, Batangas and other nearby municipalities.
Fast Facts
Height of Mt. Talamitam? 630+ MASL according to Pinoymountaineer.com.
Trail description? First Part - forest Second Part - Plateau, Grazing land / Pasture Third Part - Steep Ascent (some parts is almost 60 degree-angle assault)
Jump off ? Brgy. Bayabasan
Landmark? Bayabasan Elementary School
River Crossing? YES
Guide? Available at the jump-off
Beginner Friendly? Definitely
Getting There
Ride a bus going to Nasugbu, Batangas
Alight to the Brgy. Bayabasan. Registration is very easy to spot as it is just on the side of the road
The Climb
From the registration, you will have to walk about a half kilometer or so of cemented road to reach the actual trail leading to the mountain.
Before reaching the initial trail, you will have to cross the Layong Bilog river.
There are two ways to cross the river. One, using the bamboo bridge, and the other is to go down the riverside and cross the shallow water.
The bamboo bridge is somewhat rickety so watch your step. According to our guide, there used to be a metal bridge in that spot before but it was destroyed during a storm.
Crossing the river bridge will take you to the forested trail of the climb.
The forested trail offers both advantages and challenges.
First, you will be shaded at all times so no worries on having sunburn. However, being in the forest means humidity. It will be a hot and sweaty stretch until you reach the grassland. Second, you have to look out for protruding roots that may trip you. More of a nuisance than actual danger, you can use this to your advantage by grappling on these roots as there are some steep parts in this trail.
The forested trail may take an hour to complete. This will be followed by the grassland which is definitely more scenic and refreshing than the previous trail. At the end of the forested trail, there will be vendors who sell buko juice. Please do not leave your trash if you buy anything, especially plastic. The locals may allow you to leave your trash around the store but it'll be difficult for them to carry all the trash with them on the way down.
The grassland is one of our favorite parts of the climb. It offers very scenic view of Mt. Batulao and Nasugbu, Batangas.
The view and wind will be enough to cool you off and erase your exhaustion. You can raise your hand and pretend to be Maria of The Sound of Music (Doe! A deer! A Female Deer!).
Another advantage is that getting lost on the way up is almost nil. From the grassland, you can see all the trails leading to the summit.
As always, grassland trail has its advantages and challenges (opportunity cost!).
Sure its windy, but the sun will mercilessly bear down on you so be prepared with your sunscreen. It is advisable to hike this part early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Some people are just terrified of cows. It may seem silly to be afraid of those future burgers or caldereta (JK!). But such fear has its merits. According to our guide, DO NOT approach the cows, especially the bulls (male cow) because they tend to charge if disturbed. Since the grassland trail cuts through pasture lands, expect that there will be cows (or bulls) around every bend. Moooooo! (Ghostly mooing).
It usually takes about thirty minutes to an hour to reach the final summit assault, depending on your pace. The last assault is quite steep with some parts of the trail having a 60-degree angle.
There are three trails, all leading to the summit with varying degrees of difficulty, length and characteristics.
The orange trail is what the locals coined as the "Tuwid na Daan" trail because it offers the most straightforward path to the summit. In taking this trail, you can cut back about 20 minutes worth of hiking to the summit. However, it is steeper, some parts with almost 70-degree angle.
The red trail of course is the "Baluktot na Daan" as opposed with the orange one. It is relatively easier than the Tuwid na Daan, but it is more circuitous. Thus it will take you longer to reach the summit. There are also some large rocks along the trail which you can climb for an "instagrammable" shot.
The blue trail shares some of its part with the trail going to Mt. Apayang. Of the three trails, this is the easiest, but also with the less exciting view because it is covered by trees. the two other trails are open and grassy.
Personally, I prefer climbing up using either red or orange trail, and take the blue trail on the way down to make it a mini-traverse.
The summit has breath taking views that photos cannot give proper justice.
Visible from the summit are the following peaks; Mt. Marami, Pico de Loro, Mt. Maculot and of course Mt. Batulao.
There is almost no shade at the summit. Fortunately, the locals constructed a small hut where climbers can sit and rest for a while before negotiating the descent.
You can spend an hour or until you have your fill of the view and photo. Just make sure to keep track of time because believe me, you don't want to spend 12 noon at the summit of Mt. Talamitam.
Going down is easier and requires less energy. But according to my experience, most of the trips, falls and untoward events usually occur on the way down. Maybe because of more strain on the knees, or just wrong mindset, I can't really tell.
On the way down, you can choose any of the three trails. You just have to backtrack to where you come from.
However, there is a fork in the grassland trail which confuses many climbers.
The trail leading to the right is more established because vehicles and horses use it for delivery but do not take it. YOU MUST TURN LEFT. or you will end up in Brgy. Aga. It is advisable to exit from where you enter because people from registration area will start looking for you after few hours, thinking something happened to you. Wag na Makulet okay?
Going down usually takes only 1.5 hours to 2 hours, all depending to your pace. If you still have the energy and time, try swimming in Layong Bilog which is also in the same barangay. Check out my other page about Layong Bilog.
There are facilities at the registration area where you can wash up and eat lunch. As a taghirap climber, we always have our packed lunch. Another advantage of Mt. Talamitam to other mountain is that its registration is just along the main highway. After eating and resting, just cross the road and wait for a bus. And that's it! You're on your way home na!
See you again next time! Check out our other pages for more moundates.
Before reaching the initial trail, you will have to cross the Layong Bilog river.
There are two ways to cross the river. One, using the bamboo bridge, and the other is to go down the riverside and cross the shallow water.
 |
| Rickety bamboo bridge (testament of government efficiency) |
The bamboo bridge is somewhat rickety so watch your step. According to our guide, there used to be a metal bridge in that spot before but it was destroyed during a storm.
Crossing the river bridge will take you to the forested trail of the climb.
The forested trail offers both advantages and challenges.
First, you will be shaded at all times so no worries on having sunburn. However, being in the forest means humidity. It will be a hot and sweaty stretch until you reach the grassland. Second, you have to look out for protruding roots that may trip you. More of a nuisance than actual danger, you can use this to your advantage by grappling on these roots as there are some steep parts in this trail.
The forested trail may take an hour to complete. This will be followed by the grassland which is definitely more scenic and refreshing than the previous trail. At the end of the forested trail, there will be vendors who sell buko juice. Please do not leave your trash if you buy anything, especially plastic. The locals may allow you to leave your trash around the store but it'll be difficult for them to carry all the trash with them on the way down.
 |
| Grassland. Arrow shows the end of the forested trail. Batulao in the background |
The grassland is one of our favorite parts of the climb. It offers very scenic view of Mt. Batulao and Nasugbu, Batangas.
The view and wind will be enough to cool you off and erase your exhaustion. You can raise your hand and pretend to be Maria of The Sound of Music (Doe! A deer! A Female Deer!).
  |
| Grassland with Talamitam & Apayang at the background |
Another advantage is that getting lost on the way up is almost nil. From the grassland, you can see all the trails leading to the summit.
As always, grassland trail has its advantages and challenges (opportunity cost!).
Sure its windy, but the sun will mercilessly bear down on you so be prepared with your sunscreen. It is advisable to hike this part early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Some people are just terrified of cows. It may seem silly to be afraid of those future burgers or caldereta (JK!). But such fear has its merits. According to our guide, DO NOT approach the cows, especially the bulls (male cow) because they tend to charge if disturbed. Since the grassland trail cuts through pasture lands, expect that there will be cows (or bulls) around every bend. Moooooo! (Ghostly mooing).
It usually takes about thirty minutes to an hour to reach the final summit assault, depending on your pace. The last assault is quite steep with some parts of the trail having a 60-degree angle.
There are three trails, all leading to the summit with varying degrees of difficulty, length and characteristics.
The orange trail is what the locals coined as the "Tuwid na Daan" trail because it offers the most straightforward path to the summit. In taking this trail, you can cut back about 20 minutes worth of hiking to the summit. However, it is steeper, some parts with almost 70-degree angle.
The red trail of course is the "Baluktot na Daan" as opposed with the orange one. It is relatively easier than the Tuwid na Daan, but it is more circuitous. Thus it will take you longer to reach the summit. There are also some large rocks along the trail which you can climb for an "instagrammable" shot.
The blue trail shares some of its part with the trail going to Mt. Apayang. Of the three trails, this is the easiest, but also with the less exciting view because it is covered by trees. the two other trails are open and grassy.
Personally, I prefer climbing up using either red or orange trail, and take the blue trail on the way down to make it a mini-traverse.
 |
| View from the summit |
 |
Yey! Sa Wakas! |
The summit has breath taking views that photos cannot give proper justice.
Visible from the summit are the following peaks; Mt. Marami, Pico de Loro, Mt. Maculot and of course Mt. Batulao.
There is almost no shade at the summit. Fortunately, the locals constructed a small hut where climbers can sit and rest for a while before negotiating the descent.
You can spend an hour or until you have your fill of the view and photo. Just make sure to keep track of time because believe me, you don't want to spend 12 noon at the summit of Mt. Talamitam.
On the way down, you can choose any of the three trails. You just have to backtrack to where you come from.
However, there is a fork in the grassland trail which confuses many climbers.
The trail leading to the right is more established because vehicles and horses use it for delivery but do not take it. YOU MUST TURN LEFT. or you will end up in Brgy. Aga. It is advisable to exit from where you enter because people from registration area will start looking for you after few hours, thinking something happened to you. Wag na Makulet okay?
Going down usually takes only 1.5 hours to 2 hours, all depending to your pace. If you still have the energy and time, try swimming in Layong Bilog which is also in the same barangay. Check out my other page about Layong Bilog.
There are facilities at the registration area where you can wash up and eat lunch. As a taghirap climber, we always have our packed lunch. Another advantage of Mt. Talamitam to other mountain is that its registration is just along the main highway. After eating and resting, just cross the road and wait for a bus. And that's it! You're on your way home na!
See you again next time! Check out our other pages for more moundates.
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