Mt. Manabu: Travel Guide and Itinerary

Mt. Manabu: Travel Guide and Itinerary

The Cross at the Mt. Manabu Summit

Mt. Manabu is one of the most popular hiking destinations for beginners and experienced climbers alike due to its close proximity to Metro Manila and its relative ease. But do not commit the mistake of missing this mountain whether you're a seasoned climber or not. It has a lot to offer - from a magnificent view of Batangas, forest walk, and of course free civet coffee!

Quickfacts

Height? 760 MASL according to Pinoymountaineer.com

Trail Difficulty? 2/9

Jump-off? Sulok, Brgy. Sta. Cruz
Roped Segment? Yes

Guide? Not required but available at the Brgy. Hall

Beginner friendly? 100% YES!

Manabu is the short term for "MAtaas NA BUndok".

The Team

Pearliloo and Ianpot, the restless soles of Mt. Manabu

There are only two of us in the team. The climb date was March 10, 2018.

How to get to Mt. Manabu

1. Ride a bus going to Lipa. Alight either on SM Lipa or Festival Mall junction. 

2. Ride a trike going to Sulok, Brgy. Sta Cruz. Fare is around 60 - 100 pesos one way. 

3. Halfway thru the trike ride, you will have to alight to the barangay hall and register.

4. Registration fee is 20 pesos per pax. Barangay officials will ask you to save their cellphone number in case of emergency. 

5.  Guide services are available for 500 pesos day hike but not required. 

Tale of the Trail

Initial part of the trail

From the barangay hall, the actual jump-off point is still a 10-minute ride away. The main landmark that you are already in the jump-off point is a sari-sari store and a gated parking lot. 

Do not go inside the gated property but rather turn right to the dirt road. There is a water tank there that serves as the First Station. There are eight stations along the trail of Mt. Manabu all together. 

The Map of Mt. Manabu

The trail is shaded by trees all through out, so getting sunburned is out of the question. From stations 1 to 4, the trail features gentle slope and some brook crossing. But during our climb, the sky decided to gave us a downpour which made the hike a bit more difficult than expected. 

The trail is rocky so we have to watch our step so we don't slip on the wet stones. 

One of the streams you have to cross while climbing Mt. Manabu

There are other groups when we started but when the rain turned into a downpour, a lot of them decided not to continue on since they were not able to waterproof their belongings. Pearly had her poncho with her while I used garbage bag as an expedient raincoat (improvise, adapt and overcome!).

Station 2 

We are making good time so we reached Station 2 in under 15 minutes. We stayed there for a few minutes and waited for the rain to peter out but with not much luck. We soldiered on to the next station while I pray that my garbage bag/raincoat holds until the end of our climb. 

Tatay Tino's Residence

Half-way to the summit, you will pass by the residence of Tatay Tino, the brother of Tatay Pirye, the "Man of Mt. Manabu". Here, you can have your share of unlimited civet coffee that for me, beats the pricey cup of Starbucks and other coño coffee shops in the city. 

We really enjoyed our pit stop at Tatay Tino's residence not only because of the free coffee but also because of the warm welcome we experienced from them. 

Tatay Tino: The Man of Mt. Manabu

We bought a couple of small jars of civet coffee as pasalubong before we left Tatay Tino's. Aside from the coffee, you can also try their home made lumpiang gulay  or vegetable springroll made of sayote. 

Naughty naughty!

Civet Coffee for Sale!

From Tatay Tino's, the trail diverge into two trails. The left trail leads to the grotto, while the right trail is the traditional trail. You can use both trail to complete the rosary trail of Mt. Manabu, ascending from either of the two then descending on the other. 

But for our case, we are not able to do so since the grotto trail was closed-off due to the bad weather. According to some locals, the grotto trail is steeper than the traditional so more perilous especially in bad weather.

From Station 4 to the small cross, is a whole lot steeper so prepare yourself. But don't worry since fixed ropes are in place to help you on your ascent and descent.

One of the roped segments in Mt. Manabu

It took us 30 minutes to jump this hurdle before we arrive on a small clearing where you can see the small cross. The sun finally peaks shortly after we arrived on the clearing.

Mt. Susong Dalaga as seen from the clearing of Mt. Manabu

From this vantage point, you have a clear view of the Malarayat Mountain Range. We decided to have a breather and just enjoy the view of Batangas and the cold weather that day.

The Small Cross

From the clearing, the actual summit is just about 5 - 10 minutes away so we decided to continue on to avoid the glaring noon sun.

The Cross at the Summit

The summit is marked by a large cross and a small altar made of stone. The view here is magnificent. From below, you can see the towns and cities of Batangas and the other nearby mountains like Susong Dalaga and Maculot in Cuenca. 

Admiring the scene from the Summit of Mt. Manabu

We loafed around the summit for about 30 minutes before we decided to descend since the sky darkened once more. We back-trailed since the trail leading to the grotto was closed-off due to heavy rains. 

The descent was painfully difficult because of the mud and slippery rocks. Mud caked our boots, making each step laborious and a bit dangerous but fun nonetheless!

We made light of the situation by making fun and taking unguarded pictures of each other on the way down. 

The slippery descent; laughing despite the difficult trail

Despite the difficulty, we were able to finish the descent in just over an hour. We passed by Tatay Tino's residence again which we bade our farewell. We finally reached the jump-off point a few minutes past 1 PM. 

There are facilities present where you can wash up and have a lunch. Use of shower and bathroom are 25 pesos per head. After washing up, we ordered adobo with rice for only 50 pesos per serving. 

Mt. Maculot in the distance, as seen from the summit of Mt. Manabu

We may have endured the cold rain and the slippery trail but it was not enough to dampen our experience of this beautiful mountain. We were happy when we started this climb, but we descended much, much happier. 

But even how happy an experience is, it all have to end. 

So we rode a trike back to the city, and bade our farewell to yet another beautiful mountain that will have a special place in our hearts. 

Things to Remember 

1. Again, Practice LNT.  I will never get tired of reminding everyone about this. Before your climb, familiarize yourself first about the Leave No Trace Principle. Let's preserve the beauty and the identity of the mountain. 
2. Respect the religious icons you'll find in the mountains. It is disrespectful to hang on the arms of the cross at the summit, or have a rather wacky pose in front of it. It's not worth the few Facebook or Instagram likes peeps. 
3. Never underestimate a mountain. Online resources state that Mt. Manabu has a difficulty level of 2/9. However, if you are not prepared physically and mentally, then all mountains are 9/9. 

So here we are at the end of our post. I hope this post can help you in planning your next getaway. We are happy to be part of your travels and adventure. Aja!

Thank you from the Restless Soles!