Timbac-Tabayoc Hike: Travel Guide

Just when you thought you had enough of Cordillera, another majestic destination will catch your attention and suck you right back in.

If we talk about Mt. Pulag National Park, the obvious mountain that pops to everyone's mind is Mt. Pulag. Well, what if I tell you that there are other mountains within the conservation area that you can climb?

Let me introduce you to Mt. Timbac and Mt. Tabayoc.

The two mountains are usually eclipsed by the more popular Mt. Pulag, but do not commit the same mistakes of others who chose to pass up these two mountains.

Here is a complete Travel guide for your Timbac-Tabayoc climb.

Fast Facts

Mt. Timbac

Height? 2717 MASL according to Pinoymountaineer.com, 3rd highest in island of Luzon, 9th in the entire Philippines

Trail Difficulty? 2/9

Jump-off? KM 55, Atok, Benguet

Roped Segment? None

Guide? None

Mt. Tabayoc

Height? 2842 MASL according to Pinoymountaineer.com, 2nd highest in island of Luzon, 7th in the entire Philippines
Trail Difficulty? 6/9, Major
Jump-off? Brgy. Ballay, Kabayan Benguet
Guide? Available and required

Beginner friendly? Beginners with decent physical condition

How to go there

Via Public Transportation

How to go to Mt. Timbac

1. First, go to Baguio. then from Baguio City, ride a taxi or a cab to Slaughterhouse Terminal.
2. Ride a bus going to Sagada. Tell the conductor to drop you off at KM 55 Marker
3. From the KM 55 Marker, you'll have walk along a concrete road for 30 - 40 minutes before you reach foot of the mountain.

From Mt. Timbac to Mt. Tabayoc

After descending Mt. Timbac, head directly to the main highway and wait for a bus heading to Kabayan. Upon riding the bus, tell the conductor to drop you off Ballay, Kabayan.

Important Note: Public transportation is not around the clock. The last van and bus leave the Slaughterhouse Terminal before lunch. It'll be much more practical to charter a van or join a group of other like-minded individuals so you'll save more money.

Tale of the Trail

The climbed happened last January 26-27, organized by Sir Mac Vallano of Be One with Kalikasan Travel Group. There are 25 participants, coming from different walks of life.

Ollie, Anne, Wheng, Ives, Camille, Kenji, Jeron, Lit Lit, Mitch, Xy, Alexis, The Blogger, Ry, Ian, Fritz, Ramlie, Sir Mac, Echo, Vic, Nellie, Yuri (the small girl), Jay-Ar, Nellie, Bhing, Jason,  and our local driver

The adventure starts at the butt-clenching roads of Cordillera. Brace yourself from the countless hairpin turns and precarious roads before even reaching your destination.

The sun was already rising when we finally reached Atok, Benguet. The scene on the road was just mesmerising but at the same time vertigo-inducing especially when you realized how fast you're going, on a twisting road without any concrete barriers. (Yikes!) But as the saying goes, the most beautiful views are always hidden away in difficult places.

The road just keeps going higher and higher and a bit more dangerous as the van tries to take us to the jump-off of Mt. Timbak. However, we were not very fortunate since the van we were riding stopped midway on a steep slope so we have no choice but to continue on foot.

Concrete road leading to Mt. Timbac JOP

Mt. Timbac trail

Upon reaching reaching the jump-off of Mt. Timbak, you'll notice a small community. Much of their livelihood are dependent to the produce growing on the land terraces carved out of the slopes of Mt. Timbak. Remember this detail when you're climbing since you'll pass by many plant lots on the way up, so make sure to avoid trampling on them.

The summit

From the JOP, the summit is just 15-minutes away, depending on your pace. The path is well established, so there's no chance of getting lost here.

When we finally reached the summit, it was just breathtaking!

The summit is marked with three small crosses and an altar. Here, you'll have a vantage point of the majestic rice terraces of Benguet (not to be confused with the one found in Ifugao Province).

 A short walk from the summit, you can reach another viewpoint facing east. Personally, I found this vantage point more spectacular than the actual summit.

Mt. Tabayoc on the left, Mt. Pulag on the right

From this side, you can see the distant Mt. Pulag and Mt. Tabayoc, both shrouded in thick morning fog. The sun rays were hot but the cold breeze touching our bodies kept us comfortable as we stayed and watch the beauty of Cordillera unfolded in front of our eyes. 

The sun was almost at its peak when we decided to descent. The trek down was so much easier. We made our way back to the van in less than fifteen minutes. 

From Mt. Timbac, the JOP of Mt. Tabayoc is still a long way off; about a 2-hour van ride. I grabbed this opportunity to sleep once more since I was not able to fully rest the night before.

You'll know that you are nearing your destination if you notice the road becoming steeper and steeper. And guess what? There are no protective barriers on either of the side of the road! Truly you can say that the adventure really do starts at the ride. Hahaha!

Anyway, the road eventually became flatter and a bit downhill. That's the time where you will see the Lake Tabeo and the campsite.

Campsite at Lake Tabeo

You'll alight exactly at the campsite. If only I knew sooner, I would have brought more items (mostly comfort things) than I did.

After pitching tents and establishing our camp, we finally brought out something that we had been all waiting for. The lechon! Kudos to Sir Mac Vallano and the Be One with Kalikasan Team, they have a habit of bringing lechon in their organized climb. Hahahaha!

Upon arrival, you have two choices: either you stay at the camp for rest, or explore the mystic lakes of Kabayan, Benguet. We were late so we no longer had the luxury of time to explore all of them. Half of us opted to visit Lake Ambulalacao while the rest stayed to prepare dinner.

Since we arrived at the campsite quite late, we decided to visit only one lake; Lake Ambulalacao. From the campsite, you'll have to ride a chartered monster jeep. Travel time is around 15 minutes where you can choose to ride atop of the jeep. The road was steep and curving so make sure to hold on tight.

Road leading to Lake Ambulalacao

Upon alighting the jeepney, you'll have to ascent an established path through a mossy forest. The trek is short, just under 15 minutes. After that you'll have to descent for another 5 minutes or so before reaching the shores of Lake Ambulalacao

Birdbox Feels

The weather had not been so kind to us. The lake was shrouded in mist, making it look like a scene from the film "Birdbox". Swimming in the lake is prohibited due to the fact that the soil surrounding and under it had a consistency of a quicksand making it dangerous for any swimmers.

We stayed on the lakeside for few more minutes before we head back to the camp.

A bountiful dinner follows and socials until 10PM.  Take note that there is a policy that all camp activities must cease by 10 PM.

Next Day: Mt. Tabayoc

Cold morning on Lake Tabeo

The cold wind with water was punishing, damping the entire camp the whole night until daybreak. The team was supposed to assault Mt. Tabayoc at 4 AM but the cold was too much and everyone decided to just hunker down in our tents and wait for the sun.

The biting cold was all round us, making the threat of hypothermia all the more menacing. Sir Mac Vallano made a few rounds in the camp, telling everyone to move otherwise they may get hypothermia.

We lied down inside our tent, waiting for the sunrise. The sun rose, with all its majesty, at around 6 AM.

Preparing to climb

We immediately prepared for the summit assault as most of us were eager to move to fight away the cold. Only half of the team were up to the challenge that morning. After securing our tents, strapping our backpacks, then off we go to the unknown.

The first few minutes of the climb cuts through vegetable gardens. It'll take you about 15 - 20 minutes before you reach the primeval mossy forest of Mt. Tabayoc.

After traversing the flatland, brace yourself for a continuous assault through thick mossy forest. Pair of gloves will be useful since you'll have to hold on to branches to maintain your balance. Flat areas will be almost non-existent.

The only flat areas I can think of are the view deck, about 1.5 hour from the start of the climb, and the summit.

The trail of Mt. Tabayoc was known to be the "monkey trail" since you'll have to hold and hang on to the branches while managing your way through.

Watch out for thorny vines. The last thing you'll want is a spiked hand, eh? An hour and a half later, the team finally reached the view deck.

The view was covered by thick clouds so we made an extended stop to wait for it. But when you finally see it, whew. It was worth it! You can see Lake Tabeo and the community below. We can even see our tents by the lakeside.

After the stop, we soldiered to the summit. The mossy forest just became thicker and a bit more technical. You'll have to bend your body and crawl your way up to some parts of the trail. There are also some parts where the angle of incline is about 80 degrees. Add to that the damp and the mud, and you have a complete recipe for a difficult climb.

After almost two hours, we finally reached the summit at around 10AM.

The summiteers

The summit by itself does not offer any view whatsoever. In order to see anything, you'll have to climb a man-made platform with a guide.

Unfortunately, the platform during our climb was destroyed by a storm, months before, and the locals find it difficult to repair it. The platform was in great disrepair, so only two people can climb; you and the guide to take your photo. many of the steps were unstable so I was not too keen in staying atop the structure for more than a minute (thus my blurry summit photo).

Pardon my blurry shot

Since you'll have to do it one by one, the summit photoshoot can be quite boring, so make sure to find something to pass your time.

Good thing for us, Sir Ramlie brought a stove and coffee, and poof! Coffee time at the summit, yeah!

Sir Ramlie, the coffee guardian: Photo credit to Camille

While waiting, half of the summiteers decided to descent (me included) while the other half stayed for their summit photo. Many of us were eager to reach the campsite fast.

The trail of Mt. Tabayoc, unlike other popular mountains, were not trodden down and with lots of forked paths. It is easy to miss the right turn so be attentive to signs of foot traffic like disturbed foliage or shoe prints.

We finally reached the campsite just a few minutes after 12 noon. Thank God for the people we left behind at the campsite. They prepared a sumptuous lunch which I think is one of the best meals I had in a climb.

The second group finally reunited with the main group at around 1:30 PM. We dilly dallied at the campsite until 4:30 PM before we started our journey back to Manila.

As the van slowly picking up speed, I looked back on the mountains, the lakes and the people living on its slope. Everything seems so peaceful and timeless. Now I know why the mountains call on to the human spirit to return to nature.

My thoughts were cut-off by the sound of the engine , and on we went, back to the bustles and hustles of city life.

Don't go where most people tell you to go. Instead go to unknown places and invite them to come with you

-Adrian C. Villaflor, February 2019

Things to Remember

1. Follow the LNT Principle. If you're not familiar with it, then do your research you big baby! No one should be allowed entry to any mountains if they don't know the LNT Principle.
2. Mt. Timbak is a minor climb but Mt. Tabayoc is a major one. Plan your climb accordingly.
3. The cold can be a major concern. If ever you feel you'll slip into hypothermia, its better to move and walk around instead of just hunkering inside your tent. Inform the people nearest to you in dire situation.
4. A pair of gloves is a must-have for this climb.
5. Arrive early in the campsite if you want to visit all the four mystic lakes of Kabayan, Benguet
6. You can bring a little bit more items for this climb since you'll not be carrying your backpack up the mountain. Campsite is just a walking distance from the parking lot.
7. Bring only what is necessary for the summit assault.

Gallery

National Museum of Natural History: How to go There and What to Expect

When we talk about about weekend getaway, the usual places that come to a weekend warrior's mind (including mine) are mountains, beaches, and out of the city staycation. But there is a new and awesome destination in the heart of Manila you can visit for free.

Let me introduce you to the National Museum of Natural History.

The Tree of Life

How to get there?

Well, this is probably the most basic destination you can visit. Just ride a bus, a UV Express, or a jeepney that will pass by Luneta. Alight at Luneta. From there, the white, and majestic pillars of the Museum can be clearly seen. 

How much is the entrance free? 

Zero. Entrance is FREE, free free free (Fading echo)

What to Expect inside the National Museum of Natural History

The Museum has six levels with each levels dedicated to one area of specialization.

Level 1 is the Introduction to the Museum. Audio-visual booths are located here as well as the base of the Famous Tree of Life. This is where the Lower Entrance Hall is located.

Level 2 features our Natural Inheritance like the taxidermied remains of Haribon and other endemic species of our country.

Level 3 is an awesome exhibit of the different wetlands in our country. Learn how important mangroves are and how bodies of water are interconnected with each other.

Level 4 will take you to the Highlands and Wetlands of the Philippines with large dioramas and exhibits. Know the difference between Mossy Forest and Montane Forest and show off your knowledge next time you climb a mountain. Also, look for the Country's Most Famous Wetlands, and maybe visit them yourself.

Level 5 will give you the opportunity to have a close look at the different minerals and precious metals found in our country. Learn where our energy comes from and how we generate them.

Level 6, as of the writing of this entry, is not yet complete. According to the directory, it will be the spot for a sun garden. Right now, an exhibit of Benham Rise is at place.

There are lots of neat stuff to find in this Museum. Here are some of the photos we snapped during our visit.

Temporary Exhibit of the Month: Dinosaurs!!! Rawwrrr!

A diorama of an entomologist camp during field study

Megalodon Jaws: The blogger for scale

My Spirit Animal

The taxidermy of Lolong: the largest crocodile caught alive

Lolong and the blogger

Things to Remember before Visiting the Museum

1. No large bags nor umbrellas are allowed inside the museum
2. Food and drinks are also not allowed
3. Keep your hands to yourself (hehehehe!) Strictly no touching of exhibits.
4. Be aware of lines on the floor. There are some exhibits that can only be appreciated from a certain distance
5. Avoid wacky poses. It's part of the museum policy, okay?
6. If you're going to choose a date of visit, might as well avoid weekends since the place will be packed

Beautiful places are not always in the distant lands. But you only have to open your eyes to see them. So I hope you get something from this entry. I'll see you peeps on the road!

-We often overlook what's in front of us.

Adrian Villaflor, January 2019

Mt. Humarap: A Complete Travel Guide

At the summit of Mt. Humarap

Mt. Humarap: A Complete Travel Guide

Located 115 kilomoters south of Manila, Paete, Laguna is mostly known as the Carving Capital of the Philippines and is always overlooked as a destination for climbers and nature trippers.

But little did we know that this quaint town has an awesome destination that will be liked by travellers and mountaineers alike.

Mt. Humarap, or Tatlong Krus for the locals, features a scenic bird's eye view of the town of Paete, Laguna de Baie and the foothills of Rizal Province.

Fast Facts

Difficulty: 2/9, Minor Climb
Elevation: 310 MASL at the highest point
Trail Description: Concrete stairs, mini-forest
Starting and exit Point: Brgy. Ilaya, Norte, Paete, Laguna
Guide/s: None, not required
Rope Segments: None

How to get There

1. From Alabang, ride a bus going to Sta. Cruz. Travel time is around 2.5 - 3 hrs. 

2. Alight at Sta. Cruz terminal. From there, ride a jeepney going to Paete, Laguna. Travel time is around 40 mins to 1 hour. Tell the jeepney driver to drop you off at Paete.

3. Ride a tricycle going to the jump-off point of Mt. Humarap. Specifically tell the driver that you are planning on hiking Mt. Humarap since trike can also go on the top of the mountain. 

4. You'll be dropped off by a narrow street. Walk through it until you hit the dirt road leading upwards. That is the start of the hike. If unsure, do not hesitate to ask the locals.

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Booking.com

Tale of the Trail

We were behind our self-imposed itinerary since the commute from Alabang to Sta. Cruz, Laguna had been slow. It was already past 11:00 am when we arrived at our destination. 

The climb will commence the moment you step off the trike. From there, you will walk through a narrow street for 5 to 10 minutes. Initially, it will not feel like you're going on a nature trip since the street looks like any other streets in the Metro. We were telling each other jokes like "Tama ba tong pinuntahan naten?" or "May bundok ba talaga dito?" 

Just continue walking until you notice the houses becoming more sparse by the minute. The exact start of the trail is not really pronounced but then you'll see a concrete stairs leading upward. 

The concrete stairs leading to the summit of Mt. Humarap

The concrete stairs are not particularly steep and have handrails for most part so falling down the sides is not really a problem. But you have to be careful from slipping since there are some sections that are covered by moss. 

Half-way through the summit, you will pass by a comfort room, with a small sign that says "Matabungka Falls". If you want to proceed to the summit, continue walking on the concrete stairs, but if you want to visit the falls first, then by all means follow the sign. Matabungka Falls is just 10 minutes away from the comfort room. For us, we chose to visit the falls after summiting the mountain.

At the junction, you will see this comfort room. If you follow the arrow, you will reach Matabungka Falls

The summit is less than 30 minutes away from this point. The stairs will even out just before the viewing point of Mt. Humarap. From this point, we were quite in a hurry since it was already noon time when we reached this point. 

Few minutes into the summit

It was already mid-day when we finally reached the summit of Mt. Humarap. The summit is an airy and grassy hilltop best suited for picnics and family gatherings. There are only few other visitors in the summit, mostly people who used the road to reach the summit since we did not share the trail with other climbers. 

Tatlomg Krus of Mt. Humarap

Certain facilities are available at the summit like comfort room, tables, and chairs since the location also caters for pilgrims during the Holy Week. Instead of renting a table and chairs, we decided to just use our picnic mat and just lie on the green grass under one of the many trees at the summit of Mt. Humarap. We ate lots of doughnut, as in lots of it during our stay here. 

The bloggers, Pearliloo and Iantot

The view of the top made the short hike all the more worth while. From the summit, you can see the entirety of the town of Paete and the largest lake in the Philippines, Laguna de Baie. One thing I noticed was that the shape of Paete looks like an eagle with its wings spread out. Rizal Province is the land mass beyond the lake.

Paete, Laguna de Baie and Mt. Sembrano at the background

If you look closely enough, you can make out the shape of Mt. Sembrano from the distance as well as the Pililia Windmills. It was like playing "I Spy", trying to locate all the familiar shapes and places in the distance. 

We relaxed and loitered for more than an hour in the summit before we head down once more to visit Matabungka Falls. From the summit, Matabungka Falls is just a 15-minute walk on the same trail. 

Matabungka Falls

During our visit, the cascade of the falls were kinda weak since there has been no rains in the last few days. But it is still refreshing. One thing we really like on this destination is that, since it is not very popular, we had the entire Matabungka Falls to ourselves! 

NOTE: This is not always the case. Mt. Humarap is a pilgrimage site so it tends to be very crowded during the Holy Week and other religious festivities. 

We only stayed for thirty minutes in the falls because the sun is already setting. The falls is covered by thick canopy of trees so the place darkens even before the sun actually sets. 

You can use the comfort room at the junction of the trail to change your clothing. However, during our visit, the toilet bowls were clogged so you can just use it as a changing room.

The descent had been a breeze, and were back in the town of Paete in less than thirty minutes. You can stroll in the quaint town of Paete, Laguna like we did. We saw a great deal of the culture of the town by visiting different stores and sculpting studio.

Support Filipino artists by purchasing local products! We bought small trinkets like ref magnets as a souvenir of our trip.

From the town center, ride a jeepney going back to Sta. Cruz. Tell the driver to drop you off at the bus station going back to Manila. Fare is around 25 PHP.

Mt .Humarap

It is not the altitude of the climb that matters, but rather your attitude towards the climb. It was an easy trek, but it was worth the effort. All goodbyes are temporary. We looked back and we know that we'll be back someday. Someday. 

- Adrian Villaflor, 2018

Things to Consider

1. As always, practice LNT. This is the first and foremost if ever you are going on a nature trip. 

2. No guides are required since this is an easy trek. However, never underestimate it. A climb is a climb, so practice proper climbing behaviour. 

3. If coming and going back from Manila, be reminded that you'll have to pass by Calamba, Laguna and Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Both have large volume of traffic so expect road congestion during peak times, 7am - 9am and 5pm - 8pm. 

4. We were not able to ask the caretaker if overnight camping is allowed on the summit. Maybe on your visit, you can ask around and let us know. 

Thank you for reading our story / travel guide. I hope you were able to get something out of it. Please like and subscribe to our facebook page. We would very much love to hear from you. Aja!

A Quiet Place: Sta. Lucia Falls

A Quiet Place: Sta. Lucia Falls

A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place? Why would I want that? Isn't that scary? No, of course. (Thanks to you Hollywood!) 

Spending a day of peace and quiet is such a rare thing. What's more difficult is finding a place where you can remain silent for a long time, not minding your emails, deadlines, bills and other stressors.

With the sudden spike of interest in travelling, it's almost impossible to find a single square inch of peace in supposedly "peaceful settings" like mountains, seashores or even a parks. 

Try to sit and meditate on the summit of mountains near Manila and you'll know what I'm talking about. I'll not be long into your meditation before some 'igers and FB travellers start invading your peace circle. 

Anyway, fret no more! 

We got your back on finding the best to finally unplug. Let me introduce you to Sta. Lucia Falls. 

The Team 

Team Palavern

Team Palavern namely, Memay, Dj Plywood, Denver the Dinosaur, Syrill Mariposa, JayCo and Pearlilooliloo and Ian (photographer). Travel date was July 8, 2018. 

How to get there

Sta. Lucia Falls is located in the town of Dolores in Quezon Province. It is about 80 kilometres south of Metro Manila.

1. Ride a bus going to Lucena, Quezon then alight at San Pablo Medical. If you're coming from Alabang, the fare is 98 pesos each.

2. From San Pablo Medical, ride a trike to the jeepney terminal plying to Dolores, Quezon. 10 pesos each. 

3. From Dolores Jeepney Terminal, ride a monster jeep going to Dolores, Quezon. Fare is 40 - 50 pesos each. Tell the driver to drop you off at Sta. Lucia trail head. 

The Trek

Upon getting off the jeepney, you will be greeted by a quaint talipapa. There, you will find stalls selling various amulets and even water jugs. Water jugs? It is said that the water from the falls has some miraculous healing properties. Locals and visitors alike fetch this miraculous water for different purposes. (Sorry no photos here!) Despite the stores, there are only few people present outside so we were not able to ask permission to snap some photos. 

From the talipapa, just continue walking straight until you see a cemented trail. This trail will cut through a community. This part of the trail last for about 10 - 15 minute walk. At the end of this path, you will find a stair leading down to the water below. 

Stair to Sta. Lucia Falls

The stair leading down is quite steep so be very careful. Compounded by moss, this descent from steep stair is a  recipe for a nasty tumble. 

Steep stairs to Sta. Lucia Falls

Sta. Lucia is a pilgrimage site first and a trekking destination second. Upon your descent, the first thing you will see is a grotto. Here, you can light a candle and offer a prayer for you and your team's safety. 

One of the many grottos in Sta. Lucia Falls

From the top of the stairs, you will take about 20 - 30-minutes before you reach the bottom. Halfway through, you can easily hear the flowing water below. 

There are many large boulders along the waters of Sta. Lucia Falls

This place has a very different vibe to it. Upon arriving on the falls, you will find the place almost devoid of human noises. The only thing you can hear is the flowing water, the rustling of leaves and the sound of wind. Going here will not give you an "outing" like experience but rather like going on a nature retreat.

We thought we had the entire place to ourselves until we stumble on several groups of pilgrims.

Religious statues and inscriptions are present along and above the flowing water. We opted not to snap any of it for two reasons. 1. There are people praying on them so we want to be respectful. 2. We just feel inappropriate to do so. This place is more of a sacred place first before a tourist spot.

Stone Cairn

This is, for me, one of the best place to meditate and reflect. The water was very cool, and refreshing. It was not very deep so instead of swimming, wading is more of a proper term on what you can do here. Aside from water wading, you can just sit on one of the many rocks and enjoy the view and the ambience. If you're the pious kind of person, Sta. Lucia Falls offers a sanctuary for prayers

Things to Remember

ONCE AGAIN, let me remind you of some things you have to consider if ever you want to visit Sta. Lucia Falls.

1. Practice Leave No Trail Principle. Despite the relative obscurity of Sta. Lucia Falls, it was not saved from the acts of vandals and litterers. Let's help in preserving the beauty of the location.
2. Be EXTRA silent. This is a sanctuary and a holy place.
3. There are no fees to enter the place. But this may change depending on season. E.i Holy Week. So check with the local officials for confirmation.
4. Check for weather forecast. Threats of slipping and possible flash flood can occur in times of heavy downpour.
5. Though named Sta. Lucia Falls, the actual cascade is not seen on the immediate vicinity. We were not able to find the source of the water but we reckon that the actual falls is just a few minutes upstream. Before doing so, please have a guide with you.

I hope you enjoyed our guide. Now, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags now and just go!

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Gallery

Team Palavern

Dj Plywood

Memay 

JCO

Sy Boss Manager

Pearlilooliloo

Denver The Last Dinosuar 

Iansky