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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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!

Purgatory-Mangisi Traverse

Purgatory-Mangisi Traverse: Hiking Tips

Everything in Life is risky. So we might as well take a risk doing the things that make us feel alive. Life is not meant to be spent indoors where you are safe and tuck all the time but rather, living means taking chances, conquering fears and collecting experiences.

Background

Purgatory-Mangisi Traverse is a series of mountains namely Mt. Pack, Mt. Kokompol, Mt. Mangakew, Mt. Tangbaw, Mt. Bakian, and Mt. Purgatory. 

This hiking destination features primeval mossy and pine forest, mountain communities and even a sea of clouds making Purgatory - Mangisi Traverse a must try for any would-be mountaineers. 

Mt. Purgatory got its unique, but a bit notorious name from two American soldiers who used to man an observation post in one of its many peaks. The soldiers described that the mountain is too cold as if they really were in Purgatory. The remark stuck thus the name of the mountain. 

The Team

The climb was organized by Team iClimb, headed by one of the finest organizers I've met,  Sir Alfred Asan III. The climb date was June 2 - 3 2018.

Team iClimb headed by Sir Alfred Asan III

Fast Facts

Difficulty: 6/9, Major Climb
Elevation: 2329 MASL at the highest point
Trail Description: Mossy Forest, Mountain communities
Starting Point: Brgy. Japas, Bokod, Benguet
Ending Point: Brgy. Ekip, Bokod, Benguet
Guide/s: Required
Rope Segments: None

Tale of the Trail

The entire trail can be divided into three segments based from the characteristics of its surrounding. The initial part of the trail is through mountain communities, the second part cuts through a mossy forest and the third, from the last mountain to the exit point is through a pine forest. 

After a seven-hour ride from Manila, we had finally arrived at the JOP at Brgy. Japas in Bokod, Benguet. After stretching a bit, we started walking towards the registration area where we'd met the Local Tourism and DENR officers. The territory where Mt. Purgatory is situated is part of the Ancestral Domains of multiple ethnic groups of Cordillera and also a protected landscape by the DENR. Such as this, all would-be climbers of Purgatory-Mangisi are required to participate in an orientation seminar. 

The orientation seminar will last for about thirty minutes. Try to maximise your time in the registration area. Listen intently to familiarize yourself not only to the description of the trail but also to gain insights about the culture and way of life of the people.

Two guides were assigned for our group. 

Purgatory-Mangisi Traverse Map

First Segment

From the registration area, we went back to the road and had a short prayer of thanks and blessing before hitting the trail. 

The initial trail was through a forest and mountain communities. The trail was a gradual ascent with thick forest cover so you are protected from the punishing sun rays. It will take you about an hour or less, depending on your pace to reach the first of the many mountains in Purgatory Mangisi Traverse, Mt. Mangakew

Mt. Mangakew has a mountain community on top, so people still have access to electricity and running water. We took this chance to refill our water bottles and use their facilities since you'll be more or less cut-off from the usual comforts of home beyond this point. 

Mt. Mangagew, the first mountain of Purgatory-Mangisi Traverse

From Mt. Mangakew, it will take you another an hour or two to reach Mt. Pack. Going there is a bit more challenging since you will have to leave the forest cover on the first part. The trail from Mt. Mangakew to Mt. Pack will start off descending, so everyone knows that the next part will be an unforgiving ascend. 

The top of this mountain has lots of foliage so the view is not really on the actual summit but a few meters away from it. Just make sure to be careful in your wanderings since deep ravine may be concealed by the flora. At this point of our climb, we can feel the sudden drop in the temperature as the clouds slowly descended on us. 

Blogger at Mt. Pack

We stayed atop Mt. Pack for only 30 minutes before deciding to proceed to probably the most arduous part of our Purgatory-Mangisi Traverse, the mossy forest trail to Mt. Purgatory. 

Second Segment

The sky darkened, threatening to give us a shower. So from Mt. Pack, we decided to hit the trail again despite the fact that we were there for only few minutes. We were kinda wearied that the trail will be infinitely more difficult if the sky decided to let us have it while we're inside the mossy forest. 

The mossy forest trail looks like a landscape from a mystical stories in fairy tales. Feast your eyes on the wonderful flora inside the forest. The trail will take about 3 hours before you reach Mt. Purgatory. Changes in elevation inside the Mossy Forest is minimal. However, the challenge we'd encounter was the low lying branches and leaves that may scratch or entangle you as you navigate thru this almost-mystical place. At first, we are much engrossed with the primeval beauty of the mossy forest, but after hours of walking inside it, you'll want to get out of there fast.

The Mossy Forest

A Bit of Supernatural

Halfway thru our hike within the mossy forest, I was looking at the ground for a minute when someone shoved me and run ahead. I looked up and realized that one of our members ran ahead as if running away from something. When asked, she answered that while walking, she saw a small, dark figure watching her by the side of the trail. She was creeped the hell out so she ran ahead. 

It was a hell of a motivating factor as we quickened our pace upon hearing her story. 

Mt. Purgatory, yey!

After three and a half hours of walking inside the mossy forest, we finally reached Mt. Purgatory. There's a general sigh of relief as we are finally out of the labyrinth-like forest. 

We had a few minutes of rest and picture taking at Mt. Purgatory. We took an extended break to recuperate from the long walk.  I personally asked Mr. Alfred Asan if there will be more mossy forest ahead. When he answered no, I felt so relieved. Whew!

The team at Mt. Purgatory

From Mt. Purgatory, our next stop was Bakian Village followed by Tangbaw, where our homestay was located. The trail going to Bakian Village has a very different vibe to that of the previous trail. The ground is covered by pine needles, and from it, you can see more of the sceneries of Cordillera. 

Dips and assaults are in the minimum from here on forward so I personally enjoyed this part. It will take you about an hour and a half before you reach Bakian Village. We breezed through Bakian Village since the night was fast approaching and everyone was more eager to reach the homestay than have another sidetrip (including me).

Tangbaw is just a stones throw away from Bakian Village. It took us only 15 or so minutes before we reached the quaint village of Mt. Tangbaw. Sir Alfred quickly put in the work for our dinner. By nightfall, we finally got the chance to fill our stomach with something substantial, sinigang with rice. 

After dinner, we had a bit of socials before I dozed off to dreamland. 

Second Day

I was the first one (or so I thought) to woke up the next day. The temperature was refreshingly cold. I was quick to explore the village and its vicinity, walking up and down the slope near our homestay and just appreciating this piece of paradise. When I came back, everyone was up and preparing themselves for the last mountain in our itinerary, Mt. Kokompol. 

A handful of our members decided to stay in the homestay to rest since our itinerary changed a bit. Instead of doing the entire traverse, we will climb Mt. Kokompol then backtrack to homestay to pick up our things before proceeding to the exit point from Tangbaw . We did not proceed with the usual itinerary since a landslide made the trail from Mt. Kokompol to exit point more perilous. 

Sea of Clouds as seen from Tangbaw Viewpoint

From Tangbaw Campsite, it will take you 50 minutes to reach Mt. Kokompol. The trail is scenic with gradual ascents. Fifteen minutes before the summit, you will enter a forest where the trail increase in steepness. 

We were bit in a hurry since other groups are also aiming to summit Mt. Kokompol the same time as we. We were able to be the second team to reach the summit (yey for us!)

The view on Mt. Kokompol is just amazing. It is not an understatement to say that this place is where dream and reality meets. I was quite surprise to see a sea of clouds since there are only few literatures mentioning the sea of clouds in Purgatory-Mangisi. Watch as the sun slowly disperse the low clouds, showing the Cordillera mountain range with all its glory.

Sir Rommel at Kokompol Marker

Sir Al, with the sea of clouds as his background

After having our fill of awesomeness of the view, we went back to our homestay in a much quicker pace. After collecting our things and tidying up the place, we bid our farewell to our good host.

Third Segment

The descent from Tangbaw to Pethal is pretty straight forward. You'll have to walk for a few minutes through the community before you reach a wide trail leading down. Before taking the trail leading down, you can walk straight first to visit the Mt. Tangbaw Marker. It is just a 5 minute or so walk, then just backtrack.

This segment is probably the easiest in the entire climb. It will take you about 3 hours to reach the jeepney pick-up point and ascents are very minimal. The first hour will be composed of walking under the canopy of pine trees and wide trail as seen on the photo below. 

The trail leading down the mountain

After an hour, you'll see a sari-sari store where you can rest for a while. From this point, the trail will cut through mountain communities, meaning you'll have to walk on cemented trails which I very much believe to be brutal on your knees. This community walk will last for about an hour also.

The sari-sari store

Then yet another hour, you'll be pretty much be in the middle of nowhere again. There will be some ascents but do not worry since you are nearing the conclusion of your climb. I'm not very fond of bringing my own trekking pole, so when the trail started getting steeper, I created my own expedient staff made of a tree branch.

The Basura Man of Mt. Purgatory

The view on this part was simply spectacular. You can see the glorious Cordillera Mountains, as well as the seemingly endless rice terraces. There are some portions in this trail that the soil is loose so proceed with caution.

After three hours of walking, we finally reached the jeepney pickup point. We took lunch here while waiting for our ride to arrive. After an hour of waiting, the monster jeep finally arrived. 

The jeep will then take us to the Bokod Municipal Hall where our van going back to Manila is waiting. Some of us rode at the top load just for the kicks, this is a bit of a bumpy ride so remember to hold-on to your seats. You'll pass by tobacco plantations and more of the mountain communities on your ride back to Municipal Hall. 

The ride down to Bokod Municipal Hall

This ride will only take about 15 to 20 minutes. Use of  comfort rooms and shower rooms are available for only 20 pesos per head. Me and some of the boys used the shower rooms in one of the private schools near the Municipal Hall. After 48 hours, I can finally peel myself off of my sweaty clothes (hahaha!). It was damn refreshing. 

Team IClimb

It was tiring, punishing to the body and mind (my left knee hurts like hell during the entire descent) but it was worth it. What made it more worth it is the quality of people whom you climb with. Special thanks to iClimb Mountain and its organizer Sir Alfred Asan III. 

After our "certificate shot", we finally boarded the van. As the wheels of the van slowly pick up speed, and the mountains slowly fades away in the distance, a sublime feeling came over me. I just survived another mountain. A pang of sadness, as I know I'll be leaving another small portion of my heart to this place. 

Thank you Lord, Thank you for this gift of Life and Nature.

- Adrian Villaflor, 2018

Things to Consider

1. If there's one thing I'll never get tired of reminding people is to always practice Leave No Trail Principle. If you find yourself unwilling or incapable of following this sacred mantra, then mountaineering or any other nature activity is not for you. 

2. Prepare yourself. Personally, I found Purgatory-Mangisi a bit easier than the other mountains I had climb. Probably because of experience and so many other things. But always put into mind that anything is difficult for an unprepared person. 

3. Check the weather before climbing. It is imperative to always check the weather condition especially if you're going to a mountain in Cordillera. Heavy rains may result to landslides that may leave you stranded or worse. 

4. Be mindful of your actions and words, especially towards the indigenous people (IP). Remember that all the locals you'll be interacting with will be an IP.

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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!