Trekking Mt. Batulao

Province of Batangas

23, 24 July 2011

We left Manila at about 9:45PM on-board the car of Bianca. We were only 4, our trail guide included. I'm not so keen on the direction so I did not really mind which road we took going to the jump-off point.

We reached the jump-off point - Evercrest Golf Course at around 11:20PM. We started trekking at 11:30PM. It was my first time for a night trek. It did not rain for the last two weeks so the trail going up is quite dry. The sky is filed with stars and we can see clearly the moon. Without the sun, we were spared from being easily dehydrated. This made the trekking less tiring for me.

Clear Sky

We reached Peak 8 at around 1:12AM and set our tent. Mt. Batulao has an elevation of 811 MASL. We started trekking up to Peak 10 at 9:00AM via the new trail. We passed by the "Camel Back" rock and took some photos.

Camp Site

Mt. Batulao looks different from usual Philippine mountains because it resembles the European Alps though a much smaller version. This is due to its tree-less peak covered with cogon grass making it look more like a snow-capped mountain.

The view from the summit was so nice. The view of the Taal Lake, the Batangas province, the South China Sea and the surrounding mountains like Talamitam and Pico de Loro definitely fulfilled our visual senses. Atop the summit, an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is firmly erected. After taking photos and enjoyed the magnificent landscape view, we started our descent back to Peak 8.

Sunset

Back at Peak 8, the forming rain clouds covered the summit and the other peaks and then it rained. The rain was so heavy accompanied by strong wind that lasted for more than an hour.

Sunrise and sunset were another amazing view atop Peak 8. We descended Mt. Batulao on the following day. Along the trail, we had a refreshing "buko" juice at a bahay kubo. We were all back at the jump-off point past 11:00AM.

Going back to Manila, Bianca decided to treat us a lunch with "Bulalo and Bangus" both of which are simply delicious. More photos: Batulao #1 Batulao #2.

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