Trekking Mt. Manalmon

Province of Bulacan

24 to 25 March 2012

Bianca invited me to hike Mt. Manalmon in Bulacan. Since my calendar was still open, I said, we will join if she is joining. Pinsan Mountaineers - Borz and Ravi were the organizers of the climb.

Mt. Manalmon is located in the town of San Miguel, province of Bulacan. it is part of the Biak-na-Bato National Park and the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. At an elevation of 196 MASL, many mountaineers consider Mt. Manalmon as a "Hill" rather than a "Mountain" like Pulag or Apo for instance. 

Monkey Bridge

The mountain may not be as towering as Mt. Pulag or Mt. Apo, but it is a hidden paradise that awaits to be enjoyed and explored by outdoor adventurers and explorers like us. Highlights at Mt. Manalmon trek include: Swimming at Madlum River, Spelunking at Madlum Cave, Diving, River Rafting, Crossing the Monkey Bridge and many more.

On car pool, we left Manila at around 5:45AM and drove north to Bulacan. Past 8AM we stopped at a wet market in San Miguel Bulacan to buy things that we will be needing for the trek including groceries for our meals.

Bianca and I thought that it will be a day hike. It was too late for us to retreat as we were in San Miguel Bulacan already when Borz informed us that it will be an overnight adventure. Earlier, I was thinking why were they in full trekking gears.

Luckily, Borz brought one extra tent so Bianca and I were both happy.

Trail

We arrived at Sitio Madlum, Brgy. Sibul community past 9AM. We had our group registered and availed a guide. We rested for a while and prepared for Lunch. It was a feast for the eyes to see the majestic white rocks surrounding a nice greenish pool with clear waters.

Something that caught my attention was the monkey bridge made of metal wire cable tied on a rock on opposite banks of the river. I enjoyed watching adventurers crossed the river through the monkey bridge.

Madlum Cave

Just before lunch, there was a group of ATV enthusiasts who visited the place and had lunch. There were around 30 of them. We enjoyed posing on the ATVs and taking pictures.

Past 1PM, we started trekking Mt. Manalmon and passed through the Madlum Cave. From here we trekked down on massive rock formations then to an area that resembles a beach - with a river bank, sand and rocks.

Rockies

We were supposed to camp at the peak of Mt. Manalmon, but we decided to camp at the Madlum river bank instead so we can wash and take a bath. We reached the river at around 3PM and while we were pitching our tents, it started to rain. It was not a downpour but the rain was continuous.

Camp Site

After pitching our tents, we had socials and dinner at 7PM and it was still raining. The following day, Bianca and I woke up early. Everyone was still sleeping so we decided to scout the river.

We had breakfast past 7AM and then we trek to the summit of Mt. Manalmon. Few stayed at the camp site and waited for us. It took us 20 minutes to reach the summit and 15 minutes to go down the camp site.

Manalmon Summit

At 196 MASL, the view atop Mt. Manalmon is spectacular. Mt. Arayat can be seen very visible at the summit. The stretch of Madlum river is also spectacular. Opposite Mt. Manalmon is Mt. Gola.

We all headed back to the jump-off point at 10AM and just in time for lunch, we were at the jump-off point few minutes before 12PM. We left the place back to Manila past 1PM.

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Photo gallery

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