Mt. Balagbag Dayhike

Mt. Balagbag is located in Rodriguez, formerly Montalban, in the province of Rizal. This mountain is also part of the Sierra Madre range. It is 777 MASL which feature views of some part of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The mountain is also called helipad because at the peak of it is like helipad. Climbing this mountain is just one to two hours.

The background of the mountain

Before heading to the summit, drop by at the waterfalls and trek along the river - this is the additional features in climbing this mountain. The trail is not difficult; it was easy and wide. Mt. Balagbag is likewise a most loved of mountain bikers. 

Moreover, hikers who will trek on summer will find out that the difficulty on the trek is the sun exposure because the mountain is not covered with trees. So, the recommendation is to hike early in the morning or late in the afternoon. 

At the highest point of the Mt. Balagbag are the scenes stunning mountains of the Rizal province and the gigantic lands.

The Trail

The trail is easy, which is good for beginners. It is wide and open. Going to the summit is quite hard especially if the sun is already up because it dehydrates you. Better climb the mountain at early in the morning or in the late afternoon. There are also rocks along the trek and it became slippery during rainy seasons.

worth the hike

But, after struggling along the trail you can see the beautiful scene at the top of this mountain. There are store nearby basketball court, you can buy food and drinks before heading to the trail. 

Getting There

If you take a public transportation, from Cubao, take a bus going to Tungko then, ride a jeepney to Licao-Licao. You can pass by at Sitio Karahume for the waterfalls and river trek. Then, go straight to Sitio Balagbag.

I was invited by my friend who loves to climb a mountain. Actually, that was an unexpected hike during the weekend.  In fact, the hike started late in the morning. We meet at Jollibee (Tungko) and from the terminal; we rode a jeepney bound to Licao Licao. Then, we started our trek at around ten o’clock in the morning.  

Sierra Madre range

Day Hike Itinerary

8:00 AM – Meet up at Jollibee Tungko

9:00 AM – Take a jeepney going to Licao Licao

10:00 AM – River trek and water falls

11:00 AM - Start trekking going to summit

12:30 PM – SUMMIT of Mt. Balagbag

2:00 PM – Descending from the summit

3:00 PM – Afternoon snacks

3:30 PM – Back to downward

4:30 PM – Jump-off, back to Quezon City

More photos here...

And this is my 12th conquered mountain! Hooray!

Happy climbing,
Marco

Reaching the Peak of Mt. Sembrano (745+)

Mt. Sembrano is 745 MASL and the trail is a bit challenging because there will be a rough road that leads to a rocky path. You might encounter locals that would offer to get  a fresh coconut juice for only 10 pesos. There are many Mango trees at the beginning of the trail. At the summit, the view is scenic, the view of Laguna Lake, Talim Island, Mt. Makiling are also seen while you are in the summit. 

Hiking, yes, is a challenge to yourself but  it is also a fulfillment to your life because  when you get into the peak of the mountain. It will make you say, SUCCESS! I DID IT! One of my hobby is mountaineering. I climb together
with my co-mountaineers yet I never tried major hiking but hoping that this year we will be having our major hike, crossed-fingers.

The last mountains we climbed was Mt. Talamitam and Mt. Batulao, on December 2012. We did a twin hike as we say goodbye 2012 and I climbed six mountain already for that year, not enough! After three months, finally, my first hike for this year happened and this is my official seventh mountaineering. 

On March 31, 2013 my group headed to the town of Rizal to conquer Mt. Sembrano. Of course, I am with my mountaineer friends Jeff and Ian. We also welcomed Art and Shan, and the three girls in our group; Kristel, Jane and Vienne.

The meeting place was at Starmall – Mandaluyong City, we supposed to met up at exactly five in the morning but the others are not on time. So, we left at six thirty in the morning bound to Tanay Market. It was two hours ride going to Tanay, Rizal. I have time to take a nap because I only have three hours of sleep that day. Arrived at Tanay Market around eight thirty in the morning, we immediately rode a jeep bound to Pililia, Rizal. We dropped off at Brgy. Hall of Malaya, Pililia, Rizal and registered our name and pay for 20 pesos for the registration fee.

South Peak, SUMMIT

We start trekking around ten in the morning and its already late. Our estimated time to start the trek was eight in the morning but since our trip is a bit long drive we just have to be patient and just enjoy while in the ride. We arrived at the campsite around ten-thirty in the morning. We rested in the campsite and a local young boy offered us a fresh coconut juice. Then, we begun to wander again going up to the North Peak or the so-called Low Peak – is the first high point. Thirty minutes away from North Peak, is the South Peak or the so-called Summit. 

Laguna Lake, from the summit of Mt. Sembrano

ITINERARY

6:00AM - Assembly, Starmall - Crossing

6:30AM – Take a jeep/van going to Tanay, Rizal

8:30AM – ETA Tanay Market (take a jeep bound to Malaya, Pililia)

9:30AM – ETA Brgy. Malaya, Pililia, Rizal (jump-off)

10:00AM – start trek

10:30AM – ETA Campsite

11:30AM – ETA North Peak (Low Peak)

12:00NN – SUMMIT, lunch

12:30PM – Start descent

02:00PM – Campsite, rest

03:30PM – back to jump-off, clean-up, then take a jeep back to Tanay/Manila

07:30PM – ETA Manila

And that made my official 7th conquered mountain! Hooray!

Happy climbing,
Marco

Day Hike: Reaching the Highest Point of Mt. Tagapo (438 MASL)

My  friends and I are planning to climb a mountain nearby Metro Manila. But this past few weeks are so disappointing because the weather did not permit us to do so. Bad weather hits in the Metro that caused flood in some areas and some provinces close to Metro Manila. So, we have no choice but to cancelled the plan.

But it happened this week, we climbed to hit the highest point of Mt. Tagapo.