11th Hike: Mount Balagbag

Hiking Leaf # 11: Labor-day hike at Mount Balagbag

I have been planning to climb Mount Balagbag for a long time because it is close to Metro Manila, making it easy for a Do-It-Yourself hike and not too pricey to climb here. According to the blogs I've read about Balagbag, a budget of 500 pesos is enough for this hike. Because of this, my cousin and I decided to climb this mountain.

I met my cousin Jonah in Tungko, and then we travelled to Licao-Licao via Jeep. The journey to Licao-Licao took almost an hour. There were already many hikers when we arrived at the place. There is a trike terminal going up to Brgy Outpost, but my cousin and I decided to just walk towards it.


Partially assault in the first part of the trail, dusty and rocky as well. After a few meters, the surroundings become forested because of the dense foliage and the few houses in the area. We walked for about 30 minutes until we reached another Brgy Outpost. Here, we needed to register and pay an Environmental Fee of 10 pesos. After a short rest, we started on the trail. It was Jonah's second time climbing Balagbag, so she became my guide, even though you don't really need one to climb Balagbag. The path was easy, well-marked, and purely uphill, making it a good training ground for beginners. There were many houses around, so you didn't feel alone on the trail.

After almost 30 minutes, we reached the gate registration (they said it was private property that we were passing through) and we paid 50 pesos, which was quite pricey, but they mentioned it was a holiday. After 15 minutes, we arrived at what they call the 7-eleven. Here, you can buy food, soft drinks because there's a store here. There were many people when we arrived, so we rested and took pictures here.



 After a while, we continued on the trail because according to my cousin, the summit was near. We encountered some bikers and trail runners along the trail. The trail was gentle, although it became rocky in this part and already an open trail. In less than 30 minutes, we reached the summit. There were only a few people at the summit, so we took some pictures. Balagbag offers a 360-degree panoramic view where you can see the Fairview area, Ortigas Area of Metro Manila, the Sierra Madre mountain range (Norzagaray Area) and Rodriguez, Rizal, as well as Mount Arayat.


Here we took our lunch while there were still few people around. We also passed by the three crosses, which are popular spots for taking pictures. The summit area is wide, accommodating the many groups planning to camp overnight. After an hour, my cousin and I decided to descend.

Indeed, Mount Balagbag is easy to climb, but you also get that adventurous feeling and the desire to live with nature. It's a great place to visit with friends, and if you decide to stay overnight without a tent, you can borrow one at Brgy Outpost. Balagbag offers excellent training grounds and a panoramic view that is truly worth it.


ACTUAL ITINERARY:

6:10 AM   ATD going to SM Fairview (from Fishermall)
7:00 AM   ATA SM Fairview, proceed to Tungko
7:20 AM   ATA Tungko, proceed to Licao-Licao
8:10 AM   ATA Licao Licao
8:40 AM   ATA Brgy Outpost, register 
9:05 AM   ATA Gate registration
9:20 AM   View Deck, junction
9:45 AM   Summit, lunch
10:45 AM  Start descent
12:30 PM  Licao Licao

Notes: There is a registration office upon arrival to Licao-Licao but we don't know it at that time.

Expenses:

Jeep (Tungko-LicaoLicao vice versa) - 30 pesos
Trike (LicaoLicao-Brgy Outpost) - Php 30/person
Environmental Fee - 10 pesos
Gate registration Fee - 50 pesos (Holiday rate)


Date of Hike:
May 1, 2018
11th hike

My 20th mountain
Mt. Balagbag (777+ masl)

Minor hike


DIY

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