Mt. Polis long trail | Overnight climb |Mountain province

On our way going to our destination, we saw stunning view of mountains and rice terraces. When we reached the town proper, we felt the cold mountain breeze that gave us a warm welcome. We had our late breakfast in one of the “karinderya” in the town.

Van is not allowed in the jump-off, we have to ride a passenger non-aircon van going to Brgy. Bila (jump-off via long trail). I stood with the group on the starting point, looking around and preparing for the long trek. If you started in Brgy. Bila, it will take you 4-5 hours to reach Mt. Polis campsite, while the other jump-off in Brgy. Bagnen is the short trail and it has concrete stairs and will only take you 30-45 mins to the summit.

On the picture above, our guide, kuya Paul advised that we have to cross the ridge he’s pointing in the picture. After several minutes of walking, the trail became more challenging. We stopped for a bit rest our legs and to catch our breath. When we reached the river, we crossed the old bridge made by the locals. The bridge was damage by the recent typhoon and still not fix completely, so we need to be extra careful in crossing it.

The view you will see along the trail will amaze you mare if you see it yourself. A must see place when travelling to Cordillera region. Mt. Polis borders the provinces of Ifugao and Mountain province. It rank as the third highest mountain in Ifugao. The area is well preserve full greenery and mountain views. A great place for outdoor DIY back packing to relax your mind.

The sun was setting when we were close to the campsite. It was starting to get dark and foggy, the trail is so grassy and we can barely saw our steps. On our last few steps to the campsite, kuya Paul (our guide) help us with our back packs as the last few step to campsite is steep and not all of us has head lights.

The temperature in the campsite dropped and we were shrouded by fog. When we reached the campsite, our friends already pitched their tents while our our organizer, sir Benzon was preparing our dinner. He cooked “papaitan” and “sinigang na baboy” perfect for tired bodies and cold climate. After dinner, we had our social, then lights off at 10pm.

On our second day, we climb the summit for sunrise viewing. It’s just few steps from the campsite. It was 6:30 in the morning when we climb to the summit, the fog was so thick and there was still no clearing. We did not lose hope and decided to wait until we see the view from the summit.

When we saw the clearing, We started to do picture taking and I did not waste time, got my drone to capture an aerial shot. The wind was strong above and its not easy fly a drone. If you want to see more aerial view of Mt. Polis, please visit my Youtube channel below.

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Wawa Dam and Karugo Falls day tour

Wawa dam is between Mt. Pamitinan and Mt. Binacayan. It used to be the only source of water for Manila until Angat Dam was built. Now, its an abandoned reservoir visit by tourist, mostly for picnic and hiking.

I have been to Wawa many times before when we climb Mt. Binacayan, Mt. Hapunang Banoi and explore Pamitinan Cave. Our destination was in Karugo falls near Wawa Dam and require to cross the Wawa river. There are UV express van in Cubao going to Rodriguez (formerly Montalban). Tell the driver to drop you off to Luvers, then ride a tricycle or jeepney going to Sitio Wawa registration area. The dam is 5 minutes walk from registration area.

After we crossed the wawa river, we walked through the Mahogany Campsite where the famous “hamok” festival was held. It was dry season, so when we reach the Karugo Falls, the water level is low.

One of the locals advised us to go up higher as there is a small falls nearby. We did not hire a tour guide, we just followed the trail to reach the small falls. When we reach the falls, we found a group of cyclist. The old man sitting on one of the cottage allowed us to use it so we started to prepare our lunch.

If you forgot to bring your own food or packed lunch, that’s fine as there are karinderya and sari-sari store in Wawa where you can buy your supplies. The stores sells fruits, vegetables, fish and meats for very affordable prices. My buddies had their camping stove and cookset so we’ve bought 1kg of rice, instant noodles and luncheon meat. We’ve used the water from the stream our “sinaing” and noodles.

There are many different outdoor activities you can do near Wawa. You can do caving, swimming, trekking, rock climbing, picnic and camping. I’ve uploaded our day tour in my Youtube channel with few aerial footage of Wawa river and Karugo falls. Please click the link below:

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Mt. Maynoba and Cayabu loop with waterfalls side trip | Overnight Climb

We met up in Jollibee farmers in Cubao QC. for breakfast. We took a jeepney going to Cogeo Gate 2 and we advised kuya driver to drop we off to Cogeo market. There is a jeepney near 7-11 going to Sampaloc, Tanay. You can tell the driver that you’re going to Mt. Maynoba and he will drop you off to Batangasan. The tricycle fare is P200 from Batangasan to jump-off, Brgy. Cayabu.

Registration fees varies depending on the type of hike. You can choose Mt. Maynoba only or, Maynoba and Cayabu loop. We planned to spend the night up there so they charged us P1,250 which is reasonable for overnight guide fee. We started to climb late in the afternoon. Kuya guide advised its better to start late if you’re planning to spend the night as there are few trees in the campsite for shades.

It took us 1 and a half hour to reach the first campsite, then we decided to spend the night there. The photo above with tent is the campsite kuya guide recommended as it was already 5 PM and the summit is 1 hour trek from here. We have 2 Century Tuna for dinner, we just cooked our rice in the campsite.

It was Friday night, we are the only campers including our tour guide. The night was so peaceful and quiet but we can still here the tricycle and videoke below.

It was cloudy the next day. We woke up early for sun rise picture taking and to prepare our breakfast. We have no sea of clouds shot. According to kuya guide, there is a low chance to witness sea of clouds during January and February as the wind above is so strong and clouds do not form. We was advised to visit Mt. Maynoba again during the month of March to May.

We followed the trail of Cayabu loop to reach the river were the 8 wonder falls is located. We passed through the Mt. Maynoba summit with an elevation of 728 meters above sea level. The campsite in the summit is wide, so if we will visit again with our friends, we will choose this spot.

You may visit my Youtube channel for the full video of our hiking experience in Mt. Maynoba. Please click the link below:

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