Traversing Mt. Batulao
Mt. Batulao is located at Nasugbu, Batangas. This is a good mountain to climb for beginners who are looking for an experience with thrills. I've been here twice and what I can say about it was "you cannot climb the same mountain". There is a big difference with my first traverse and the second.In summer times, expect the dryness and the very hot climate like desert on the mountain, prepare for the fine very hot stone and dusts. There were no trees to cover you from the sun at the trail (except at old trail camp). During rainy season prepare yourself in a slippery and muddy soil of the mountain, I advice you to bring your raincoat.
There are also two trails when you reach the fork. At the left side downward is the Old Trail and the middle-right is the New trail.
You can buy Mountain Dew and Buko in the Mountain Dew stall and Buko stalls. There are plenty around the camp and trail. On weekends, halo-halo is also available at the summit.
New Trail
This trail is easier than the old trail.
If you are planning to camp overnight and you want to feel the strong wind, you surely want to go to the New Trail Camp since this camp is on the mountain and it looks like a rice terraces. There is a registration fee of Php 30.00 for overnight stay and Php 20.00 for Day hike. Expect strong winds at this trail when you are trekking in the morning.
Old Trail
The Old Trail is a good camping site because the land here is flat. The registration fee in this camp is the same with the New Trail.
If you are looking for a more challenging assault, you can try this trail since this trail is more rocky and more climbing in this trail.
What We Experienced:
(Night Trek)
We rode the Bus at EDSA Taft Bus station going to Nasugbu, Batangas and we paid Php 114.00 going to Evercrest. It took 3hrs travel time, expect that there will be traffic around Cavite.
At the time we reach Evercrest, we drop off in front of the mini store and prepare our gears. After we completed and fix everything, we rode the tricycle going to the jump-off point (Note: The tricycle fee is Php 100.00/trike). When we reach the jump-off site, we started walking with our head lights and flashlights. It is highly recommended to bring a flashlight since there are plenty of stones along the trail. After 1 hour, we reach the fork where you will choose the trail you want. We chose the New Trail. After 1 hour, we reach the camp, prepare our tents and eat our dinner.
LIGHTS OUT.
At 5:00am we woke up and prepare our breakfast. Then after that we took pictures of the scenic view of the mountain from the New Trail Camp and after that we prepare to trek the summit. You can feel the strong wind while walking on the trail so be cautious because you might lose your balance and you might fell to the cliff. After 2 hours of trekking, we reached the summit.
In the summit you can buy Mountain Dew (Php 25.00), Buko (Php 30.00), and Halo-Halo (Php 30.00). I advised you to buy Buko since it was very refreshing and it will replenish your electrolytes to avoid cramps. After 30 minutes of staying on the summit, we finally descend using the Old Trail. In this trail, expect steep areas and rappelling. It took us 1 hour to reach the Old Trail Camp. In here, you can buy souvenirs, and Mountain Dew. After resting we continued are trek to the jump-off point for 1 hour. After that we clean ourselves up and ate lunch to the stores at the jump off point.
Itenerary for Night Trekking:
DAY 1
1400- Assembly at EDSA, Taft
1430- Ride bus going to Nasugbu, Batangas
1730- Drop off at Evercrest/ Final Preparation / Photo Ops / Gear up
1745- Start Trekking at Rough Road
1800- Arrival at Fork of Old and New Trails
1945- Arrival at New/Old Trail Campsite. Rest / Register 30php per head
1945- Prepare Dinner and Tents
2100- Dinner
2200- Lights out / Stargazing
DAY 2
0430- Wake-up call/ Breakfast
0500- Start trek to summit
0830- Arrival at summit/ Rest (buy buko juice for only 25php)/photo ops
0900- Start Descent via old trail which is opposite the new trail at the summit
1000- ETA old trail / Rest and Snack (register 20php)
1130- ETA Evercrest / Clean up
After this you can do a side trip to Tagaytay and take your lunch.
Things to Bring:
Atleast 2-3L of water (there is no water supply in the mountain)
Headlamp/Flashlight (for night trek)
Packed food
Tent (if overnight)
gloves (advisable)
extra clothes
jacket (if overnight)
raincoat (for rainy seasons)
mess kits
toiletries (tissues, wet tissues, etc.)
first aid kit
alcohol/sanitizers
Budget:
Php 240.00- Roundtrip Bus
Php 100.00 per Tricycle (if 4 persons riding trike, Php 30.00/each)
Php 30.00 Buko
Php 30.00 Halo-halo
Php 25.00 Mountain Dew
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| Old Trail |
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| Souvenir shop at the old camp |
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| Trails of Mt. Batulao |
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| Mountain Dew at the summit (Photo by: Lou Prospero) |
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| Another view of the trail |
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| Small bridge at the dried river (old trail) |
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| New Trail |
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| At the fork |
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| Another view of the mountain |
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| Large Boulder to Mt. Batulao before the fork |
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| New Trail |
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| New Campsite |
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| Buko and Halo-Halo at the summit |
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| Buko with artificial spoon at the summit |
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| View of the summit from afar |
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| Another Great View of the mountain with my partner |
P.S.
I also want to promote this USANA Essentials it really supports our body during the climb even we didn't get some sleep while camping. It really boosts our energy the whole day! Feels like we got our 8 hrs sleep! :) if you got questions about this feel free to contact me at my facebook account. This is the best vitamins I've ever known. Here's My Facebook Account <===Click
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| My Essentials :) |
