Mt. Balagbag
in Rodriguez, Rizal is now one of my fave. Aside from being extremely close to my place, this place is just beautiful. From the blazing sunset to the mountains of gold and green to the kids that will greet you here and there, Mt. Balagbag is a place I will not get tired of visiting. It was my last hike for 2015 and my first for 2016. And as promised, here’s an UPDATE GUIDE to Mt. Balagbag, Rodriguez, Rizal.
Read: Guide to Mt. Balagbag-Maranat Falls Traverse
Updates in Mt. Maranat
The usual hike here is a traverse climb from Mt. Balagbag to Mt. Maranat where the Maranat Falls can be enjoyed as written in my first guide. However, the local government unit decided to close down Mt. Maranat for rehabilitation since it’s under the Ipo Watershed System which supplies water within Metro Manila. Now, if you’re planning to hike Mt. Maranat, you need to get a permit from DENR. However, this doesn’t mean that Mt. Balagbag is closed. You can still climb it. To put it in simpler terms: Mt. Balagbag = open; Mt. Maranat = closed.
Year End Climb + Chasing Sunset
For 2015, I decided to have my year end climb at Mt. Balagbag since it’s close to me and I’m limited in terms of time. What is originally a solo hike turned into a quick invite where I met Dhesa and first time hiker Angelica. We started hiking around 1pm and descended by around 5pm, just after the sunset. Here’s a visual diary of our quick hike plus shoot.
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Return and Reunion
Last Friday, we went back to Mt. Balagbag for another chasing sunset session. This was a very unexpected climb. Jess messaged me asking for details and when I found out that class was suspended due to the Nazareno Feast, I decided to go with her. Turns out, SJ is up for the challenge as well so it was an instant reunion for us. Met Jess here and this is SJ’s first mountain. Perhaps that’s the reason why Mt. Balagbag is so special for me. For this climb, I focused on taking videos since I promised myself to take more videos this year.
Ideal Itinerary
0700 – Departure from Cubao to Tungko
0900 – Arrival to Tungko. Take jeep to Licao-Licao.
1000 – Start trek
1200 – Lunch / Photo ops / Sunset
1700 – Start Descend
1900 – Back at Licao-Licao. Jeep back to Tungko
2100 – Departure from Tungko to Cubao
Note: Try to reach the terminal before 6pm so you could catch the last trip. On our 3rd hike, we missed it. Good thing one driver offered us a ride halfway through and dropped us to a terminal at Kwatro where we rode a tricycle back to major road.
Budget Breakdown
Bus from Cubao to Tungko – Php 38
Jeep from Tungko to Licao-Licao – Php 26
Tricyle to Baranggay Hall – Php 30 (optional; tricycle back is Php 15)
Tricyle to Baranggay Hall – Php 30 (optional; tricycle back is Php 15)
Baranggay Registration – Php 10
Jeep from Licao-Licao to Tungko – Php 26
Bus from Tungko to Cubao – Php 38
Total Damage – Php 138 (without tricyle and guide)
We didn’t hire a guide but if ever you’ll hire one, there’s no fixed fee.
We didn’t hire a guide but if ever you’ll hire one, there’s no fixed fee.
This definitely won’t be my last hike here. Actually, I’m planning to go back here and hike with my friends. Anyways, thank you all for supporting me and my blog. Got something cool in stored for all of you so do check that ou.
Life is too short to live without adventure.
Cheer~!
– Justin –
