Birthday Summit to Sea 2018: Mt. Gulugod Baboy and Sombrero Island

Hi everyone, it took a while for me to finish this blog post because of external factors but as what they say, better late than never!

Last February 25, 2018, my friends and I hiked up a beautiful mountain in Batangas by the name of Mt. Gulugod Baboy, also known as Mt. Pinagbandirahan – my 54^th mountain. My recent hikes have been relatively easier as compared to before because I wanted to go back to non-physically demanding hikes. Lol.

Mountain Stats:

Elevation: 520+ MASL

Location: Anilao, Batangas

Difficulty: 2/9, Minor Climb

Trek to Summit: 2 hours

This was my annual birthday hike and as per tradition, the trip has to have a beach side-trip. Read on below for the full story.

Before anything else, I shall share the breakdown of our expenses for the entire trip:

How to get there:

VEHICLE	FROM	TO	FARE	TOTA PER PERSON (13 pax)	ESTIMATED TRAVEL TIME
Van	McDonald’s MRT Buendia	Jump-off		Php461.50	3 hours
TOTAL				Php461.50	3 hours

(Consequently, commute can be done by riding a bus to Batangas Grand Terminal and riding a jeep to the jump-off)

Going home:

VEHICLE	FROM	TO	FARE	TOTA PER PERSON (18 pax)	ESTIMATED TRAVEL TIME
Van	Jump-off	Manila	–	–	3hrs 30min
TOTAL					3hrs 30min

Other expenses:

DESCRIPTION	AMOUNT	TOTAL PER PERSON (13pax)
Registration Fee	Php50	Php50.00
Guide Fee	Php500	Php38.50
Lunch (Paluto)	Php1,000	Php80.00
Boat to Sombrero Island	Php3,000	Php231.00
Entrance Fee (Sombrero Island)	Php200	Php200.00
Parking & Food of Driver	Php350	Php27.00
TOTAL		Php626.50

Safe Budget: Php1,500

Note: We initially planned to trek without a guide but the locals required us to get one because of the ongoing road construction that will cause a shift in direction somewhere along the trail

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We met at McDonald’s in Buendia around 4:00AM where we ate early breakfast and bought packed lunch. We hired a van for this trip because we wanted to make the trip easier; after all, we were 13 in the group. We left at around 5:00AM en route to the jump off and arrived after three hours. After registering our names, securing our guide and praying, we started our trek.

The trail starts with an inclined concrete road that made us catch our breaths after a couple of minutes. This part does not give you any time to rest because the road is just inclined up until the dirt road. After this, the real hike begins along a forested trail which is also full of assaults. There were several rest stops positioned along the trail where groups can stop to rehydrate, use the bathroom and buy snacks.

After an hour and thirty, we arrived at the beautiful grassland where we were welcomed by the strong but cool winds. It did not take long for us to reach the summit where a lot of groups were resting. (Note: A van can actually go the way up just before the summit, maybe about a 10-min trek from that point to the summit. But if people really want to have a feel of the whole hike, I suggest trekking from the jump-off.)

After the photo ops, we started our descent. It was a quick run down the mountain, only taking about 45 minutes before we reached the jump-off where we had tinola for lunch, which we had the locals cook before we started our hike.

Right after lunch, we set off to a chartered boat going to Sombrero Island. There are other islands around but we specifically chose Sombrero Island even though it has a more expensive entrance fee of Php200 per head.

We were not disappointed because we had this beautiful island to ourselves. We were also welcomed by two, friendly dogs as soon as we got off the boat. Although the current was strong, the water was clear and cold, which made, swimming and dipping quite fun.

My friends also prepared a little surprise for me which I appreciate very much.

After chilling and bathing, we returned to the boat to get us back to the jump-off where we fixed before eventually heading home.

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Thank you very much to my hikemates for a chill but fun trip to Anilao, Batangas! I wish to come back again should there be another chance.

Check this short video out for a further look at our trip:

 

 

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Itinerary

5:00AM – ETD Manila

8:00AM – ETA jump-off. Secure guide. Final preparations.

8:10AM – Start trek

10:00AM – ETA Mt. Gulugod Baboy Summit

10:45AM – Start descent

11:30AM – ETA jump-off. Lunch.

1:05PM – ETD jump-off to Sombrero Island

1:30PM – ETA Sombrero Island. Swim.

3:05PM – ETD Sombrero Island

3:30PM – ETA jump-ff. Fix up.

5:30PM – ETD jump-off to Manila

9:00PM – ETA Manila

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I am very grateful to have been able to end my birthday weekend happily by the mountains and beach. And while major hikes are not part of my plans as of the moment, I still try to do dayhikes every now and then.

No worries though, I shall do a major one again soon.

Thank you for reading!