
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 54th 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
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.
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:
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
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!
Related
You May Also Like

Let the Summer Escapades Begin!
March 24, 2015
First of Summer 2018: #LaLaLoveMeLikeCebu in #BoholNewWorld
April 1, 2018
6 Comments
Karen
Can i please get a contact guide or person for gulugod?
Camae
Hi! I don’t have the contact number of our guide because we initially planned to hike this without one. However, upon registration, the locals will offer a guide. 🙂
Melchim
Mam my contact po ba kayo sa boat na rent nyu?? Plano po kace namin mag sombrero island. Sana po meron na mahingi ko po sana. Maraming salamat sa pag share mo sa blog.. ingat lage sa pag akyat.
Camae
Hello! I don’t have a contact sa boat rent pero maraming locals na nagooffer ng boat rent sa jump-off pa lang. That’s when we rented also. 🙂 Thank you and ingat rin po!
Jean Rachel Ang
Hi! Thank you for this guide. 🙂 Magtatanong lang po sana ako if may contact kayo ng van na nirent niyo? Thank you! 🙂
Jean Rachel Ang
Hi! Thank you so much for this guide. 🙂 Would just like to ask if meron pa po kayong contact number ng van rental company? 🙂