A Breezy Climb at Mt. Batulao

My third hike into one of the best mountains I’ve been so far - Mt. Batulao offers breathtaking 360-degree view of the rugged landscape of Batangas from up above the clouds. Alright, not exactly “up above the clouds”, but standing at the peaks made me feel that I'm on top of the world.

Not hard to miss, unless you're sleeping at the bus.

The gang met at Pasay Taft near Sogo Hotel and took a bus for Nasugbu at the nearby bus station. At around 8 AM we arrived at the Evercrest Golf Park, took a rather long stroll on a wide asphalted road, and then into the dusty and sometimes muddy rough roads. Those who are in a rush can take a trike instead, but I’d figure the walk could serve as a good warm up. On our way to the actual jump off point, we were barraged by a group of three young boys who all wanted to be our guide, whose offers we resisted.

It almost rained!
Thankfully, it didn't.

Then it started to drizzle, but we decided to push through, keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that it won’t rain and that PAGASA will be right after all that today will be mostly sunny. I don’t want to experience any what I had in Romelo where it rained full on, and the trail, ravaged by dugouts made by horses’ hooves, was riddled with mud. Romelo was supposed to be a minor climb, 2/9 on Pinoy Mountaineer’s scale, but it was hell more difficult than Maculot’s 3/9. I can only imagine how difficult – and  dangerous – Batulao would be if it rained. It has a sunny day rating of 4/9. When we reached Peak 5, the drizzle stopped and the clouds parted. The sun shone, but it was so windy that we didn’t really feel much of the heat.

My windiest hike so far!

At the famous Peak 8

After scaling a few scary narrow ridges, we finally reached Peak 8, the infamous site where a hiker had a fatal fall. The peak looks flat and safe, but knowing this unfortunate history, we still took extraprecuation. From there, the view was jawdropping. We were surrounded with lush greens and the ocean glistened from afar. The peak also gave a different view of the rock formations.

Beautiful rock formations

A short, initially scary rapelling session

On our descent, we came across the part where we had to rappel using a rope that was tied to the stem of a bush that had been cut off. The rope looked sturdy, and some of us descended without much difficulty. The trick is to just hold on the rope and descend, making sure that your feet get a good grip somewhere.

Successful descent of Peak 8

The sun began to set when we were on our way to the high way. From afar, the peaks of Batulao stood on a quiet silhouette – it’s hard to believe that we actually climbed those famed rock formations (they are easier than they look). From where we stood, the peaks looked like steep mounds with almost vertical sides that went up and down. It seems to be Mt. Batulao's way of bidding us a comforting good bye - after having pampered us with an easy trail, a perfect weather and a great view.

ITINERARY AND EXPENSES
0530 ETD from bus terminal, boarded bus (P160) for Nasugbu
0830 ETA at Evercrest
1100 Reached the fork of the old and new trails, took a long rest
1150 Reached campsite near Peak 6 to register (P20)
1300 Reached Peak 8, pictorials
1700 Reached the fork, continued descent
1830 Took jeep (P30) for Tagaytay
1900 Arrived somewhere in Tagaytay to have dinner
2000 Took bus (P160) for Cubao
2230 ETA Cubao

TIPS
1. There are houses near Evercrest that offer shower rooms and CRs for a fee. Other than these there aren't much carinderia's nearby. The group can head to Tagaytay.
2. We did not encounter any water sources along the trail. Bring as much as you think you need.
3. It takes three hours from Manila to Nasugbu, and there are no stopovers. We had to ask the driver to pull over so we can unload our bladders.

How to get there: Take a bus bound for Nasugbu at the station near Sogo Hotel and MRT Taft. Drop off at Ever Crest Golf Course. You may either walk or take a trike to the jump off, where you will be barraged by young boys offer their services as guides.

SUMMARY
Mt. Batulao has so many qualities of a perfect climb - moderate difficulty, great view and easy accessibility. I'd recommend this to beginners, and even for advanced climbers who want to kill time. Just be careful though - some ridges narrow without even grasses to hold old to. We also encountered a few steep portions with broken pieces of rocks that can make the trail slippery.

Difficulty: 1.5/9 (I think it's slightly easier than Maculot's 2/9). Sunny day rating using new trail to old trail traverse. If it rains, then it's a different story.

TRIVIA
This mountain is the birthplace of our humble group called Sabit-Sabit Mountaineers.

Photo credits: Ron Hubsch, Elmer Reyes and Jeffrey Sta. Maria