Mount Batulao Revisited 2019

I first hiked Mt. Batulao three years ago with my co-teachers during one of those long weekends that year. The hike was tiring but very rewarding in terms of the beautiful view from the peak. 

Mt. Batulao

Mt. Batulao Details:

Mt. Batulao stands 811 meters above sea level (MASL). For a well-trained mountaineer, the mountain could be conquered in about an hour and a half or less. However, for leisure hikers like me, it usually takes 2-3 hours to reach the summit. What's nice about this mountain is its straightforward trail perfect for beginners. That's probably one of the reasons why the mountain receives hundreds of hikers daily, probably it even reaches a thousand during the weekend or holidays. What's saddening here was the tons of garbage many of these people leave behind on the trail. Well, that was my observation three years ago.

We got to park beside this souvenir shop. They also sell bamboo trekking poles

This new ordinance requires you to avail of the services of a guide.

Start hike!

I finally got to revisit Mt. Batulao in January this year with my cousins. I'm happy to report that several meters of the road going to the jump-off point has already been cemented making the drive to the jump-off point less bumpy compare to before. Aside from that, hikers are now also required to pay P500 for the services of a mountaineering guide. Inclusive in this fee is the environmental fee. I support this move as it gives income to many of the locals living there many of whom were active in maintaining the cleanliness of the mountain. 

The ascend was slow but scenic.

There are also several refreshment stores along the way selling coconut juice and mineral water. 

The "curves" of the mountain is truly picturesque

My cousins sure had a great time... that is until we passed through the first of the "toll gates"...

See that shack? That's one of the toll gates of Mt. Batulao.

From here the peaks of Mt. Batulao could already be seen.

There are plenty of Instagramable spots...

Like this one...

As when everything seems to be going well, we came upon the first of the several "toll gates" on the mountain. We had to shell out P30 pax so that we could pass through the land of the toll operator. Then after several meters, we came upon another "toll gate" which also asked us P30 pax. Just so you know, we haven't reached any of the peaks yet during this time. It was a very infuriating experience. Seeing that we were dismayed, our guide immediately laid out an option - he suggested that we skip the Old Route and follow the New Route instead. This will allow us to skip 2 more "toll gates" which both charges P30 pax. However, he said that we'd still pass by one more "toll gate" near Peak 8 and we would be asked to pay P30 pax again.

 

Mt. Batulao Peak 1

Mt. Batulao Peak 2

Mt. Batulao Peak 3

Mt. Batulao Peak 4

Mt. Batulao Peak 5

Mt. Batulao Peak 6

I discovered that this "scam-like" fee collection was a result of the trail passing through different lands whose owners wanted to have a share of the pie in Mt. Batulao's robust mountaineering business. Our guide even said that there were originally seven "toll gates" until they probably realized that they're shooting themselves in the foot. On the positive side, it did reduce the number of hikers which also lessened the trash on the mountain. 

Off to the next peak...

Mt. Batulao Peak 7

What a disappointing sight...

... Irrelevant

Mt. Batulao Peak 8

One of the "toll gates" near Peak 8

The mountain has really picturesque "curves"

Mt. Batulao Peak 9

Mt. Batulao's main peak - Peak 10

Mt. Batulao summit reached!

Aside from the excessive fee collection on Mt. Batulao, there's one more disappointing thing that happened to the mountain... the dilapidated "viewing deck". Apparently, this government project which aimed to give hikers another vantage point of the beautiful view of the mountain's majestic curves became an eyesore on the mountain instead. Check out this photo and tell me what you think about this infrastructure...

Check out the crowd

Family pic!

That awesome view from the peak

The Backpack Adventures reached Mt. Batulao's summit

Why hike Mt. Batulao?

Overall, Mt. Batulao literally and figuratively had its ups and downs but if the people who are supposedly managing it do not clean up their act, I won't be surprised that many mountaineer groups would call for a boycott of this beautiful mountain. You should hike Mt. Batulao to see the picturesque view from its peak, however, with the numerous "toll gates", this mountain might be part of the visit-only-once list of destinations in the Philippines.

Mt. Batulao Itinerary:

6:30AM - Departure from Coastal Mall
9:30AM - Board down at Evercrest Gate and ride a trike
9:50AM- Arrival at the jump-off point and registration
10:00AM - Begin the hike 
10:20AM - Tollgate 1 (P30 pax)
10:30AM - Tollgate 2 (P30 pax)
11:00AM - Tollgate 3 at peak 8 (follow the new route to skip two more toll gates) 
12:00NN - Arrival at Mt. Batulao's peak/ Lunch
1:00PM - Descent
2:30PM - Arrival at jump-off point (wash up)

Option 1:
3:00PM - Departure to Manila

Option 2: 
3:00PM - Head to the nearby Caleruega to visit the Chapel of the Hill
4:30PM - Departure to Manila

Option 3: 
3:00PM - Head to Tagaytay City
4:00PM - Arrival at city proper (eat snacks/ early dinner/ coffee)
6:00PM - Departure to Manila

Option 4:

Overnight at Tagaytay

Getting to Mt. Batulao:

From Coastal Mall/PITX, Ride a bus going to Nasugbu. Tell the conductor to drop you off at the gate of Evercrest Golf Course which is just a few kilometers away from the Nasugbu arc. From there ride a tricycle to bring you to the jump-off point.

Ratings:

Crowd

Cleanliness

Overall rating