Mt. Manunggal Adventure

The Place

I'd say as a first timer in Trekking or Mountaineering, this place is not at all bad for starters. Once i got to the campsite, you would be amaze on gazing at the stars when the night comes. I would never forget this place as this place somehow push me more and motivates me to do mountaineering.

If you are into night photography who loves to capture the sky and catch those galaxies on your lenses, this place would be a haven for you. Here you could catch the wide sky with clouds just few meters above you. Perfect place for you to do an early morning shots also while the fog still surrounds the place. This is a place also where you can go back into history as this is the crash site also of the late President Ramon Magsaysay.

---

How to go there:

Travel from Cebu City to the jump off site in Trans Central Highway in Balamban would take at least 30-45 minutes. The easiest way and cheapest way is to take V-Hires in Ayala Terminal Station in Ayala Mall. This normally costs Php 125.00. Another option is to go with your motorcycle (if you happen to ride one or rented one) and just leave it near the entrance in Mt. Manunggal. This gives better thrill to those who loves to ride in a bit of a rough road. Not to worry though, this isn't a totally rough road at all but the way going up is totally inclined so make sure you check your brakes before bring your bikes up.

---

The Trail / Road

Going up won't be a problem if you go with your own vehicle and would suggest to do so if you do not plan to spend the night at the camp site. Be more extra careful though in driving going up or down as you would be on a narrow rough road on some areas and might even might even encounter animals along the way such as cow, goats, etc.

---

The Campsite

Once you've reached the camp site you can easily set up your tent as there is a wide area where you can set it up. If you happen to be in a big number (family) who forgot to bring your tents or just simply wanted to add a bigger tent, this can be arranged and rented through the owner of the place for an extra Php 200.00. There is also a washroom who you can use to wash up or even take a bath. This is something that the owner would really collect for Php 25.00 per head. This just make sense as they also take time to clean the area, so don't argue about it anymore.

Water in the area is clean that every hiker knows that you can refill your water bottles here before going to the peak of the mountain or if you plan to go Mt. Mauyug (nearby mountain). Water is also cold as if it's like it was stored in a cooler. Food can also be requested per order to the owner of the place and they will cook for you. i suggest you might want to try their "Native Tinolang Manok" and enjoy it with the hot soup dish in a cold temperature for dinner.

---

Breakfast

I would suggest to wake up as early as 5 am so you can enjoy the very cold temperature with fog visible all over the place. Well, considering the cold temperature I would probably say it might not be easy for you to really have a good night sleep.

---

Best to boil water and prepare your breakfast while it's still early so you could have coffee and breakfast and leave early going to the peak if you plan to. It's always perfect to leave early going when going to the peak so you can enjoy the sunrise while you are the peak and the heat of the sun wouldn't really hurt your skin.

---

The Peak

This was my very first climb so it really wasn't easy at all for me. The ups and downs and even slipping is really just normal when you are into this kind of activity. Really is a good stress reliever as you really wouldn't at all think of anything or anywhere else while you are here. Focus is really is as important as water to make sure you won't get any injuries or anything.

No one among us knows the trail to the peak so we have to get a help going up. Good thing we were able get help from a kid who offered to guide us to the top. With no sweat (and by that I mean literally), this kid didn't even let out a single sweat from his body not even until we got into the top.

Once reached the peak though, you would be amazed on the wonder of this place. Sweats will go out, knees would hurt (this was normal as this was my first climb) and would have to catch your breath but all of these would be nothing once you are already at the peak.

---