Caleruega Retreat Center and Sky Ranch

If you are tired of the usual attractions in Tagaytay, you can go further in Caleruega Retreat Center in Nasugbu (Batangas) after the Alfonso town. I've been to Mt. Batulao twice, but never got the chance to see the nearby Caleruega. Last July, I took my family and in-laws to this famous place for weddings and retreats.

Caleruega can be accessed by entering the Evercrest Golf Club (not operating anymore), just a few kilometers from the Nasugbu arc. But instead of going left to Mt. Batulao, we turned right on that fork in the road. Then its a downhill drive on mostly rough road. We paid entrance fees and parking fee, about Php 20-30 for each fee.

Ternate - Nasugbu Traverse of Pico de Loro

AKAC team and I had summited Mt. Palay Palay last 02 Dec. 2011 here, but we were not able to climb its famous monolith named Pico de Loro or Parrot's Beak, due to the absence of a rope. Since then, I knew that I would return to the same mountain to scale that monolith, to settle that unfinished business.

Last 24 March 2013 with Peninsula Mountaineers, we were presented with that opportunity not only to climb the Parrot's Beak, but also try the Ternate-Nasugbu traverse trails. I brought my eldest son (Daniel) with me thru public transportation from Carmona to Ternate, Cavite. 

Mt. Gulugod Baboy & Aqua Venture Resort

The following Sunday after AKAC’s hike in Mt. Kalisungan, I accompanied the Peninsula Mountaineers on another fun hike to Mt. Gulugod Baboy in Mabini, Batangas.

Borrowing info from Pinoy Mountaineer, see below the technical data of this mountain:

MT. GULUGOD-BABOY
Anilao, Mabini, Batangas
Jump-off point: Philpan Dive Resort, Anilao, Mabini
LLA: 13°42'55"N; 120°53'43"E; 525 MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: Half-day / 1-2 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 2/9, Trail class 1-2
Features: Scenic views of Batangas Bay and Balayan Bay

Dayhike to Mt. Malipunyo / Malarayat

Having missed hiking last December, I quickly accepted an open climb invite by Ms. SP for a Mt. Malipunyo - Mt. Manabu traverse dayhike on last Sunday of January. With more than 15 participants, she arranged a van to take us to our jump off point in Lipa City, Batangas.

Below are the specs of the mountain from Pinoy Mountaineer's blog:

 
MT. MALIPUNYO (MT. MALARAYAT)
Batangas and Laguna
Entry point: Brgy. Talisay, Lipa
Exit point: Brgy. Atisan, San Pablo City
Elevation: 1005 MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 3-5 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 2-3

A Brief Tour of Taal Town in Batangas

Last month one Sunday afternoon, I decided to take my family on a roadtrip in the historic town of Taal, Batangas. I have always wanted to see their basilica and their balisong shops.

We took the Tagaytay-Lemery route, passing the castle structure of the deteriorated Fantasy Land below. We took a short break along this zigzag road for some photo ops.

Peninsula Mountaineers in Mt. Talamitam

The 18th day of November brought me to my 3rd summit on 3 consecutive weekends. This time, its another tree planting hike on Mt. Talamitam with the newly-formed Peninsula Mountaineers. Our group is composed of 20 veteran and newbie hikers, who share the passion of enjoying the outdoors and doing community service as well.

We left Peninsula Manila by 4:00 am, arriving at Barangay Aga in Nasugbu, Batangas by 6:00 am. The leader of the guides in the area, Mr. Ted Calimag, joined our pre-climb briefing after we arranged our registration fee, guides, and tree seedlings. The local white dog in the area (I forgot his name) also joined our hike, because we give him food from time to time, hehe.

Dayhike of Mt. Daguldol in Batangas

A month ago, I joined my friends in Abot Kamay Adventure Club (AKAC) for a trek to Mt. Daguldol in San Juan, Batangas. It was almost 7 pm when I arrived at Bgy. Hugom, where I registered for Php 35/person. Cellphone signal is very weak at Naambon Resort, so I had a hard time contacting my friends while I was looking for them along Laiya beach.  

I was the last one to arrive in Naambon Resort where we camped the night prior, at Php 100/head fee. Its a 30-minute walk along Laiya beach past the rocky portions on the right side. It was a challenge to trek alone and at night along the rocky beach part, where I believe my Columbia sandals got damaged. Here's a dawn view of the coastline that I navigated from the back of the rocks, as pointed by the arrow.

A Fun Climb to Mt. Talamitam in Batangas

The other Sunday morning, I took my 2 sons and a nephew with me for a fun day hike to Mt. Talamitam in Nasugbu, Batangas. Its about 10 km. farther than Evercrest Golf Club, the jump off point to its neighboring Mt. Batulao. Pinoy Mountaineer has the following description of Mt. Talamitam:

MT. TALAMITAM
Nasugbu, Batangas
Jump-off point: Sitio Bayabasan, Brgy. Aga, Nasugbu (KM. 83)
LLA: 14.1158° N; 120.7577° N; 630 MASL
Days required/ Hours to summit: 1 day / 1.5-2.2 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3 with steep assault (100m)

The jump off point in Sitio Bayabasan is at the road on the right side after the Km. 83 sign post, immediately after a grade school. We parked outside the compound of Mr. Nick Wicangco, who is working on restoration of japanese soldiers' statues of Fort Santiago. 

Climbing Mt. Gulugod Baboy in Batangas

To satisfy our addiction to mountain climbing (at least on a monthly basis), we climbed the Mt. Gulugod Baboy in Mabini, Batangas last 18-19 February 2012. Eight of us converged on the bus station at Diversion area in Bauan, Batangas, before proceeding to Philpan jump off point with a rented jeepney for Php 1,000 per trip. This time, I brought my eldest son Daniel with me.

It was around 4:30 pm when we started our leisurely ascent, not worried about trekking in the dark, since we have headlamps and flashlights anyway. Besides, most of us are carrying at least 12kg of load for overnight camping, so we cannot really push ourselves to be at the campsite before dark. Below is a photo of a dead palm tree in one of the rest stations, at dusk.

Twin Hikes of Mounts Manabu & Maculot

How about hiking 2 mountains in a day? Impossible? Not really. It could be difficult, but certainly doable with proper planning of time and destinations. Below is a photo taken from the summit of Mt. Manabu in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. The mystic Mt. Banahaw is barely discernible, covered with haze and a few clouds near its summit.

Our group of 12 climbers met at Fiesta Mall in Lipa City, Batangas the other Sunday at 6:00 am. After taking our breakfast of lomi soup worth Php 40/bowl in a Sto. Tomas eatery, we arrived at Mt. Manabu's jump off point at past 7:30 am. 

Trek to Taal Volcano in Batangas

Last Sunday, I took my family for a day trek of Taal volcano. This was triggered by the wish of my two sons to climb up to the summit of a volcano, after they have seen Mt. Mayon a few months ago. It also served as a preparation climb for them, since they are planning to climb Mt. Manalmon with me the following month.

We left early from Binan, Laguna, arriving in Tagaytay at around 7:00 am. In search of restaurant with the view of Taal lake, we ended up in Kaye Ryan Grill. We tried their breakfast set menus priced at Php 165 each. 

Climbing Mt. Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas

The following Saturday after we went to Mt. Maculot, we climbed Mt. Batulao to satisfy our thirst for mountain adventure. Sometimes I can't help but think that mountaineers are crazy masochists, spending time and money to push their bodies to their limit, just to see those great views from the top.

We started our adventure by driving to Evercrest Golf Club in Nasugbu, Batangas, picking up some of our companions along the way. After a quick breakfast in Jollibee, and a load of beverages from 7-11 store both in Tagaytay, we were all ready for another gruelling trek. 

Climbing Mt. Maculot's Rockies in Batangas

I like to keep myself fit, but I don't like to go to the gym, nor do I want to do running despite its popularity now. At the same time, I want to explore new places and experience nature, so trekking in a mountain is the best option for me. Its quite an expensive hobby (transportation, gears, and trek guides), but life is short so we just have to enjoy it, right?

So when I saw a mountain climbing tour schedule at Travel Adventours' website, I booked a tour with them for a Saturday climb, while I'm free from teaching this semestral break. I chose Mt. Maculot in Cuenca, Batangas (See photo above, where the left peak is its rockies).