Mt. Mauyog – Manunggal (day trek filler)

We had it planned that for the whole month of June we will be trekking every weekend. So far for the last 2 weeks I’ve been to Mt. Babag and Mt. Lanaya.

For the third week activity, we plotted to trek Mt. Mauyog then traverse to Mt. Manunggal and do it as a day trek. The peaks are just 30-40 mins trek away from each other.

How to get there:

• Go to Ayala Mall‘s van terminal
• Ride a van bound for Balamban for 120php
• Get off the van when you reach an intersection with a sign board directing Cantipla Integrated School and Tabunan Integrated School (40 mins-1 hr ride)
• Rarely, there are motorcycles at the intersection that would take you to the Barangay Hall and the jump-off point for 50php. If not, you have to walk for a few meters.

Upon arriving, head on to the town’s government office. Register and secure a guide, or you can secure the commonly known guide, Robinson, days before the climb.

Our trek follows the Sunog trail. I recommend wearing protective sleeves especially when you have a very sensitive skin. There are thorny and itchy grass on the trail. Trekking on a hot day requires endurance and dehydration tolerance for beginners.

As always, pack light especially if it is only a day trek. The area is within the Central Cebu National Park coverage. So be a responsible visitor. Observe proper trekking etiquette. Do not destroy anything, be responsible with you trash and respect wildlife.

Assaulting to Mt. Mauyog’s peak is another challenge especially for the beginners. The trail will start to require you to use all your limbs as it gets steeper. Another challenge is that as you get closer to the peak, the rocks tends to get shaky or “uyog” in local dialect thus the name Mauyog. Regardless, when you reach the peak, a beautiful view will greet you.

We descended from Mt. Mauyog’s peak, then continued to Mt. Manunggal. This time, we did not trek on foot since majority cannot take the exhausting walk anymore. The trek can really be exhausting especially for the beginners and those which are not physically ready.  One of the nearby villager was kind enough to offer us a ride to Mt. Manunggal then straight way out to the highway.

Mt. Manunggal has a historic background since it is where the late Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay’s plane crashed which resulted to his death. A statue marker was built on the area to commemorate the late president’s death. The plane’s engine was also cemented on the exact location where it was found after the crash. On the engine are the carved names of the officials and crew that died during the plane crash.

Unfortunately, without knowing, there also is a stone peak in Mt. Manunggal which can be reached via a small trail. I guess I’ll just save it for my comeback, hopefully soon.

Getting back to the city, we did followed another trial that will lead us to the highway where we rode a van bound back to Ayala Mall.

Over-all our day’s activity started by 7AM at the Ayala Mall’s terminal and ended back by 4PM.