After climbing both Mt. Pulag and Mt. Pinatubo over the last month, I decided to head to Mt. Maculot with the same group. I had zero information about this mountain up until our actual trip.
Our group met up in a gas station along SLEX (South Luzon Expressway). From there, we headed towards the Alabang exit to pick-up our guide. We then exited back to SLEX towards Batangas. Travel time took around 2 hours to reach our last stop at Cuenca, Batangas.
We started our hike at around 9:00 AM. The trail is relatively straightforward. The main challenge here is that you will hike uphill around 90% of the time. This was something I underestimated about hiking Mt. Maculot. That’s apart from the scorching heat we encountered since it was the peak of summer when we visited.
Along the way, you will pass by several drinking stops where you can buy some fresh buko (cocounut) juice. (I only started buying from the stores we passed by when we hiked back to town since I ran out of water)
When you reach the higher points, you will catch a glimpse of Taal Lake and other provinces surrounding it. Something you might be familiar with if you’ve been to Tagaytay. The view gave us a different perspective of this famous tourist destination.
After 2 hours of hiking (which included several breaks and photo ops), we finally reached our last stop before heading to the famous Rockies at Mt. Maculot. My first impression about getting to the Rockies was it was quite intimidating. A view from afar made it more steep than it actually was. Climbing should still be approached with great caution though.
Once we reached the top of the Rockies, I was completely re-energized! But wait, there’s still another challenge ahead. You must head to the tip of the Rockies.
My brother at the Rockies…
Hikers are warned to get to this spot only one at a time. I honestly did not want to climb that point at first but then I said, what the heck. This is the reason why we went to Mt. Maculot!
We spent almost two hours at the Rockies just enjoying the view and taking in as much as we can. Around noon time, we headed back and ate our packed lunch at the camping site. Yes, you can also do overnight camping at Mt. Maculot.
Heading down was a bit more of a challenge since it took a toll on my knees. That’s apart from the dusty trail from the dry soil. There were certain parts where you have to be more careful or you can easily slid down. I tried to cling onto the branches as much as I can which was surprisingly effective! Cling like a monkey!
Once we reached town, we cleaned up and headed back to Metro Manila. We made a detour and passed by Paranaque for some coffee and early dinner.
That’s it for my 3rd hike this year! So far, so good!
– The Tourist Pao
