Mt Batulao

Mt. Batulao
Jump-off point: Evercrest Golf Course, Nasugbu
LLA: 14.0408 N 120.8011 E 811 MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 2-4 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 4/9, Trail class 3 with 60-70 degrees assault

The cool and arid clime of Mt. Batulao is a pleasant escape from the tropics. The moment you alight from the Crow bus at Evercrest Golf Course – the jumpoff – you will feel the same coolness felt by the visitors of Tagaytay. And this temperature will be with you all the way. Batulao is the only mountain in the region where you can wear jackets at high noon. You have to. There is no tree cover throughout the climb. On sunny days, this paradoxical blending of heat and cold, on dramatic, sometimes steep landscapes, with forceful winds that make the cogon grass dance, forming beautiful waveforms across the slopes, earns for Batulao the distinction of being the most spectacular of the mountains in Batangas.

Even its name draws from a spectacular origin. Every yearend, the sun sets right between Batulao’s two peaks, creating an image of rocks surrounding a disc of red light. In Tagalog, this phenomenon of “Bato sa Ilao” (Illuminated Rocks) became abbreviated to “Batulao”. Although this happens only in the last week of December, Batulao’s charms throughout the year are more than enough to make it among the favored mountaineering destinations. Access to the mountain is easy; just take the Nasugbu-bound buses from EDSA cor. Taft.

The trails are initially rough roads, then transition to paths that are well-maintained, taking you up and down, up and down, at first gently, and then the slopes will be more pronounced later. After around forty minutes of trekking, you will encounter a hut, fondly called 'Mini Stop' where buco juice is sold for P20 each. 500 meters beyond this hut is the fork between the two trails to Mt. Batulao's summit. Click on the panoramic image to see the two trails in relation to each other.


NEW TRAIL (WEST)
Fork to summit: 1-1.5 hrs. Take the right, upward path. There is a small wooden marker. You will immediately ascent into a hill, and continue ascending and descending. Around 20 minutes uphill is the lone campsite of the trail, good for several tents. There is a water station - the locals who man the site sell water which they get from a nearby river (around 30 minutes away). Here is also the counterpart registration area of this trail.

Mt. Batulao

From the campsite, go up the hill and continue trekking until you reach a point where you have to go down and enter a forested area. Just proceed into this woodland and emerge 10 minutes later. The path goes between two rocks; turn right towards the summit. At this stage you are just 15 minutes away. At the peak, the rocky landscapes climax into beautiful formations. Set in the backdrop of the plains of Cavite and Batangas, the photo ops are excellent. Views include the peninsula of Calatagan (SE), the coastline of Nasugbu (E), Mt. Talamitam (ENE), the mountains of Maragondon, Cavite (N), the Tagaytay highlands (WNW), Taal Lake (W), behind it, Mt. Maculot (WSW), and the vast Balayan Bay (S). Here the breezes that menaced the assault are now a refreshment.

Going down with a brisk pace takes just 2.5 hours. From the Evercrest entrance, you may cross the highway to avail of the makeshift shower areas in the sari-sari stores. After the Batulao climb, which is a challenging Difficulty 4/9 daytrip, a postclimb meal in Tagaytay, at Mushroom Burger – or the classier Josephine’s – is a blissful reward.

ITINERARY

Day 1
0400 ETD bus terminal in EDSA-Taft via Crow Bus Lines to Nasugbu, Batangas (P114.00)
0715 Arrival at Evercrest
0730 Start trek
0930 Arrival at Camp 1 (fee of P20.00)
1015 Arrival at Camp 7, Set camp.
1600 Summit assault, Picture taking
1900 Prepare dinner
2000 Dinner, Socials
2300 Lights off

Day 2
0600 Prepare breakfast
0645 Breakfast
0730 Start trek
0930 Arrival at Evercrest
0945 ETD bus to Pasay taft terminal
1300 ETA Pasay


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