• Take a jeep bound to Ampucao (P38.00/pax) one way. • Drop at Brgy. Ampucao, register (P100.00/pax), secure guide (P400.00/day) for 10 pax max. • Start trek. • When you reach Mt. Ulap peak, take a rest, enjoy the view. • Say the words and there you go.
January 15, 2017 - the start of something new, something unexpected from two people who knew each other before then but it didn't occur that something might come up and turn our worlds closer until we no longer can keep up with the emotions. We finished the trail together and hopefully, not just this mountain but the world out there.
Started off Brgy. Ampucao and a few minutes of our start saw this little house.
Exit point: Brgy. Sta. Fe, Itogon LLA: 16.2904 N, 120.6312 E, 1846 MASL (Mt. Ulap) Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 2-3 hours Specs: Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3, Features: Grassland and pine ridges, scenic views of the Cordilleras, burial caves
Also known as Mt. Jumbo
-Famously known as the little mount Pulag of La Trinidad. A top was a grassland and a grand view of the whole valley, a perfect place for camping, picnic and the likes. Trek, relax and be awed.
There no need for a guide, its a find-your-own-way kind of hike but there's an environmental fee collected by the Barangay. It's just about or less than an hour hike from the cemented road but depends on your pace of course.
Banaue Rice Terraces — an iconic and ancient landscape of the Philippines that is said to be the greatest engineering masterpiece of the indigenous people in Ifugao.
Having been raised in the mountains of the Cordillera, I grew up knowing why I should be proud of being an Ifugao is our man-made terraces built thousand years ago by our ancestors and stood still to this moment and is popular among traveler and adventure-seekers locally and abroad.
I am a Cordilleran. I am proud to be one. I will talk about my culture with pride. I may not dance to the rhythm of the gongs with grace nor sing the song of our land in harmony, but I am forever proud of it. I will speak our tongue anyway I want and let them be amused because really, our culture is something quite fascinating, captivating and enthralling.
Situated at the heart of the Cordillera Mountains and a renown UNESCO World Heritage Site, you may want to visit Batad, a small village in Banaue, Ifugao and perhaps where once can see the best views of the centuries-old rice terraces, aside of course the view seen in Banaue proper itself.
At the highest peak overlooking the terraces of Batad
A Batad adventure wont be complete if you wouldn't visit Tappiya Falls, a 32-feet water falls hidden at the foot of the mountain. Though it is quite a difficult trail but once you get there, it will be a rewarding experience. If going down is hard, going back is harder. :)
A peek to our roots. Went to Batad through Saddle point then exiting through Bangaan trail. Hiking for a few hours passing through hills, terraces and falls that took us about 4-5 hours. I enjoyed most of it of course except the tiring part of the hike.
Day 3: You can't miss Ilocos Sur when you go to Ilocos Norte, right? During our last and third day in Ilocos Norte, we decided to drop by Ilocos Sur for brunch then head back to Baguio. And since we are already there, might as well take a little tour around this beautiful place in the North. Our planned 30-minute Kalesa tour extended to 3 hours going into different sites in town.
"At the heart of the Cordillera
mountain range rises perhaps its most formidable and enchanting mountain, Mt.
Napulauan. Often associated with the memory of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita. This
mountain possesses a mossy forest unrivalled in its primeval character, as well
as trails that earns for it the reputation of being the most challenging in the
Cordilleras, and arguably among the most difficult in the whole Philippines.
Second day: From our hotel, we hired a tricycle to bring us to the famous Kapurpurawan Rock Formation where most of past Enteng Kabisote movies were shot. Our guide said they will be shooting the next month so too bad we visited early, would have loved to see Vic Sotto in person. Hehe! Though we did pass by some props being made for the movie. As they said the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation or White Rock Formation is an interestingly-shaped hill of white limestone rock formed through the processes of sedimentation and erosion by the natural forces of land, sea and wind. Depending on which side you look at the top part of the hill, you may see a submarine or a head of dragon. I guess I see both.
One of the first island I've been to - Corregidor Island. The place had been known especially during the time of World War II. This had been a fortress of defense as this place cradled many American and Filipino soldiers during the war. This island became a post and station of the army defending the Philippines against the Japanese empire. What was left on this island after the war were preserved and currently protected as this had played an important role during the invasion of the Japanese regime and as reverence to Filipino and American soldiers who lost their lives on the island and perhaps some bodies unrequited by their families.
