Always Wandering

 No wonder mountaineers keep coming back to climb her.

For one, Mt. Batulao looks very pretty and cotton candy-like with her white-capped peaks. From afar, the grass-covered peaks provide a stunning view of the mountain’s slopes. Tall cogon grass and its seedheads sway to the tune of the wind. Mt. Batulao is a personal favorite because of the simplicity of its beauty.

Secondly, the established paths are by no way indicative of an easy climb. The trails are initially rough roads with houses and small village stores to your left and right. But after the last nipa house called “mini-stop” (that also marks the fork of the old and new trails), the clear paths take you up and down endlessly through gentle slopes and otherwise, through wide covered areas and narrow rocky paths. The final ascent to the highest peak is a highlight in itself as it involves a short rock or wall climb.

At 811+ MASL, Mt. Batulao’s summit, albeit small, offers a visual feast of Batangas’ landscapes and seascapes. Interestingly, enterprising locals will follow you to the summit armed with loads of Mountain Dew.

To fully appreciate Batulao, traverse the old trail going to the highest peak and the new trail on the way back. Mountaineers will have to ridiculously “register” and pay twice on both sides though. There are two registration centers and mountaineers pay Php 20.00 at each stop. There are no restrictions in climbing Batulao. It can be done any time of the year. Prepare for dense cogon growth, exposed trails and absence of tree cover. After your climb, across the entrance of Evercrest Golf Club Resort, locals offer areas for a quick wash-up.

Mt. Batulao is located at Nasugbu, Batangas. The jump-off point is at the Evercrest. If traveling via private vehicle, parking is available outside the golf course. Kiddos will run after your car the moment you enter Evercrest. These boys work as guides and porters. They will also look after your vehicle. To get there by public transportation, just take any Nasugbu-bound bus and ask to be dropped off at the Evercrest Golf Club Resort. The imposing entrance to the golf course cannot be missed. Tricycles can be arranged for Php100.00 per tricycle to take you from the highway to the actual jump-off point where the roads become impassable to any type of vehicle.

A fun climb with a surprising difficulty scale, here’s our itinerary as we ascended using the old trail and went down using the new trail.

06:00 ETD Manila for Nasugbu, Batangas
07:30 ETA jump-off point at Evercrest Golf Club Resort
08:00 start trek via the Old Trail
09:00 “mini-stop”
10:30 Camp 1 and registration center (Php 20.00)
11:30 lunch at Camp 7
12:30 Camp 8
13:00 final assault
13:15 summit at Camp 10
13:30 start descent via the New Trail
14:30 registration center (Php 20.00)
15:30 “mini-stop”
16:30 back at jump-off point
17:00 wash-up (Php 10.00)
17:30 sidetrip at Nasugbu beach resort