Always Wandering

Of trails.
Of mud.
Of river crossings.
Of cows.
And their dung.

Known for the towering rocks forming its pillar-like summit, Mt. Marami (405+ MASL) also has a monolith aptly called Silyang Bato. Located at Maragondon, Cavite, the mountain can be easily reached via a three-hour public commute from Metro Manila. From the bus drop off, walk about two blocks to the terminal of the jeepneys bound for Magallanes. If going as a big group, you can split the costs of renting the entire trip up to Barangay Ramirez.

The itinerary starts with an easy trek on wide dirt roads. After half an hour, the first river crossing is encountered. There will be three or four more crossings afterwards, two of which are via rickety wooden bridges. The rest of the way is no different than the usual trek through carabao trails, farmlands and cogon-lined paths.

There are two campsites in Marami. The first campsite is big and can easily accommodate more than ten tents. It has an open view of the two rock structures and an unobstructed view of the sunrise as well. Albeit wide and flat, the only bane is that the campsite appears to be a favorite of the resident cows (as evidenced by their droppings). The second campsite is near the summit already. It is small and may comfortably fit only two to three tents. It leaves not much room for activity (in addition to the strong winds and rocky grounds) hence the bigger campsite is recommended.

The ascent to the summit is thirty minutes from the first campsite. It commences with a brief trek through a forest which then progresses to a narrow path at the side of the mountains (with grazing cows looking on). Before the final assault, there is a bit of rock climbing prior to a steep grass trail leading to the small summit of Mt Marami. As an added adventure, a group of boulders at the side of Marami’s summit can also be scaled (located at the right side when facing the seas). Take extra caution when going down and over the slippery and sometimes moss-covered rocks.

Day 1
06:15 ETD Manila via bus (Php60.00 from Baclaran)
07:45 ETA Naic (get off at the Petron Gas Station along the highway); hire and board jeepney (Php800.00)
08:15 Depart for Magallanes
09:00 Register at Police Station
09:30 ETA Brgy. Ramirez; register at barangay hall (Php20.00)
09:45 Start trek
13:00 Lunch (after second river crossing)
14:00 Resume trek
17:30 ETA campsite

Day 2
06:30 Start summit assault
07:00 ETA summit
07:30 Start descent to camp
08:00 Back at campsite; breakfast
09:00 Break camp
10:00 Start trek
10:45 ETA bahay kubo near last water source
11:30 Resume trek
13:00 Lunch (before third river crossing)
14:30 Resume trek
16:30 ETA barangay hall; wash up
18:15 ETD Brgy. Ramirez via rented jeepney (Php800.00)
19:30 ETA Naic; dinner
21:00 ETD Naic via mini-bus (Php60.00 until Baclaran)
22:00 ETA Manila