The Philippines is rich with natural wonders and you cannot discount the majestic mountains that we have scattered among its islands. But sometimes these mountains can be daunting specially to beginners or maybe for the seasoned hiker be to far from the metro. We’ve came up with some of the mountains that one can easily hike as a beginner or a quick trip for the veteran hiker,
1. Batulao
Just about a couple of hours from Manila, Mt. Batulao is one for recommended for newbie hikers. Two trails can be traversed while the new one is advised for the noob. Batulao offers a 360 view of the Batangas – Cavite area that makes it popular for dayhikes.
See here How To Get To Batulao
2. Pico De Loro
Taking its name from a Parrot’s Beak, Pico de Loro’s main draw is a Monolith that protrudes at the edge of its summit. Though a bit intimidating, this monolith can be scaled to the top!
3. Manalmon and Gola
Up north in the province of Bulacan, Mt. Manalmon can be hiked up within just about an hour to an hour and a half. If you feel a bit of in the mood for more you can go straight and hike the adjacent Mt. Gola.
View from the summit of Mt.Manalmon (credits: Storm Crypt)
4. Mt. Pinatubo
Is an active volcano straddling between the provinces of Tarlac, Zambales and Pampanga, yes you read that right it is still active. Hours of walking to and from the volcano account for this hike, what makes it newbie friendly is that most of the hike is done on the vast plains of pyroplastic materials that the volcano spew when it erupted in the 90’s. Even the assault to the mouth of the volcano is a breeze that can be done in about 15 -20 minutes. The challenge here for newbies lies in the hours of walking under the scorching heat of the sun on the best time to visit during summer. Hiking up the volcano on rainy days can be risky as the lahar that you’d be walking on becomes a river of mud when it mixes with the rain.
Hope this list can help you start up your hiking escape every weekend or maybe as often as you can. Just remember to research well before going on a trip to any of them because even though they are easy hikes it can be also dangerous if normal caution is not taken.
Do you have a mountain that you think can be an easy hike near the metro? Let us know through the comment section so maybe we can include them in our next list of easy to hike mountains near the metro.