Climbing Mt. Pulag: Should be on Your Bucket List

written on March 17th, 2014 by Jean Del Mar

With 7,107 islands, there’s bound to be a good place in the Philippines for a little adventure or two. One activity that needs to hit the mainstream is mountain climbing and one of the best choices to do that is in Mt. Pulag.

Mt. Pulag attracts many mountain climbers because of its sea-of-clouds phenomenon. It is the 3^rd highest mountain in the Philippines and Luzon’s highest peak with 2,922 meters above sea level.

The borders between the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya meet at the mountain’s peak. It is also a place where you can find a lot of Dwarf Bamboo and Benguet pines.

Mt. Pulag was declared as a national park in 1987 in order to preserve and protect the ecology and endangered animals of the area. Several tribes in the area call Mt. Pulag home and consider it sacred. The journey to reach this place isn’t easy but I promise you, you won’t regret it!

There are two ways to reach Mount Pulag – it’s either the Ambangeg trail that would take half a day or the Akiki trail which is much harder and takes two days.

Reaching the jump-off point (Kabayan, Benguet) of Mt. Pulag from Baguio City takes 4-5 hours of travel via monster jeep (a capacity of 16 persons). You can rent one for about Php 11,000 (roundtrip fare).

You will need to pass by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) office along the way. In the office, you’ll need to schedule the climb. From there, the climbing team will be briefed with all the Dos and Don’ts of the area. It is also mandatory to get a guide from the office that will lead you throughout the adventure.

Each guide can only handle 10 participants at a time and are paid Php 500 per day. DENR can also provide porters. They help carry your heavy load in going up and back to make it easier and more comfortable for you.

The closer you get to the top, the thinner the oxygen available. Don’t be surprised if you experience difficulty in breathing. It will literarily take your breathe away. So please be careful!

You’ll also notice a mist coming out of your mouth when you talk. This is due to the cold temperature. Better wear thick clothes!

It sounds hard and even a bit discouraging, but nothing beats the feeling of incredulity when you see the sea of clouds right in front of your eyes. It’s almost close enough to feel with your hands!

The challenge of climbing Mt. Pulag is not a joke. You still need to be prepared because of the cold temperature for us Filipinos.

Below is a checklist of the most important things you should bring when climbing with up to areas with cold temperature: