Eating?
Go shopping?
Sleeping all day long?
Nowadays, it is so common that if someone is in MAOY mood, they'll go mountain climbing to ponder chuchu and etc lol. Mountain trekking, aside from being the stress reliever for some, mountains also became the instant witness on how maoy you are. Luhh!
Sa bukid nga imong gi lakwan
Murag feelings nimo niya, walay padulngan
Sakit huna hunaon
Pero sa kasakit sab kita makat on
Ayaw pag pakabuta bungol
Sa gugmang makagu-ol
Kung tumang kasakit ang matagamtaman
Hununga ug putla ang tanan
Dili lang ko ni tas-on
Para kita maka move-on
The trail to Mt. Kalbasaan
As far as I know, there are three trails going to Mt. Kalbasaan, one is via eskina Pakigne Minglanilla or eskina Tubod, second is via Camp 8 Minglanilla and third is via Camp 7 at the same town. Camp 7 and Camp 8 can be reached via Brgy. Lutopan in the Municipality of Toledo.
Our first time in Mt. Kalbaasaan
Actually, I've been in Mt. Kalbasaan twice already, the first time was 4 weeks ago with Patrick, Char, Rell, and Frances. We went there on our own. We had an itinerary but we did not have a guide and did not know which trail to follow but thanks to maps.me for helping us out.
During that time, we went there via Pakigne Minganilla or eskina Tubod, there was also an event held on the same place and the same trail, it was a trail run organized by (I forgot the name). So yea, since we have the same destination, it was easier for us to go to Brgy. Kalbasaan by following their trail.
One thing that you need to know if you are to go to Mt. Kalbasaan via Pakigne Minganilla or eskina Tubod is that your endpoint should be in Brgy. Kalbasaan Elementary School. From there, you may ask the locals where is the trail going to the peak of Mt. Kalbasaan. People there are very friendly and approachable by the way.
Mt. Kalbasaan is just 5-10 minutes away from Brgy. Kalbasaan Elementary School. We did not stay there for a long time because we have to go to Camp 7 then to Biga Pit and finally to Puting Bato but what’s interesting was that we have no idea where the trail is.
With the help of some locals, we arrived at Camp 7 safe and sound by asking which way to go and in Camp 7, we also met Benj and Lin then we went to Biga Pit together.
About Mt. Kalbasaan Peak
The peak offers a friendly environment, with spacious campsite and spectacular panoramic view of the City of Naga, Toledo City, and some awesome mountains. We also enjoyed and wowed by the spectacular sunset from the peak, to the City lights and of course to the sunrise on the next day. As mentioned above, Mt. Kalbasaan is a really a good place to camp for it has a big flat surface perfect for camping.
The second time in Mt. Kalbasaan
Just a week ago, we visited Mt. Kalbasaan again, now with another group of Laagan, Sheila, Salve, Char, Cherry, Angel, Karen, Yda, and Mark. This time, we took a different trail, it’s the reverse version of our trail before. We went to Puting Bato first in Lutopan then to Camp 8 then finally to Mt. Kalbasaan. We spent our night in Mt. Kalbasaan during that visit.
It was our first time going to Mt. Kalbasaan via Camp 8 so technically, everyone was not familiar with the trail. Gladly, the locals in the place were so approachable and helped us with what direction to take.
The locals said that there were two trails going to Mt. Kalbasaan in their place, first was the easy one and the second is kinda full of an uphill trail and it’s the shortcut. Pero kay feeling harkor man lage, we chose the second trail. The second trail is indeed air and water consuming due to a lot of assault trail.
It was our first time going to Mt. Kalbasaan via Camp 8 so technically, everyone was not familiar with the trail. Gladly, the locals in the place were so approachable and helped us with what direction to take.
The locals said that there were two trails going to Mt. Kalbasaan in their place, first was the easy one and the second is kinda full of an uphill trail and it’s the shortcut. Pero kay feeling harkor man lage, we chose the second trail. The second trail is indeed air and water consuming due to a lot of assault trail.
Fun Fact
We passed by a house wherein there’s a lot of pinkish Tambis. It’s so tempting that we even said "manguha ta wala bitaw tao", we thought that it’s an abandoned house but a few seconds later, an old lady went out and ask if where we were heading. We said where going to Mt. Kalbasaan but we don’t know the trail, manang said, we were at the wrong way but we can pass through a different trail right next to her corn farm.
Before we proceed, we asked manang if we can have some Tambis for us to eat along the trail. Manang was so kind and she let us pick some fruits for free and showed us the trail later on.
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Before we proceed, we asked manang if we can have some Tambis for us to eat along the trail. Manang was so kind and she let us pick some fruits for free and showed us the trail later on.
The trail going to Mt. Kalbasaan
Since we didn’t know the trail going to Mt. Kalbasaan, we went through a lot of shortcuts even if we don’t even know where it would lead us. In every Y shape trail we encountered, we just followed our instinct until we arrived at a very small village with only 3-4 houses. The place was very nice, we even stayed there for a couple of minutes and took some photos, we call it Ilaya Peak since it is located in Sitio Ilaya, Toledo City.
Even if we did not have the exact trail to follow, we still enjoyed our hike because of many spectacular and “instragrammable” views that we encountered along our way to Mt. Kalbasaan.
Even if we did not have the exact trail to follow, we still enjoyed our hike because of many spectacular and “instragrammable” views that we encountered along our way to Mt. Kalbasaan.
Biga Pit
Biga Pit is located in Sitio Biga, Toledo City. We didn't know the trail going to Biga Pit from Camp 8 but as per advice from some locals, we can just walk going there but it’s kinda far.
We tried hiking to Biga Pit but at the middle of the road we felt so much hunger and we were so tired. So we decided to ride a habal-habal going to Biga pit for P20.00. If you will be riding a habal-habal from Camp 8's road, the fare would be P50.00 per head (as of the writing of this article).
We tried hiking to Biga Pit but at the middle of the road we felt so much hunger and we were so tired. So we decided to ride a habal-habal going to Biga pit for P20.00. If you will be riding a habal-habal from Camp 8's road, the fare would be P50.00 per head (as of the writing of this article).
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Puting Bato
The next place in our itinerary from Biga Pit is Puting Bato in Lutopan, Toledo City. It may take 10-15 minutes travel from Camp 8 to Lutopan proper. From there, we ate our lunch before going to Puting Bato. Puting Bato is located 20-30 minutes away from Lutopan National Road.
If I would compare Puting Bato to anything, I would compare it to a bar of Toblerone. Because of its form and its edge, it has an almost perfect flat edge for which it may look like a bar of chocolate standing somewhere. At the peak, is the panoramic view of Lutopan Toledo City and the mining area in Sitio Biga.
If I would compare Puting Bato to anything, I would compare it to a bar of Toblerone. Because of its form and its edge, it has an almost perfect flat edge for which it may look like a bar of chocolate standing somewhere. At the peak, is the panoramic view of Lutopan Toledo City and the mining area in Sitio Biga.
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Climb at your own risk.
No safety gear
No professional guide
The trail is not safe
Pointy and deadly rocks
There's a part of the trail going to the peak of Puting Bato where you need to do a literal rock climbing or rappelling with no safety gears at all, so basically, you really have to climb at your own risk. "Kupot ug tarong bes, tunob sa sakto nga bato ug tikang sa saktong tikanganan, ky dili ni pareha sa pag ka fall nimo niya nga puede raka mo hilak sa tago".
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One thing that you need to consider before going to Puting Bato is the weather because of course, the rock will be slippery when they are wet, better safe than sorry mates.
Surely, there are no laws that would prevent you from doing something or fun activities as long as you do not disturb others or hurt nature and environment, Right?
Enjoy your trip and let your worries go away even just for a day! Always remember The Leave No Trace Principles.
- Plan ahead and prepare
- Travel and camp on durable surfaces
- Dispose of waste properly
- Leave what you find
- Minimize campfire impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of other visitors
LEAVE nothing but FOOTPRINTS, TAKE nothing but PICTURES, KILL nothing but TIME.
Thank you to Lochie for helping me in this article. Credits to Patrick, Cherry, and Shiela for some photos I used in this post.
Cheers mate!
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