Mt. Gulugod Baboy: Day Hike and Swimming in Batangas

I’ve been wanting to hike Mt. Gulugod Baboy for quite some time. I don’t know maybe just by the sound of this mountain’s name, I instantly felt the connection. Hahaha!

So entered 2018, I decided to go back to the mountains. On the first weekend of the year, I hiked Mt. Talamitam. Then after a few weeks, I finally decided to climb, Gulugod Baboy. Of course, I’ve read and researched a lot about this mountain before I decided to go for the climb. A lot of travel bloggers are saying that this is perfect for newbies. Well, the same thing I read about Mt. Ulap when I hiked this mountain in 2016.

Well, I think what I was pointing is you never underestimate a mountain. If they said that it’s just a chill and easy climb, never totally believe it, especially if you know yourself that you are not that athletic and all. What I am saying is you always have to prepare. Hiking is not a walk in the park.

So I think my climb to Mt. Talamitam was enough training for me, so after two weeks I hiked Gulugod Baboy.

Start of the Climb

After a land travel of 3 hours, we arrived at Philpan Dive Resort, our jump-off point. I joined a group hike this time and based on our itinerary we’ll have our siesta time at this resort after the climb. Something that I also look forward to.

Prayers

Someone led a prayer. It is important that every hike, we all pray and ask God’s guidance. After that, we registered and then the climb started. The first part of the climb was like an endless walk on a steep concrete road. I am not a fan of paved roads when hiking. For me, it is lot more tiring and boring because the road has the same concrete qualities unlike hiking a mountain trail where you get different level and texture of land.

There, I got a chance to talk to our guide. She said that the real name of the mountain or summit is Mt. Pinagbanderahan (Mt. Pinagbandirahan is the one I saw at the registration area). So I asked, why hikers call it Gulugod Baboy?

She said that once you reach the summit, you’ll witness a series of peaks there and looking at the view, there is a part there that looks like a Pig’s spine or Gulugod Baboy in Tagalog. So the summit is actually called Mt. Pinagderahan then Gulugod Baboy is just of the peaks there. It just so happened that once you rich the summit, a view of peaks that looks like a pig’s spine will welcome you, that’s why mountaineers just call it Mt Gulugod Baboy.

I don’t have problems with that name. Like what I said, I even feel a deep connection with it, especially with the word “baboy” hahaha! Just kidding.

Mas nakakapagod ang sementadong paakyat hahaha!

By the way, this mountain also has an interesting history. It’s original name, Mt. Pinagbanderahan means where the flag was hoisted. Historical accounts revealed that during the World War II, a Japanese air craft crashed on this mountain, but still some soldiers survived. To commemorate their survival, they hoisted a flag on its peak, so locals started calling it Pinagbanderahan.

After walking a seemingly endless concrete road, our guides led us to a steep mountainside where the real hike started. It was raining at that time so our climb was a little bit difficult. This is just one of the scenarios wherein you really need to prepare yourself when hiking. A minor climb like Gulugod Baboy can be a little bit more difficult when it rains.

If you’re following my blog for quite some time, you know that I’m huge and overweight. Hahaha! I know that sometimes you wonder how a fat travel blogger like me is able to hike mountains. The secret is as much as possible I really take my time when hiking. I sometimes get pressured when all of my hiking friends are already there near the summit while me, still working his way through the trail. I balance it, I take enough rest but not to a point that I am becoming a liability with my travel buddies.

That’s what I like about Mt. Gulugod Baboy as well as with the travel group that I joined here. Though most of them are harkor mountaineers we just took our time, enjoyed the views and really conversed with one another. What I did was I started in the middle and then ended up being part of the sweepers because I was slow. Hahaha!

Let’s take some rest

hello there!

Mt. Gulugod Baboy is in a way different from other mountains that I hiked before because we actually past through some houses and private properties there, which is a good thing for me because I was able to rest and buy some ice candy. But I think the best advice that I can give to hikers in this situation is that you really have to pay respect to the small houses and communities that you pass through. Don’t be such an ass by making unnecessary noise, and don’t leave your trash inside their property in case your group decided to sit there and rest. I think after passing through 4 houses, that’s a sign that you are near to the summit.

After enjoying the views and all, we were welcomed with so much clouds near the peak. It was nice to know that we are very near to the top, but it also created worry and in a way sadness to some of my buddies, because we might not get a good weather up there. There might be a lot of clouds that we might not be able to enjoy fully the summit, because we couldn’t see the view.

yun lang walang clearing

We rested for a while at the camping station there. We were surrounded with clouds and I enjoyed the cool temperature. We then followed some of our new friends to eat beside a sari-sari store.

Then lo and behold, I saw a concrete road beside the store with tricycles and some cars from afar. I said, what the F are these tricycles doing up here? Hahaha!

So the rumors are true, that the local government has already created some road and infrastructure going near the summit. So for those who wanted to go to the summit without the effort of hiking, they can just ride a tricycle or have their cars parked there. This is unbelievable, right? So what are they thinking? That they would want the summit to be a major tourist spot that people can go there without the effort of hiking? Come on!

Huwat? Tricycle sa taas ng bundok? hahaha

If you’re planning to hike Mt. Gulugod, do the hikers trail. Okay? Don’t fool yourself of going to the summit but you’ve never really experience the true essence of adventure there because you got there through a tricycle or a car.

Summit without Clearing

So we decided to continue the hike, it was just a matter of minutes and we’ll be at the summit.

As we hiked, we were surrounded by clouds but still, we were positive that we might get a nice view once we arrived at the top. After a few minutes, we reached the summit. It was nice to see some hikers from our group there taking pictures and all, but the sad part was, we didn’t get the nice clearing that we longed for.

I just made the best of the experience. I enjoyed the cool weather at the summit. It’s refreshing and still took some photos, even though the background looked so white. Hahaha! I did some jump shots with my new friends too.

walang clearing sa summit. waaahhh!

Selfie nalang kahit walsng clearing.

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walang himala. LOL!

We stayed there for about 30 minutes to an hour, until we decided to descend. We again passed through the camping station and some of our travel buddies seemed gave up and decided to take the tricycle going back to the jump off.

As for us, the work has just begun. But I was surprised that the trek down and back to the jump off was not that arduous as compared to other mountains that I’ve climbed. Maybe it’s really not that difficult or maybe I was just in good mood to hike.

After about an hour we were back to the jump off point. We just ate lunch first. There’s this small carinderia near the place that offers Batangas Lomi and we tried it. It was filling and delicious, perfect for the hungry and tired hikers like us.

Then it was time for swimming! We spent like a few hours at a cottage at Philpan Dive Resort. It was a perfect time to relax and take a nap, while most of us decided to swim. The relaxing waters was just enough to relax our tired muscles from hiking. It was also a chance to get to know more our new friends there.

Swimming time. Photo Credit: Diana Ludovice of Tara Kahit Saan Travel Group

During late in the afternoon, we decided to take a bath and prepare to travel back home. Well, swimming can be tiring at times also, so before we travel back to Manila we went back to the carinderia and ordered another set of Batangas Lomi. Hahaha!

I particularly enjoyed this hike, maybe because the group of people that I joined are fun to be with even though it was just my first time to meet them all. Hahaha! Kudos to Tara Kahit Saan Travel Group! Check out their Page for more travels.

I also enjoyed the swimming after the hike, it was just perfect way to relax after a tiring hike plus the Batangas lomi really made me happy! The experience made me realize that even though I am not getting any younger, I will still hike once in a while. Mountains give me this tremendous feeling of positivity and motivation. It’s a different feeling once you’re close to nature, and when you reach the summit, you have this feeling of fulfillment that’s just inexplicable. Do you want to also experience it, try climbing a mountain and you can start with Mt. Gulugod Baboy.

How to get to Mt. Gulugod Baboy?

Again, there are a lot of Travel and Hiking group tours that offer hike to Gulugod Baboy. This can be as affordable as Php700 that’s almost everything excluding food of course. For me, I joined Tara Kahit Saan Travel Group and like what I said, I had fun with this group. If you want to go their DIY style, below is your guide.

1. Ride a bus bound to Batangas. There are bus companies in Cubao and Buendia that offer daily trips going to Batangas. Your drop-off point is the Batangas Grand Terminal. Fare is about 170 pesos.
2. For Batangas Grand Terminal, ride a jeepney going to Anilao, and tell the driver that your drop off point is at the Philpan- Mabini Junction. Fare is Php 35.
3. From there, ride a tricycle going to Philpan Resort or you can go straight to the registration area for the Gulugod Baboy hike. Fare is 40 pesos.

Mt. Gulugod Baboy Important Details

I am no expert to mountain climbing so when I hike, I always check Pinoy mountaineer to get the details of the mountain especially its level of difficulty. That’s important for me because I don’t want to end up hiking a mountain that would turn out to be a major climb. Hahaha So here’s the quick details of Mt. Gulugod Baboy from Pinoy Mountaineer website.

MT. GULUGOD BABOY
Location: Anilao, Mabini, Batangas
Jump-off point: Philpan Dive Resort, Anilao, Mabini
LLA: 13°42’55″N; 120°53’43″E; 525 MASL
Difficulty 2/9, Trail class 1-2
Days required / Hours to summit: Half-day / 1-2 hours
Specs: Minor climb
Features: Scenic views of Batangas Bay and Balayan Bay

Mt. Gulugod Baboy Itinerary

Jump Shot sa summit. Photo Credit: Ramon Acuzar Obmerga of Tara Kahit Saan Travel Group

You can always create an itinerary depending on your time availability, but if you’d ask me, it is better to be at the jump off early in the morning. So if you also prefer that here’s your sample itinerary.

3:00 AM – Meet-up and Assembly in Manila/Cubao
3:30AM – Travel to Batangas
6:00AM – Arrival at the jump off point
6:30AM – Registration, Prayers and Breakfast
7:00AM – Start of Hike
10:30AM – Reach the summit
11:30AM – Start to descend
1:30PM – Arrival at the Jump -off Point
2:00PM – Late lunch and Chill’
3:00PM – Swimming time at the resort
5:00PM – Travel back to Manila
7:30PM – Arrival in Manila

Mt. Gulugod Baboy Budget Expenses

hey doggie doggie

Again, you can always opt to choose a travel group which can cost you about Php 700 to Php750, but if you prefer DIY, here are some of the expenses to take into consideration in budgeting.

Bus Fare to Batangas (Roundtrip) – Php 340
Jeep from Batangas Terminal to Philpan – Mabina (Roundtrip) – Php 70
Tricycle from Philpan- Mabini to the registration area (Roundtrip) – Php 80
Registration fee – Php 30 person
Guide Fee – Php 500 for your group
Lomi – allot at least Php 50
Day tour and swim at Philpan Resort – Php 100

Why you should hike Mt. Gulugod Baboy

pababa na kami

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1. Hike Now (Asap) – Why? Because during our climb, we saw some parts of the mountain with bulldozers and all. This just means that huge part of the mountain is being transformed into roads. There will come a time that anyone as in anyone can go visit the mountain without even experiencing the adventure of hiking. Also, it is not fun to hike when the big part of the experience is walking through concrete roads.
2. Good for Beginners – I agree that of all the mountains that I’ve climbed, Mt. Gulugod Baboy is good for beginners. I said it’s good for beginners, I didn’t say that it is easy. Those are different okay? So what I have been reiterating in my blog posts about my climbs, never underestimate a mountain. Even though a lot of people are saying that this is easy or it’s just a pabebe climb, still prepare yourself.
3. Swimming after a hike is happiness – You know how climbing can be too exhausting right? So when I experienced a sidetrip to swim in a resort after a hike, I was just relaxed and so satisfied! If you want to also experience this, hike Gulugod Baboy .

Gulugod Baboy Travel Tips

Take note of this tips when hiking Mt. Gulugod Baboy!

group pic. Photo Credit: Ramon Acuzar Obmerga of Tara Kahit Saan Travel Group

1. Always bring enough water while hiking. Two liters of bottled water is just enough. Please do not throw your bottles anywhere. I noticed that some houses that we passed through while hiking have become a storage or dumping site for bottled water. Maybe the locals there are also earning by selling these to junkshops, but my point is as hikers, let’s be responsible with our own trash.
2. It is also sad to see some trash found on the mountain trail. Some are plastics of chips and snacks. Can we just put our trash inside our bags and dispose it properly when we’re back in our houses?
3. Aside from water, bring enough trail food and packed lunch. Also, don’t forget your toiletries and medicines if you have maintenance meds.
4. If you’re going there DIY, as much as possible be back at the Batangas Grand Terminal in late afternoon. During the night, it is already hard to find a jeppney from Mabini junction going to the grand terminal. Manage your time properly.
5. There are enough guides to assist you with hiking at the registration area. But if you need to contact them in advance, you may contact these numbers 09397907591 and 09208100911.

Mt. Gulugod Baboy Map

There you have it. I hope my story, as well as this guide, will help you in planning your hike to Mt. Gulugod Baboy. You know where to contact me if you need more details or if you have any questions. Thanks for reading!

More Batangas Blog Posts:

• Batangas to Calapan by ferry 
• Beach Resorts in Batangas
• Top 15 Beaches in Batangas
• Masasa Beach DIY Budget and Itinerary

Note: First published on March 30, 2018
Updated on May 20, 2018

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