Mt. Batulao - The Green Hike

By: Diana Illustre 1

According to the locals, the name "Batulao" was derived from Bato sa Ilaw which means illuminated rock, wherein a yearly phenomenon was seen during the last week of December, where the sun sets right in the middle of Batulao's two crests, forming a figure of rocks surrounding a disc of red light.According to a survey, Mount Batulao is one of the easiest climbs, which is 811 meters above sea level and considered as a minor climb with 60 to 70 degrees assault.

Moreover, from 2-3 hours of our enjoyable road trip, we all knew that the thrilling adventure awaits you when you reach Mt. Batulao at Nasugbu, Batangas. Through its 360 view, we saw the hidden beauty of Batangas at the peak of Mt. Batulao. I must say that it is really perfect for “barkada” get-aways and it is so affordable. I can prove it because when we do a hike there, my only budget for our trip is just 500 pesos, but guess what, within just 500 pesos, I already enjoyed and experienced the breathtaking beauty and thrilling adventure of Mt. Batulao. It is a day-hike activity and you won't be needing a lot of things to bring if ever you're planning to do a hike at Mt. Batulao. All you need to bring is just a light pack of things such as 2 liters of water, your extra clothes and hiking gears (ropes, hiking gloves, trekking shoes/sandals and tent) and of course food. It is so convenient and cheap right?

And if you're worrying about the difficulty and struggles that you are gonna face once you start to hike at Mt. Batulao, I must say that you should be at least be worry free because the level of its difficulty is rated as 3/10 based on a survey. Also, the safety of the place is guaranteed. You can hire a tour guide if your “barkada” are first timers or you can just explore it which is more exciting and fun! And since we’re kinda adventurers and explorers, we chose to just explore it by ourselves and by that, we can enjoy more and have a bonding with our “barkadas”. There are some locals or “Batangueños” at the pit stop and there are some “sari-sari” stores there wherein you can buy some foods or sanitary needs. Some celebrities had been in Mt. Batulao just like Michael Daez.

Mt. Batulao is now being heard and popular in many different provinces here in the Philippines and some in the other countries. Its cool breeze and green cogon grass that covers the land makes the hikers or tourist love it more and be interested to it.

It has provided campsites in case if you want to have an overnight camp at the mountain. But, bonfires or camp fires are prohibited due to preserving the beautiful green cogon grass that brings the true image of Mt. Batulao and the people there wants a pollution-free environment and finally, they want to prevent accidents and keep the safety of the tourist.

Mt. Batulao is recommended by many hikers for those who wants to try mountain climbing and for those beginners and aspiring mountain climbers. So, if you're looking for something adventurous and fun activity to do in Holy Week, Mt. Batulao is a perfect place to come over and visit.