Mt. Apo Summer Climb a Dream Come True

Entry Point : Sibulan Trail, Barangay Sibulan Sta. Cruz, Davao Del Sur
Exit Point : Mandarangan Trail Kidapawan City

I couldn’t even put in plain words the overwhelming feeling that we survived Mt. Apo, because for an amateur mountaineer like me conquering the Philippines highest mountain peak is really a big time achievement. Thanks to Romar Laurejas for organizing a summer climb at Mt. Apo. Romar is a friend of mine who is also an outdoor enthusiast and a mountaineer.  Because of him I was able to climb the grandfather of all mountains in the Philippines.

Our adventure starts with almost five hours of hiking and river trekking until we reached the Tumpis based camp where we settled our first night of Mt. Apo escapade.

The second day of our trek is headed to the wooden area of Tinikaran all the way to Tinikaran Campsite 1.  We reached the camp at 1:00 pm and some of our colleagues arrived at 4:00pm, so we decided to call it a day and set up our tents due to bad weather. The group could not take the risk of trekking another 3 hours to reach the boulder for safety reasons.

View of Mt. Apo boulders while on our way to the forest of Tinikaran.

Now who got a strong stomach drinking on Tinikaran Campsite 1 water source? I suggest you should not use it for drinking, but if there are no other choices then have it boiled or pour some aqua tabs water purifier on it. Some of my friends just mixed it with juice and iced tea and presto! It’s good to go, especially if it includes Emperador hard liquor.

Since we are now one day behind the schedule of our itinerary, we woke up early and starts ascend to Mt. Apo boulders all the way to the summit.

We do early morning exercise and muscle stretching before we assault.

Eye-catching mossy forest captured on my lens while trekking the forest of tinikaran.

Finally after two hours of trekking we reached the boulder of the great Mt. Apo. The views are remarkable; we excitedly rush to have a photo taken on the gigantic and sulfuric rocks.

We trekked treacherous assault via sulfur and rocks through the boulders, and because some of us doesn’t wear mask we are exposed and inhaled a lot of sulfuric gas that results to dizziness. I also stop and pour some water to my t-shirt and used it as a cover to my face to minimize the sulfur intake. Walking through the boulders really is a thrilling and an adrenaline pumping adventure. We also grabbed some wild berries found at the boulder, which serves us the trail mix while trekking. We spent six hours, trekking the boulders for us to reach the summit.

Wild berries found at the boulders.

Geronimo! After six hours of strenuous trek finally I stand at the altitude of 2956 Meter above sea level (9,692 ft), the grandfather of all mountains in the Philippines and also the highest mountain in the country. 

Lakwatserongmamoy embracing the magnificence view at the summit.

Rocel Sepulveda dedicates her successful climb at Mt. Apo to his loving father who always there to support her, for every outdoor activity she goes to.

Every man who climbs Mt. Apo has their own stories and goals, some wants to fulfill their dream climbing the highest mountain in the country, others want to proved themselves they can do it, and for several people it is a unique and romantic place for their love story. 

Like for these couples Jorge Cueva and Sheilla Vallente, they prefer to have their prenuptial taken at Mt. Apo and choose to have a painful and exhausting climb. I ask them why choose Mt. Apo? Are you either an outdoor enthusiast or a mountaineer? Jorge answered; just want to have a unique and memorable experience that we can be proud of sharing and to tell our remarkable stories to our future children.  Jorge is a chef in an international cargo ship and Sheilla is a teacher. Needless to say, the couples Jorge and Sheilla will surely have a wonderful story to share.

View of Mt. Apo old crater at the summit.

View of summit campsite seen at the peak of Mt. Apo.

Our three nights and four day of expedition will be remembered and treasured for the rest of my life. This summer climb gives me the chance to meet amazing group of peoples from different places. They shared a wonderful memories and a gift of friends. Thanks so much Kampo Uno for the laughs and drunken moments, the gigs and the jamming we shared. Also thanks to KWOC, Romar Laurejas and the rest of the gangs for the awesome adventure we had. Hoping to see you again guys on our future climbs. See you on trail as they said.

And for the aspiring mountaineers and adventure seekers who want to climb Mt. Apo, I suggest you try Sibulan Trail, this is really a very good trail for a hardcore mountaineers and thrill seekers. 


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Fun Summer Escapade at Britania Group of Islands

It is really amazing to visit Tinuy-an Falls and Enchanted River, however Surigao del Sur still has lots to offer for your summer vacation. A white sand beach that is composed of 24 islets scattered around Lianga Bay suitable for the best island hopping experience are called The Britania Group of Islands. 

To make our visit in Surigao del Sur more unforgettable, we use up our last day at Britania Group of Islands. Then we settled at Mac Arthurs Place where the accommodation is cheap and highly recommendable for the nice customer service they have, we fixed our things and prepare ourselves for the next morning Island hopping adventure.

All set and done, the boat that will take us to our adventure is now ready and good to go. So we walk to a wooden pathway that leads us our ride.

The site is remarkably incredible, it’s like a mini Hundred Islands in Pangasinan.

Our boatman includes three islets in their itinerary. First we visit Hagonoy Island, a small pear shape island with a wreck wooden house and has fair share of coconut trees makes it look like a scene from the movie Pirate of the Caribbean.

One of the boat crew assisted us as we get off from the boat.

Views taken from Hagonoy Island

The gangs have their best pose during the showdown between girls and boys photo-shoots.

Group pictures of the gangs as we looked up.

After we feast ourselves with the fantastic view of the island we then headed to our next islet stop, The Hiyor-Hiyoran Island which is rocky and known for its small caves.

Paul brent exploring the small cave and taking pictures inside.

Kathy wrote I love Surigao on the bed of white sand.

Finally the last on our list is the Buslon Island. The small island has a statue of the Virgin Mary which was put up by the island owner. This is also where we took our lunch prepared by Mac Arthurs Place.

The province has a lot to offer in terms of tourist destination. And also don’t forget for your bring home goodies just stop at the REST AREA located at britania, where you can buy various item made of iron wood as they called it.

Surigao del Sur really is a very awesome place to visit, you can even call it a one stop shop. Our stay in Britania is a one worth remembering experience.

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The Enchanted River of Hinatuan

Hinatuan River, locally known as “The Enchanted River” is impeccably flows into the Pacific Ocean. A salt water river that is about 25 meters deep is wonderfully clear and blue, located at Talisay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur. It is also a popular foreign and local tourist destination in the place.

Captivated to experience the miraculous beautiful water of Hinatuan, the gangs excitedly went to the place. As we arrived, it is already a little bit crowded with visitors, so better schedule your trip during off-season to fully enjoy the charmed of the nature.

The place is already fully developed; concrete stairways have been built leading to the river, and there are lots of cottages where you can stay and eat. It is really remarkable, but still I preferred the natural beauty of the river before it was fully transformed into a commercial resort.

Need no worries for those who don’t know how to swim; the resort offers a lifejackets for only 15 pesos for guests who like to experience the delight swimming in the deep blue enchanted river.

At 12 o’clock noon when the bell rings, be sure to get off from the water because this is the time where the school of fishes come into sight for feeding.  The guests are only allowed to stay in the concrete stairways for viewing and no one is allowed to go swimming, while the resort assistant feeds the fishes.

Fishes swarm to foods thrown by the resort assistant.

It was an amazing 30 minutes display of fish feeding. Our hearts is overflowing with enjoyment for the wonderful experience. The Enchanted River once again proves its reputation. So if you’re planning for a good vacation be sure to have this place on your bucket list.

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The Majestic Tinuy-an Falls, reputed as Niagara Falls of the Philippines

Summer is knocking on our doorstep asking for a cool summer vacation, so I and the rest of the gang visits Surigao Del Sur a home of the majestic Tinuy-an falls and it is the main tourist attraction in the City of Bislig. It’s been my long time dream to visit the renowned place; a white water curtain that flows in three levels. Tinuy-an Falls is also one of the widest in the country, people also noted it as the Niagara Falls of the Philippines. I always search the internet for the awesome photos uploaded from the different travel and blog sites. But this time I thank God for giving me a chance to see it for myself.

As we arrived to the place, I immediately brought out my tripod and camera hungrily wanted to take photos from the breathtaking view of the falls. I could not even find a right word to portray the grandeur of the falls, the only word that comes out in my mouth is “AMAZING”! After seeing it personally now I know why it is reputed as the Niagara Falls of the Philippines.

The following photos taken from the entrance of tinuy-an falls.

Im glad that there are no major developments made in the area, though there are cottages and stores it does not affect the raw beauty of Tinuy-an Falls.

Lakwatserongmamoy point the water curtain of Tinuy-an Falls.

They also offers bamboo raft ride for 150 pesos, so that you may able to go near the splashing water of Tinuy-an Falls.

We also trek the 1st and 2nd level of the falls, it wasn’t that hard because you only need to pass the concrete stairway that about 80++ steps to reach the top.

Overall the trip to Tinuy-an falls really amaze us. If someone will ask me to revisit the place again, of course! Definitely without a doubt I will come back.

I would like also to thanks company of cool and funny pipz, you guys are amazing our travel becomes lively and fun. And Ma’am Jesselita Gabisan you serve as our mother during the trip. ;)

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