Showcasing the best of what Cordilleras has to offer to its visitors, that's what Mt. Ulap is. A place where you can walk through the grassland and clouds.
Location: Itogon Benguet, Philippines
Described as a "mini- Mt. Ugo" of some hikers which also showcase the stunning views of mountains in Cordillera with three different peaks. Mount Ulap at Itogon, Benguet is one of the must hike Mountain of the North, not just because of its mild climate cause it is located at the mountain range of Cordilleras, but also because of its beautiful grassland and pine ridges. With the 1846 MASL, difficulty of 3/9 and trail class of 1-3, the mountain is surely a nice way of stretching your body and get some pump ups if you wish to take another hike on a much difficult trail of mountains.
Perfect for day-hike since its just around 40 min to 1 hour away from the side trips area at Baguio City like Burnham Park and some famous restos that will surely delight your appetite. With a range of 8 kilometers we took the hike for about 5-7 hrs since it was raining that half of a day.
Starting our trip from Shaw Blvd, Manila as a meeting place, we have hired a 16 seaters van that will bring us there. Around 11 pm in the evening we departed at Manila and starts to travel to north. We've travel about 5-6 hrs from the pick up point to the entry point at Brgy. Ampucao Itogon, Benguet. At the entry point there are some stalls where you can buy your stuffs if you didn't bring some of the important things to bring for the hike. Also, there are registration to be done before you hike, some explanation to be discuss that will make you acknowledge the rules and regulations that you need to follow while hiking. Always remember the "leave no trace principles" when hiking so you cannot hurt the mountain and most of all our Mother Nature. As what travelers always says "Show your love to the nature and and the nature will gonna show their true beauty on you."
By 6 am in the morning, we start the hike. First a steep cemented trail was to be surpass in order to reach the grassland trail that's going to the first peak which is the Ambanao Paoay. The peak will welcome you with a huge bulk of pine trees and a wide view of the mountains around the area. Of course we also didn't miss the chance on taking great photos at the area and with the area hehe all shots were instagram worthy one. As we continue our hike, the altitude was going higher and higher and our ears has begun blocked out because of the high pressure going to the second peak. A bit of tip for some hikers that will be using their phones to take photos, please do put your phone into an airplane mode so the system can avoid some damages because of the high pressure.
Upon reaching the second peak with a little rain but a huge cotton candy fogs around us at Gungal, we decided to take photos on the famous Gungal Rock where the peak was named and to the Lion Mouth shaped rock at place. As always, even though there's a huge mist at the area, the picturesque Gungal made us feel like in heaven because the fogs contribute to the invisibility of the mountain ranges at Mt. Ulap which give us a heaven feels. The rains continued to fall that time, sadly we didn't have the chance to reach the Mt. Ulap Peak at 1846 m but we still manage to take photos of it behind as a background. So due to the heavy rain we already decided to stop by on a cafeteria area near the peak where you can eat your food and buy some lunch.
Until the rain stops drizzling, we now headed to traverse at Bgry. Sta. Fe, the trail was so slippery because of the rain that turned the track into a muddy one, so we took it slowly coz, we also have some first time hikers together with us. As we reach the exit point, they also offer us there a shower areas in which you can buy soap and shampoos and pay it for 20 pesos. But be ready for the first pour of water on you, cause the water there will definitely awakes you on your tired body and soul hahah...it's very cold like water from your freezer.
Leaving from the exit point, we also decided to go back downtoen and stroll around Baguio City to find and eat some meal before going back to manila. We stop at Good Taste Restaurant where they will tender you with best and delicious Pinoy dishes like sisig, bulalo, sinigang, and many more. The price was very affordable and worthy of the food.We definitely enjoyed it.
Going back on Manila after the hiking, strolling, photo shooting, eating and chitchatting, we definitely built new friends and hiking buddies. Leaving the place made us wish that we should stay a bit longer but it's and Mt. Ulap itself absolutely leave its remarkable and picture perfect view of Cordilleras Mountain Range to all of us.
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