Mt. Batolusong is one of the most popular mountains for hikers who wishes to witness sea of clouds. Though there’s no guarantee for every visit, but there’s a great chance for it. The mountain is in Tanay Rizal. The trail is composed of rice fields near the Mapatag Plateau and a continues trail to Susong Dalaga Peak. Plus, an option to take a dip in Kay-Ibon falls as a side-trip.
Major jumpoff: Brgy. San Andres, Tanay, Rizal
LLA: 645 MASL / 780 MASL
Days required / Hours to destination: 1 day /1.5h (Mapatag); 3-4 (Susong Dalaga Peak)
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3
Features: Grassland slopes, views of Laguna, Rizal, and Quezon
This mountain is on our top list as we looked for a minor climb (near Manila) with a chance to witness sea of cloud. The Tagalog word Batolusong means “rock tool”. Bato means “rock” and Lusong means “tool for processing rice grains“. Collectively side by side makes up the name Batolusong.
How to go to Mt. Batolusong?
We left Manila at 2 AM. We took a jeepney from Cubao bound for Cogeo Gate (Php 25.00). Then at Cogeo, Antipolo, we took another jeepney to Brgy. Sampaloc(Php 40.00). From there, we rented habal-habal for Php 50.00 one way to get to Brgy. San Andres for the registration.
Start of the Hike:
After the preparation, we started the hike at around 5 in the morning. It was still a little dark because our goal was to reach the summit to witness the sea of clouds. We passed through the middle of a wide rice field as the first part of the trek.
The challenge started as we came to an ascend up to the mountain. It becomes continuous ascending on moderate-shaped stairs. It rained the night before our hike so the trail was really muddy. Good thing we have our gloves because the stone that you will hold on for support is very slippery.
We also passed by a water source which according to our guide is safe to drink.
As we continue, we came to an open grass field that lead us this rock formations. We can see the summit from here. There’s a queue going up to the summit so we have to wait for our turn. And as per our guide it’s more crowded on the weekend.
Moments later, we reached the summit of Mt. Batolusong. The view offers a rewarding scenery and the sea of clouds that we wanted to witness.
We really took our time until the sun was up and the sea of clouds was gone. We found out that there were group of hikers who spent a night there. Cool!
The sun is already up when we decided to descend. We followed the trail going to Kay-Ibon Falls.
After swimming, we took the trail going back to the highway where we rode a tricycle going to the jump-off. A short reminder, I got a small cut on my feet that I got from the sharp grass leaves so please be careful. I was wearing sandals that’s why. If you have trekking shoes, might as well use it to avoid those.
DIY Itinerary:
0130 Assembly at Jolibee, Cubao.
0200 ETD to Antipolo (Cogeo Gate 2).
0300 ETA Cogeo Gate 2. Take jeepney to Brgy. Sampaloc.
0330 Drop off point, Take habal habal to Bgry. San Andres.
0400 ETA Brgy. San Andres. Registration. Acquire guides.
0430 Begin trek.
0500 ETA Duhatan Ridge.
0530 ETA Mapatag Plateau. Sunrise.
0630 Start descent.
0700 ETA Kay-ibon Falls. Breakfast. Swimming. Tidy up.
0900 Proceed to Sitio Kay-Ibon, Marcos Highway.
1130 ETA Antipolo. Take bus/jeepney to Manila.
1330 ETA Manila.
Thank God we were able to enjoy our Saturday with the experience of witnessing sea of clouds in Mt. Batolusong.
You might want to check : Tarak Ridge (Mariveles) Day Hike Itinerary and Guide
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