Mt. Gulugod Baboy + Fortalez Island

Mount Gulugod Baboy wasn't the original plan, but since Mount Manalmon has been closed the day before our scheduled hike due to some unfortunate incidents, we went for Mt. Gulugod instead. For hike that is planned the night before, its the best shot we have. Thanks to the blogs all over the internet!

Mt. Gulugod Baboy also known as Mt. Pinagbandirahan arises at 525 MASL and has a difficulty level of 2/9  which makes it very beginner-friendly! We even saw kids on the trail.

It started raining even before we reached the summit. The trail got slippery and made the climb harder but we didn't bother because we're all thirsty for adventure! We weren't so lucky to see the scenic views of Batangas Bay though because there was no clearing, all you can see is fog.

 

According the the blogs I've read, Mt. Gulugod Baboy is just the second summit and Mt. Pnagbandirahan is the third and last summit. The place is also popular for its diving resorts so if you're into diving, Anilao is a great playground for you!

No, it's not sea of clouds, its FOG!

The Summit of Mt. Pinagbandirahan at the background

We decided to head back down just before lunch because we planned to do a side trip in Fortalez Island. Meanwhile on the way down, I passed through these little creatures which are too cute not to be taken a photo of. :)

Fortalez Island is a popular side trip destination for the hikers as well as the divers visiting Anilao. There are boats you can hire to bring you to the Island. The boatmen offered us a Php320/pax boat rental  and that's good for 15 people on the boat. We decided to join with the other groups to cut the cost to its lowest price possible. 

The only downside there though, is that we learned that the boat is good for 12pax only because three of us didn't have life vests to wear. We can't do anything anymore when the boatman said there's no life vests left because the boat is good for 12 persons only and its okay not to wear life vests. All is set`we already paid and the boat's engine has already started. At first its okay, I'm confident nothing unfortunate will happen, we'll just cross and island and will not travel for hours in the sea. But on our way back, the waves started to grow bigger to the point that our boatman had to switch off the engine and our boat would almost jump off the air~dude, I swear I will never ever trust a boatman again when he says its okay not to have life vests on! 

I can't do anything during that moment but pray for our safety and reach the land soon. Thank Heavens we did! :)

Well anyway, here's our travel video and sample itinerary for you!



ITINERARY:
0330 ETD Shaw to Batangas via bus with 'Lemery' sign (yon lang yong meron that time)
0545 ETA Century Mall
0620 ETD to Mabini
0730 ETA at Jump off Point / Wash Up
0800 Breakfast
0820 Start Trek
0930 Campsite / First Summit
1000 Summit
1030 Decent
1100 Lunch
1200 Jumpoff Point / Get ready for Fortalez Island
1400 ETA to Fortalez Island
1430 Swimming
1600 ETD Fortalez Island
1645 Head back to Batangas Grand Terminal
1900 ETA Batangas Grand Terminal / Head Back to Manila
2200 ETA Manila
Contact Person: Ate Lisa 0939 360 3794

EXPENSES:
Shaw to Lemery Php176
Lemery to Manghinao tricycle Php30
Manghinao to Mabini  Jeep Php20
Mabini to Jumpoff Point via Tricycle Php40
Breakfast Php40
Registration Fee Php40
Guide Fee Php500/6 = Php84/pax
Kikiam & Coffee at Campsite Php40
Boat Ride Php320
Shower Fee Php35
Tricycle to Mabini Php40
Mabini to Bus Terminal Php40
Bus to Shaw Php170
Total: Php 1,075

Hope it helps! Til our next hike!