Monolith as seen from the Parrots Beak
Mt. Pico de Loro also called as Mt. Palay-Palay is the second hike of our group. It is located in the boundaries of Ternate, Cavite and Nasugbu, Batangas. Estimated travel time from Manila to Pico de Loro is approximately 2 and half hours. Hiking specification is minor climb with 3/9 of difficulty as per pinoymountaineer.
If you plan to hike Mt. Pico de Loro, you must have 3 objectives. First is to reach the campsite, second is to climb all the way to the summit or Parrots Beak and finally to get on the top of the famous monolith.
For beginners and nature trippers, this mountain (Mt. Pico de Loro) is the best choice to start. The trail is clearly visible. Tour guide is not mandatory unlike in other mountains, but for beginners we suggest to get one for your group.
The DENR implemented new rules when hiking Mt. Pico de Loro. Overnight camping is not allowed anymore. Cooking, smoking and littering (as always) is also prohibited. Visiting hours is from 4:00 AM up to 3:00 PM. Also they opened the new trail from the DENR registration itself. They say that the new trail is easier than the old trail.
THE TRAIL
Beginning of the trail
During the trail, you may encounter some fallen old trees caused by the past typhoon.
When you saw a lot of bamboo trees in most of the trail, it is the sign that you are getting closer to the campsite.
CAMPSITE
For about two and half hours we reach the campsite. Before ascending the summit, you can rest, eat, take pictures and enjoy the view at the campsite. From there you will see the summit or parrots beak and a little portion of the monolith. Foods and water are being sold at the campsite, it's a little expensive but you can still afford it.
PARROTS BEAK
Approximately 15 minutes from the campsite is the Parrots Beak. Climbing the summit is a little harder than we thought, It's too steep and slippery. One wrong step and you will be going down the hill or worse on a cliff. There are some locals who are offering help to guide you climb the summit. It will cost 50 pesos for each person.
Campsite as seen from the Parrots Beak
Monolith as seen from the summit
MONOLITH
Unfortunately we're not able to climb the monolith due to the high volume of hikers. After spending half an hour waiting in the line, we decided to descend. If you want to climb the monolith, we would suggest that you start your hike and reach the summit as early as possible to avoid the high volume of people in the monolith.
Also, one thing that we observed was the long trail going back to the DENR registration, although it was the same trail that we used to get into the campsite. It's kinda weird but maybe it was just fatigue or exhaustion.
ITINERARIES:
DAYHIKE
0400 Board bus at Coastal Mall Terminal to Ternate (P82)
0700 ETA Ternate. Rent jeepney or tricycle to jumpoff
0745 ETA DENR / jump-off point. (P25 registration)
0800 Start trek.
0945 Reach highest point of the New Trail
1000 Arrival at junction with Old Trail
1030 ETA campsite
1100 ETA summit. Lunch
From this point, take either Option A (Backtrail) or B (Traverse)
Option A: Backtrail to Ternate
1230 start descent to Magnetic Hill
1430 Back at DENR; take jeep/trike to Ternate then take bus back to Manila
1900 ETA Manila.
Option B: Traverse to Nasugbu
1230 start descent to Nasugbu-Ternate Highway
1530 ETA Nasugbu-Ternate Highway.
1700 Arrival in Nasugbu. Dinner. Bus terminal is near Jolibee.
2100 ETA Manila.
Itinerary Source: PinoyMountaineer
