Climbing Mt. Batulao

Earlier this month, my boyfriend, my best friend and I climbed Mt. Batulao, a popular destination in Batangas with only 2,661 feet in elevation. It’s an easy climb, according to bloggers and true enough, it only took us 2 hours to get to the peak, and around an hour to get back down to our car. Before all that though, we woke up extra early so we could have breakfast at the popular Breakfast at Antonio’s. It was around 8 am when we arrived at the restaurant. The sun was shining, the cool Tagaytay breeze was very enjoyable and the food was simply delicious.

Breakfast at Antonio’s

The view from the restaurant is the famous Taal Volcano, sitting silently on its lake.

Taal Volcano

After our yummy brekky & coffee, we went to KC Hillcrest to park our car. According to some blogs, the tricycle ride from Hillcrest to the starting point of Mt. Batulao costs P 20 per head. However, the tricycle driver charged us P 100 total instead of P 60 (for 3 people). Perhaps he ripped us off (because we had a foreigner w us) or they really increased their rate. In any case, we chose not to ride the tricycle going back. The distance is actually short so we just walked it.

Moving on, we hired a guide (we tipped him P 500 because he was really nice) to help lead the way. Actually, you can just do it yourself since there are tracks already but if you want to feel more safe, it’s good to hire a guide and also help support their livelihood. From what I know, the fee for the guide is only P 300.

Mt. Batulao is quite scenic. It’s hilly, grassy and picturesque.  We were lucky with the weather because it was nice and sunny and the January weather is just perfect for hiking.

Up we go!

with our guide

The view from the top (which is Peak 10) is nice but it’s much more scenic when you are hiking up and down the other peaks.

At the peak

From Peak 10

Refreshments at the top

All in all, it was a good workout. A great outdoor activity which you can do with family and friends. It’s only 2 hours away from the city and you get to pass Tagaytay for some yummy breakfast. Our next goal is to climb Pico de Loro. I heard it’s a more difficult hike and a long one too. Can’t wait for the next adventure!