Mt Sawi Daytrip Notes

Difficulty: Easy, Mt Sawi circuit can be finished in 4 hrs with plenty of breaks.

How to get there: Bus from Five Star/ ES Transport Cubao to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija , then jeep from Cabanatuan to Gabaldon (but earliest jeepney trip may be around 6am)

Expenses:

P20 - Registration per head
P500 - Guide for up to 10 people (The hike was easy and quick)

Hiking Notes & Tips

Start early. Hydrate properly. Bring sun protection such as caps/ shades/ sunblock/ umbrella, etc. The hike may be easy, but the humidity and heat can make it excruciating. We climbed 7am and was back before 11am, but the heat was already enough to make it difficult for me to breathe.

Good for beginners - nice view and easy trail.

You can also do a twin hike of Mt Sawi and Mt Mapait

Photos

View from Summit

Simbahang Bato

Cogon grasses trail

See you around!
Arlet

Mt Sipit Ulang Daytrip Notes

Mt Sipit Ulang Summit (Sipit Ulang translates to crab claw)

Activities: Hiking, Caving, Rock Climbing & Rappelling, Swimming (Falls)

Difficulty: Mostly easy, can also choose to do some tricky rock climbing parts which may be scary for beginners. These parts can be skipped too, without affecting the original trail.

How to get there:
Fx from Farmers Cubao going to Eastwood Montalban – drop off at Total Gas Station, 1hr (50php/head)

Tricycle to Brgy Mascap Jumpoff , 30 mins (30 php/head or 150 php/tryk)

Budget & Expenses:

Transpo (back and forth) – P160 / head

*For going back from Brgy Mascap jumpoff to Eastwood, you might need to pay for the whole tricycle because there are rarely other passengers going back,

Guide - P500 / group (no sidetrip, max of 5 people)

Travel Notes & Tips

The trek to summit is around 2hrs including LOTS of picture taking and stops already. It can be finish in an hour if your group is not as addicted to picture taking as my group was :D

The trek from summit back is less than an hour

Bring headlamp for the caving part (Phone flash light is okay too, but then you won’t be hands-free)

Use small day pack for the caving part (Full pack is okay too, but challenging to fit some of the cave trail)

No river crossing (summer season, around March)

Gloves will be of big help for rock climbing since the rock formations are sharp

The trail we took are as follows: (1) Snake Trail, (2) Tanawan Bridge, (3) Paniki Trail, (4) No Name (as of March 2017) Cave, (5) Summit.

You can also do twin hike or side trip to Payaran Falls.

Photos

See you around!

Arlet

Caliraya Resort Travel Notes

Activities: Obstacle course, Cycling, Swimming, Kayaking, Fishing, Golf, Zipline, Bonfire, Hanging Bridge

How to get there:

I went there via private transpo, and just used Waze, allot 3-4 hours travel time. I headed out late, thinking that I was just going to nearby Laguna and travel would be max 2hrs, but it was actually far, and was near Pagsanjan already.

Travel Notes and Tips

I enjoyed my stay a lot even if I didn’t get to try all the activities, due to bad weather and late arrival in the area. The staff were nice and accommodating

Because of the bad weather, I stayed indoor the whole day for my first day. Good thing the hut in the fishing village had good ambiance and amenities. Had I stayed in a tent, I might have been sulking the whole day.

Better to eat in the Residence Hotel area rather than wait for the food to be delivered in the clubhouse. There is a free shuttle to and from these locations.

See you around!

Arlet