When you ask people about the mountains they know, most people would probably name the more popular ones, perhaps Mt. Mayon or Mt. Apo or Mt. Arayat. But how many people have heard of Mt. Talamitam, Mt. Hapunang Banoi, or Mt. Manalmon? We do not have a shortage of destinations to choose from, and if one is inclined to shed some sweat and stretch their legs, there is no lack of mountains, especially in our country. It's just that many are not aware that many exists and are open for exploration.
For our next steps, we head back to Tanay, Rizal to visit the mountains of Cayabu and Maynuba as well as some of its waterfalls.
The Mountains of Tanay
Located deep into the ends of the Sierra Madre range at Tanay, Rizal, Mt. Cayabu and Mt. Maynuba rise to heights of 700+ meters above sea level (MASL) and 662 MASL, respectively. Other hiking destinations close by includes Mt. Batolusong and Mt. Mapalad. The place also boasts of several streams and falls which feed into the nearby rivers.
Travelling to Tanay, Rizal
Commuting to Barangay Cayabu, where the jump off point is located, at early in the morning might be difficult. Thankfully, we are also accompanied by our trusty car-owning friend who generously picked us up from our respective homes in the early hours of January 22. We navigated via Marilaque Highway to reach Tanay Rizal.
We suddenly felt dread when heavy rain poured down. The rain brought back memories of muddy trek but we are more worried that the rain might last for a longer time. Thankfully, the rain subsided after a while.
On the way, we passed by Barangay San Andres which is where the jump off point for Mt. Batolusong is located. It was around six in the the morning when we arrived at Barangay Cayabu.
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| Barangay Cayabu at early in the morning |
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| The registration area at Barangay Cayabu |
At the parking area, we saw that there are already other vehicles parked, possibly those of other climbers that had already started their treks. The local people directed as to the registration area where we learned that there are other points of interest aside from Mt. Cayabu and Mt. Maynuba including another peak, Mt. Ayngat.
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| Points of interest from Barangay Cayabu including Mt. Ayngat |
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| List of fees |
At the registration area, we first logged our personal information and paid the fee of Php 100. The tour guide fee is Php 500. At this point, we are introduced to Rocky who will be our guide for the whole trek. As mentioned, there are also other activities that can be done aside from mountain climbing. The poster lists the fees for other activities as well as the breakdown of the registration fee. They also have different packages with different combinations of destination. Among them are:
- Mt. Cayabu, Mt. Maynuba, 8 falls
- Mt. Maynuba, 8 falls
- Mt. Ayngat, 8 falls
- Mt. Ayngat, Asmican falls
- Trilogy (Mt. Cayabu, Mt. Maynuba, Mt. Ayngat), 1 falls
We decided to take on the Mt. Cayabu, Mt. Maynuba and 8 falls package. Unfortunately, at the time, only three of the eight falls can be visited.
The Twin Hike
Our trek started at around 6:30. Immediately as we started, we are joined by a stray dog. We first thought he would accompany us at just the initial part of the trip, maybe once the paved road ends.
Oh how we underestimated his intripedity.
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| A dog's journey begins |
The walk through paved road was quickly followed by bare earth trail once we passed by a steel bridge. From here we can already see Mt. Cayabu from afar. Behind it would be Mt. Maynuba.
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| Mt. Cayabu at a distance |
The path was then lined by calamansi trees. Behind us, there are still other mountains looming over us and we wondered if they can also be explored.
Mt. Cayabu
The trail then comes at a fork and once we went right, we are greeted by a ropeway, which was definitely a big help since the trail was starting to incline and after the rain earlier, it was slippery due to the mud. This was the first of the many ropeways that we would have to take advantage of.
It was already thick with greenery but for what it's worth, the plants were not fully overgrown or were trimmed just enough to allow a comfortable moving space for the climbers. Itchy skin is one less worry and we can focus on maintaining our balance on the slippery slopes.
While going up Mt. Cayabu, we are still provided with beautiful views of the plains below and its surrounding peaks.
Oh and the dog is still following us.
Finally, a little close to eight in the morning, we finally arrived at a rocky area littered with dry leaves underneath a thick canopy. Apparently, we are already at the summit of Mt. Cayabu. There's not much fanfare as we made our stop. The place is replete with trees and bamboo, blocking away any view from outside. Nevertheless, we are glad to have finally completed our first summit for the day.
And yes, the dog was still with us.
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| At the summit of Mt. Cayabu |
We had a short rest and had some refreshments and munched on bananas (potassium is your friend) and offered a nibble or two to our canine friend. I asked Rocky where does the name Cayabu came from. He told us that the area once belonged to a man named Ambo (Tagalog, kay Ambo, belonging to Ambo). And while on the topic of names, Mt. Maynuba gets its name from the tuba plant, typically used as a herbal medicine.
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| Bamboo and balete trees at the summit |
Shortly afterwards, we began our descent through the bamboo grove as we make our way to Mt. Maynuba. The ropes proved to be a big help especially when going down.
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| Rope walk down from Mt. Cayabu |
Mt. Maynuba
It took us almost two hours to reach the next summit. At ten in the morning, still guided by ropes and accompanied by what was starting to become our mascot, the dog. Sometimes, he would wait for us and would even ask for head scratches which we graciously give. The dog gave us some sort of relief as we made it to the summit of Mt. Maynuba.
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| Summit of Mt. Maynuba. Tinipak River down below |
In contrast with the summit of Mt. Cayabu, you would have a clear 360 view of the surrounding mountains of Tanay as well as of Tinipak River as it cut through the mountains. I guess it was better that it had rain earlier rather than later since there is not much cover at the summit—it was mostly grassy—and it was better that it is us soaking in the beautiful view rather than us getting soaked. And the sun was still hiding behind the clouds so it was not a scorching ascent.
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| At the summit of Mt. Maynuba |
Yes, the dog is still with us, magnificently pictured here.
From the summit, we walked furthermore to see more of the rolling hills. A few boulders strewn here and there provide a good platform for more photo ops.
Content with what we had witnessed, we slowly made our down by the grasses. Again, we are thankful that the trail was properly maintained in addition to the added rope walks. It was now past eleven in the morning when we started our descent.
Waterfalls Hike
The rain earlier still hounded us as it made the trek back arduous. We had a number of near slips but we managed to maintain our balances and pride. The trail to the falls included walking past a number of streams. Wearing my sandals proved to be a good decision as the walks on running cold water was soothing to my feet.
At one point we had to give a lot of encouragement to the dog to cross the river, otherwise, he would be left alone in the middle of the forest.
We reached the first of the three falls by around 1:30 in the afternoon. It is worth noting that the falls are just part of one stream just making its way down from the mountain. We could have taken a dip below the pools of cold water but we just opted to cool our legs.
Going farther down and passing more bamboo trees, we arrived at the next smaller falls.
Before finally reaching the last one.
It was already past three in the afternoon when we finally descended and started to walk on flat ground. We passed by some wild pineapples and cacao trees before finally getting back to the registration area.
The dog is definitely tired as well and our friends has been generous and bought him a tin of sardines, which he devoured in no time.
It was a long day and our legs and leg wears are muddied so we opted to take a shower in the baths provided at the parking area. Shower costs Php 20 per person and it was a very refreshing shower, the waters most likely from the mountains as well.
Wrapping up
All journeys come to an end and sadly we had to part with the friends we met along the way. Such is the case with the dog, who bravely joined us all the way, all day. We know he is a good dog and we hope that visitors and locals would treat him kindly.
There is a lot more left for us to explore and we barely scratched the surface of all the places that can be explored. Clichéd as it may sound, there are clearly some things that you take with you from visiting these places.
After settling all matters, we left Barangay Cayabu in search of a hearty meal. Our first proper meal of the day ended up at Dampa in nearby Baras, Rizal.
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