Hiking seems to be a really popular activity this year, and this has resulted in many of the more common trails near Manila, specifically the ones in Batangas, becoming densely packed with new and old hikers alike. The province of Rizal offers a small but fun to hike mountain in the form of Mt. Tagapo, and for this day hike adventure I joined local hiking company Trail Adventours (trailadventours.com) with my students from Primal Ape CrossFit.
Philippine Day Hikes – Mt. Tagapo with Trail Adventours
Mt. Tagapo is located within an island within the town of Binangonan, in Rizal, Philippines. Trail Adventours arranged for our group a van that took us to the jump-off point at Binangonan Port. The drive took about three hours that allowed many of us (myself included) to catch up on some sleep before the day hike.
At the port, we parked our van and headed straight for our ride, a motorboat, which will take us to Talim Island, an island in Laguna de Bay – the largest lake in the Philippines. Talim Island is famed for its dense bamboo forests, a major source of livelihood for the island’s locals. Unlike many islands though, Talim Island’s main attraction is not a beach but the conical peak of Mt. Tagapo.
After arriving at the small port on Talim Island, we proceeded to acquire our local guides. Our lead guide Hennessy gave a quick briefing on the “Leave No Trace” principle, and we were off!
