It is a mountain that is a bit challenging, but you will be rewarded with amazing views from the summit, cool weather, and a remarkable experience. Mt. Mantalingajan, or Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape, is situated in Rizal, Palawan, and it is more than 4 hours' travel from Puerto Princesa City. Since Manta (another name given) is located in a secluded municipality, its beauty remains hidden from many hikers. Thus, its richness is well preserved.
Specifications:
- Address: Rizal, Palawan
- Jump Off: Brgy. Ransang, Rizal, Palawan
- LLA: 8°48’N 117°40’E
- Height/Elevation: 2086 MASL
- Hike Difficulty: 9/9, Major climb, Trail class 2-5
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| Photo taken at the Balin-Balin Village. |
The Trails of Mt. Mantalingahan:
- The weather was not well during our hike. After leaving the van, we walked on a muddy and rough road to Balin-Balin village. This village has a few families that use farming as their source of income.
- Their houses are made of nipa and wood.
- From the village, another muddy trail ascends to Mamamahin, the spot where the tall Manguis tree (called Ginoo) is situated. It is also where I heard noises of a festival from the Taw’t Batu tribe (photo below) nearby. They were having their wine party. Then, it's a continued ascent to Magtangob and Sir Buldog’s house.
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| Photo of Tau't Batu tribe members. |
Tau't Batu (people of the rock) are Indigenous people located in some high-lying areas on Mt. Mantalingahan. Today, most of them are still using the ancient ways of living, such as hunting and farming. They also use caves as their home, but some already have houses made of light and sturdy materials like nipa, coconut leaves, and wood. During our visit, I noticed that most women use cloth to cover their bodies while shirts and G-strings for the men.
We passed on the trails and spots such as Mangamot, Camp 1 or the Kabwan Community, Mangkopa, Kawayanan, and Dikloy-Dikloy, which is still part of Ransang, Palawan. The next spots were the Polango, Bonsai (photo above), Gunob, and Paray-Paray campsite. The trail from Paray-Paray to the summit. Another challenging part was trekking to the summit. It wasn’t easy because there was rock scrambling, but the trail had virgin forest, and the ambiance was incredible. Another part was another Bonsai area, which is perfect for a photo background.
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| Photo: Gorgeous summit of Mt. Mantalingahan. |
The Campsite of Mt. Mantalingahan:
- During our one-night camp at Paray-Paray, sleeping in a tent was challenging because it was cold.
- On the other hand, to descend, the trails are downhill and uphill with mossy forest, rock scrambling, loose stones, and soil with a cliff hanging on the side.
- Trails to descend are Lapong, fork trail to Kamantian trail, Nagringgit range, Karim, Kawang-Kawang, and Kupang area.
- We also passed on the community called Perataw.
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