Mt. Mariveles

Mt Mariveles – technically a dormant volcano located in the province of Bataan and is considered the highest altitude in the area. Featuring a breath-taking view of Bataan up north, a glimpse of the World War 2 battlefort of Corregidor to the south, and an exhilarating view of Manila Bay to the east – this is one climb you dare should take!

There are several options on rediscovering this craggy volcano though the most popular ones are scaling it either thru traditional trails of Pantingan Peak (Bagac Bataan) or Tarak Ridge (Mariveles Bataan). The traverse trail is also possible from Pantingan all the way to Tarak! Traversing/reverse-traverse option is obviously the more challenging (8/9) option, but as they say, “The longer you hike, the more beauty you encounter”.

I’ll give you guys a glimpse of what to expect and the basics on how to get there, but for technical details about this, just visit mountain junkies at Pinoy Mountaineers’ here. 🙂 And just a side note – Great thanks to my climb buddies who helped me overcome this traverse thru hell. You know who you are guys! 🙂

So hop on and let’s see what Mt. Mariveles has in store for our rediscovering!

HOW TO GET THERE

Public Transport (to Pantingan Jump off)

1. From Cubao Araneta Center, ride a bus going to Mariveles/Balanga Bataan. We rode at the Five Star Bus Terminal (last trip is 10:15pm).
2. Drop off at Balanga Bus terminal. Here you could probably restock your goods or do one last shopping in 7-11 or take a break at Jollibee! lol.
3. From here, take a jeepney to Bagac Market then take a tricycle ride to Gabon, Sitio Duhatan, Brgy. Saysain. We had a rented jeepney to take us straight to Gabon.
4. Just a few minutes walk from the main highway, you would reach Mang Rey’s house. Which is considered the jumpoff point. You could ask the trike drivers to just bring you to Pantingan’s jump off as well.
5. Secure your guide and start the hike!

Public Transport (back home from Tarak jump off)

1. Well there’s nothing much to say here since Tarak’s jump off is just near the main road. Just find a bus going to Cubao or Pasay (last trip is 7:15pm) or ride a bus to Balanga and there you could ride other buses going to Cubao.

IMPORTANT NOTES!

• Guides are limited. Actually they say there are only two. Mang Rey Jimenez (09282609645) and his companioin Sir Bakwat.
• There are no porters! So if you plan on an overnight, then get your leg muscles ready to carry that full pack load
• Carry 3 liter bladder as water sources for overnight will be a long way to go.
• If you plan to go on a wet season, bring anti-leech kits or first aids to help on removing these blood leeches.
• In an overnight hike, you should reach the campsite before dark (5pm) as the way down to it is deadly and may have a lot of falling debris! So keep your pace fast or if not possible then spend the night at Pantingan peak before going down the campsite (Bakwat riveer – named after the guide I guess).

SAMPLE ITINERARY (overnight hike c/o Frances)

THE HIKE

First off, I would like to apologize for the lack of pictures. This was not expected at all! I came with my Mark II and Hero 4 with extra batteries, a couple of lenses and filters but really had no chance (or no energy) to bring them out from a full packed bag. Though I’ll try and compensate and place a little more detail than I usually do on hikes 🙂

Well the first stage if you could call it that way, is the grassland area, which is probably the last easy trail you would see from here on out.

And next you’d be crossing some little streams or rivers (which I did not have any photo of…). Then you enter the endless assault on the forest! This is crazy I swear – especially if you did not expect it to be this way. It’s like 3-4 hours of continuous assault with a heavy load.

And finally the Summit! Well, there wasn’t any clearing so you guys just be satisfied with our tired looks, a little pinch of fogginess, and a dose of sweat.

And for the hardest part, the descent from Pantingan Peak to Bakwat river. This is where you shouldn’t hike during the night if inexperienced. Not because you couldn’t see anything, but because the slope is very steep and you need a little bit of climbing skills and upper body strength to hold your grip. Whenever you tipped a rock and it falls, always shout “BATO!!!” or “ROCKS” so hikers below you could find shelter! Nevertheless, I did not have any pictures on that so you just have to do it yourself! 🙂

Then after 4-5 hours of going down you finally reach Bakwat River! (which I again did not have any picture whatsoever.lol). It’s hardly a camp site as they say since no flat areas are around really. Guess having your hammock could come in handy sometimes. There are actually 2 campsites (20min apart) both with water sources so if the first one is taken, then hike another 20min to another. Simple as is. haha.

Day 2 arrives and it’s now back to the trail! And not for long, a continuous alternating assault and descent presents itself.

With a little push, we are closing in at El Saco Peak. Time for a short groupie!

A view of Pantingan peak (left peak) just below El Saco Peak.

Finally arriving at Tarak Peak! Please stop vandalizing mother nature!

A perfect view of El Saco Peak from Tarak Peak.

Going down Tarak Ridge!

After a long trek down at Tarak, time for refreshments here at Papaya River.