Mt. Gulugod Baboy Itinerary: 2 days

Gulugod Baboy, literally translated, means 'pig's spine'
Hiking, Mountain Climbing | Mt. Gulugod Baboy Traverse
Gulugod Baboy, Mt. Panay via Barangay Gasang to Anilao, Mabini, Batangas
499 MASL (info taken from waypoints.ph)
Hours from Manila: around 3 hours
Specs: Leisurely trekking, camping, view of Calumpang peninsula and optional island hopping side trip.
Trek time: About 2 hours to campsite







Public transportation/Buses to Batangas city:
(here is a list of buses traveling from Manila to Batangas city)
. Jam
. Tritran
. Ceres
. Batangas Starexpress
. RRCG
. ALPS

Notes:
. Mt. Gulugod baboy is one of 3 peaks in Mt. Panay of Anilao, Mabini area. The other peaks are Torre and Pinagbanderahan.

. The easiest way to get to Gulugod Baboy is to take the bus trip going to Batangas City or Batangas Pier via Calabarzon. These buses will get you to the diversion road in Barangay Bolbok (the one with a flyover) faster since the buses ply through the Star tollway.
. The mountain is easy to climb, but I recommend climbing it in the afternoon because there are no shady trees to protect you from the heat of the afternoon sun.
. There is no water source at the campsite, so bring enough water for hydration and cooking.
. Since this is a small mountain, expect grazing cattle, horses and some dogs roaming around the campsite.
. The first few meters of the climb involves walking up a rising paved cement road. The trail is the same towards the end when descending to Anilao side.
. You have 3 ways to get to Gulugod baboy’s jumpoff point in Barangay Gasang coming from Mabini market—A. Hire a jeepney to take you directly to the jumpoff point; B. Take the regular public jeep trip to Barangay Gasang; or C. Take a trike.
. Hiring a jeepney will set you back about P1000-P2500, depending on your haggling skills. I recommend this for a big group to save you the hassle of pooling the people. The jeep can take you as far vehicles can get up the mountain to shorten your trekking time.
. Taking a regular jeepney trip costs around P30-P40.
. You can ride a trike for about P100 and it will accommodate up to 3 passengers- totaling to about P35 per person. Don’t forget to give your driver a tip, especially if you think you gave him a hard time with your huge backpack!
. There is no official registration point in barangay Gasang but prepare a small amount just in case their Barangay already has one.
. Remember to be courteous to locals when passing by private property on your way up the mountain.
. Gulugod baboy’s campsite gives you a 360-degree view of Anilao, Batangas Pier, Balayan bay, Maricaban Strait, Maricaban Island and even Mindoro.
. You are required to pay an entrance fee plus a cottage fee at most of the dive resorts in Anilao. You will have to use their facilities to wash up anyway.

Options:
. This 2-day itinerary can be condensed into a day hike by adjusting the assembly time earlier and eliminating the Mabini market stopover.
. The Gasang trail is known to be the easy trail up the mountain.
. Taking a private car will shorten travel time by about 1 hour. You can park your car overnight at Anilao resorts for about P100. But this means you will have to backtrack and not do the traverse anymore.
. The beach resorts in Anilao are more suitable for divers and snorkelers. You can bring your snorkeling gear to get the most out of the beach since the shoreline doesn’t have big sands.
. Philpan Resort is the popular hangout for hikers coming from Mt. Gulugod Baboy. That’s because it’s the one written in most itineraries online.
. You can also book a room online in Anilao Outrigger Resort in Barangay Solo for a cozy stay.
. You can take an optional island hopping trip to the following neighboring islands: Maricaban, Sepoc point or Sombrero island. These islands have a stretch of white sand beach for swimming.
. The islands are about 30 minutes away from the mainland by boat.
. For the island hopping side trip, you need to hire a pump boat which costs about P1500-P2500 and then pay for the island’s “entrance fee” and cottage rental fee. The entrance fee in Sombrero Island is about P200 per person, cottages are P300-P800. The entrance fee to Maricaban Island is about P70.
. Overnight stay is allowed in the islands, but camping equipment is needed since there are no accommodations, not even electricity.

Budget: around P778 per pax (without the side trip).
Budget estimate for 4 people:
666 (166.50) bus fare to Batangas City diversion road
666 (166.50) bus fare back to Manila
240 (60) Beach resort entrance fee
300 Resort cottage rental fee
80 (20) registration fee
160 jeep/tricycle fare
800 food share
200 misc

*Barangay – a small town.
*jeep/jeepney – public passenger vehicle.
*Tricycle – A 3-wheeled passenger motorcycle.

Grassland campsite offers a scenic view of Calumpang peninsula
Thank the cows for the manicured grass!
Descending to Anilao side
Anilao beach area

Itinerary and expenses recorded on Nov 2010.
Credit to Nono Fines of Dahong Palay Mountaineers for the photos on this post.

11 comments:

  1. Hi Indie Escape,

    May we know the exact junp-off of ur GB climb? brgy.gasang is it same in philpan jumpoff? if no, how far pa mula philpan ung brgy. thanks in advance
    /neo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi neo,
    Bgy. Gasang is located on the other side of the peninsula, on the Batangas bay side. Philpan resort is on the Balayan Bay side, particularly in Bgy. Ligaya. You have to take a different jeep to get there. This itinerary is for a traverse climb.
    Check out this map of anilao, mabini area.
    Thanks!
    Indie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Indie,

    Much helpful for the map also. Will try this trail some time next year. Thanks again
    /neo

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  5. sir thanks so much for ur very informative IT. we used it when we climbed GB last Dec. 26-27, 2010.

    sir, just to give u some details from our hike, we took the jeepney from mabini to brgy. gasang (P10 fare). parang masyado malayo un as jump-off point, ang haba pa kasi nung cemented road from there. fortunately for us may mga dumaang dalawang jeep paakyat naki-hitch kame (gagarahe na kasi). cguro we passed by 3 more barangays before we ended up sa brgy. naambon (un ung tawag ng mga locals eh). from there, trail na talaga and closer sya sa mountain.

    Ang suggestion ko lang sa iba is mag-hire ng jeep or trike all the way up hanggang matapos ung cemented road. yun lang naman sir (or baka sir naligaw pala kame at sa ibang jump-off napadpad.hehehehe)

    Thanks again sir!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi,

    Thanks for the feedback and addiitonal info. This will surely be useful for the other readers :)

    Indie
    PS. I'm a Ma'am ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. ayy Ma'am ka pala! hehehe. Salamat uli ma'am. Tuloy mo lang pagpopost ng mga useful articles. Apir! Happy Climbing this 2011!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Ma'am,
    ask lang po regarding sa IT ng simula sa batangas city, ano po ang pwedeng sakyan papuntang philpan resort? pwede naman po doon na magstart ng trek di ba? kasi mukha ngang mapapamahal kami kapag nag Brgy. Gasang e. We are planning to go there this coming 21 - 23.

    thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi,

    To get to the Anilao side jumpoff, take a jeep going to Anilao and get off the the pier area. Next take a jeep going to Solo (Sulo) and alight at Philpan resort.
    The brgy Gasang trail is easier and you'd get to see both sides of the mountain when you follow this IT :)
    Let me know how your trip went!

    Indie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello, nice post. me and my friend are planning to climb this april 16&17. Do you think we still need a guide or it's easy to see the trail? It's our first climb.

    Another is, which is better? Sombrero or Maricaban? Cause my friends raved about Sombrero, pero medyo mahal pala entrance fee dun compared to Maricaban.

    And is there a way to haggle the price of the boat going to the island? dalawa lang kasi kami e, costly ang 1500-2500.

    thank you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Sha,

    This mountain is really easy to climb. If you're in doubt with directions, just ask the friendly locals :)

    For your side trip, it depends on several things:
    Time - Sombrero is nearer and Maricaban is farther;
    Hang out - Sombrero doesnt have shady trees and beach line is shorter; maricaban has cottages but it's on a 1st come 1st serve basis, beach line is longer.
    Budget - I think it's easier to negotiate the boat fee to Sombrero than in Maricaban. Nonetheless, it's up to your haggling skills :)

    My suggestion... just stick to the mainland beach coast and use your money to rent snorkel gear and good food as a reward for conquering Mt. gulugod Baboy!

    Let me know how your trip goes!
    Thanks for visiting!
    Indie

    ReplyDelete

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