Mt. Bincayan
I’ve always, always wanted to climb a mountain and see the sea of clouds. I’ve meaning to climb Mt. Pulag, but haven’t had the chance yet because it requires more preparation and it’s a bit hard to go to when you’re in Metro Manila. As my friends and I looked for more options nearby, we stumbled upon Mt. Bincayan.
Mt. Bincayan is located in Montalban Rizal with it’s main jump off point being in Baranggay Wawa Montalban. It has an 424+ MASL and is known for its Limestone karst and the stunning view of both the Wawa River and the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. We were told it was only difficult 2/9, but what I’ve learned from this trip is that if you’re not super used to climbing mountains especially those with assault climbs, a 2 can feel like a 7.
My friends and I were stupid enough to take a parkour class at Muscle Up Fitness Gym the night before and had very little sleep before doing this hike. I was running on coffee, adrenaline and peer pressure. It’s amazing how a combination of those three can really make a person move! One of the reasons why we chose this hike was that unlike many of our other options, you can actually ride a grab or uber to the jump off point! It actually comes off cheaper when you’re in larger groups if you coming from nearby cities as the fares for 24/7 passenger vans coming from Cubao (infront of Gateway Mall) is Php50 to Montalban and additional Php60 for tricycle that can hold 3-4 people to the jump off point.
The DENR Office opens at 4:30am and it’s the perfect place to take a toilet break before starting your climb. Take that chance or suffer the consequences. When we arrived at the jump off point, it was only then that we realized that there was no signal, no electricity (there was a brown out) and that we were severely underprepared. Thankfully, you can buy climbing gloves at Php50 and water for Php20 in the neighbouring stalls. Don’t try to be cool. Buy the gloves. You will need it.
Please don’t be tricked by those big group organizers. You are prone to injury when groups are too large because the guides can’t keep track of too many people at once, especially when conditions aren’t optimal such as when it’s rainy season and the rocks can be slippery. Go straight to the jump-off point and let a local take you around. They’ll allow walk-ins and you’re better off paying them extra to help the community than paying middle men. The normal rate is Php500 for 5 people in each group for each mountain. Now, unless you desperately need the money, please don’t try to haggle. This is the community’s main source of livelihood. The guides are well-trained, take good photos and will assist you in any way necessary in order for you to have a safe hike. They will risk their lives to get nice photos of you (without you asking) and even talk you through the scary moments! If you can, give a tip. An extra Php50 might be negligible to you but will mean a lot for them!
We arrived a bit later than usual, so we managed to talk to our guide into taking us through an alternative route where we ascend from the normal descent point as to avoid the crowds and arrive at the summit earlier in hopes of still being able to catch the sea of clouds. Big mistake. We missed the sea of clouds and died during the assault climb. So kids, please come early if you want the sea of clouds and don’t try to rush a supposedly 3 hour hike.
While we missed the summit, it was still quite beautiful. The view was worth the assault on my body. I would definitely do it again (with more sleep).
