Twin hike at Mt. Cayabu and Mt. Maynoba + 8 wonder falls!
It’s a busy day at work when a co-worker asked me if I want to join them at their hiking trip for the coming Holiday of that week.. I am a bit hesitant at first but I decided to give it a try. So, at that moment, I planned what I will wear, the things I will bring and the food I will eat at the trip because this is my very first time hiking and I AM SOOOOOO NERVOUS AND EXCITED at the same time. He he
On the night of the departure, we just prepared the things we needed and took a 20 minutes nap, we departed from Pampanga via NLEX at 1 am and after traveling a super rough road for nearly 4 hours which didn’t stop me from sleeping, (lol) we arrived at Brgy. Cayabu trail head at 5am which is a little bit late because our target is -- at 4am we already need to start hiking in order to witness the cloudy expanse or what they call “sea of clouds” like the view at the mountain tops of Sagada. But unfortunately, we arrived late L Our organizer (Hi, Miss Mariz! Hehe) listed our names and number at a sheet of paper and left it in the office at the trail head. We waited so long for our tour guides, they told us that there were no available guides because they attended a party the night before at the Baranggay Fiesta nearby. Sheesh!! Goodbye sea of clouds huhu.
The guides arrived, introduced themselves to us and led a prayer before we start. We started hiking before 6 in the morning, it is still dark so I struggled walking a little bit because I forgot to bring a flashlight. Good thing our guides have flashlights. We have three guides in the beginning.. the path going up is a little muddy because it’s drizzling, the darkness and the mud made it so hard for all of us to walk. I don’t have any pictures because as what I’ve said, it is still dark.
We arrived at the top of Mt. Cayabu at 6:20 am, right when the sun starts to rise. Here is where I start to capture photos, as you can see, my sweat is very evident especially on my shoulders near my armpits, looool. We just rest, hydrate ourselves and of course took group photos as well as solo ones.
After resting for a bit, we continued trekking and taking photos along the way, catching breaths in between..
How can I describe the trail? Hmmm.. It's very unpredictable, it looks easy but then when you are the one trekking, it doesn't feel as easy as what it looks like.. The scenery is super breathtaking, literally. Hehe
At 7:30 am, we rest for a bit again, I don't know what this place is called, but compared to the peak of Mt. Cayabu, we have a good view of the scenery and nature here.. There is no phone signal along the trail but when we arrived here, I got the chance to go live on facebook for 5 minutes or so.. Photo ops and meryenda eating then off we go..
Here comes the "Kuya, malapit na ba?' :D Our companions still have the energy to crack jokes and interview our guide who is the only one left. Me? I'm super tired but I have no choice hehe, well, I'm determined to reach the top. Konti nalang! Keri pa yan! :D
AND ATLAST!!! WE REACHED THE TOP!!! OMG! It's 8:30 am already, after 2-3 hours of trekking, here we are!! Super worth it! And check out that rainbow! Superb!!! After 45 minutes of rest and photoshoots, we descended to the other side where we passed 8 (eight) water falls.
Look at that!! #naturelovin'
The first photo was at the peak of Mt. Maynoba while the second was at a large rock/boulder we passed while going down. I have the guts to climb that big rock hehehe, well #amazona
We didn't passed all of the eight waterfalls because we took a short cut route to reach the 8th and biggest water falls.. Here are some photos of the waterfalls we passed. Unfortunately, I'm unable to take a photo of the 8th falls with a small stream where we can take a dip because my phone ran out of battery huhuhu so sad. I didn't took a dip because of tiredness, all I want is to rest.
When we arrived at one of the falls at 11 am, we ate lunch, hmmm what a sumptuous lunch! We stayed there for an hour then continued descending back to the trail head. We arrived at the biggest falls after a 20 minutes trek, some of our companions took a dip.
We arrived at the trail head at 3 pm, took a bath and change to fresh clothes at one of the comfort rooms where you need to pay per use. At 4pm we departed from there and stopped over at U.P. Town Center where we ate our dinner.
Here are the infos:
Mt. Cayabu and Mt. Maynoba traverse
Mt. Cayabu: 520 masl
Mt. Maynoba: 662 masl
Trail Length: 7 km.
Trail Head: Brgy. Cayabu Tanay, Rizal
Specs: Minor Climb
Difficulty: 3/9
Trail Class: 1/5
Features: Tropical rainforest scenic views of Sierra Madre mountain, sea of clouds and waterfalls.
8 WONDER FALLS:
- Natatagong paraiso
- Catmon
- Ginintuan
- Gugulong na bato
- Lantay
- Pantay
- Mangganiso
- Maynuba
Event fee: 800 php
INCLUSION :
* Van rent (back and forth)
* Driver’s meal
* Registration Fee
* Eco-Tourism Fee
* Tour Guide Fee
* Event Fee
* Thanks to Ms. Mariz for these infos :) *
Things I brought:
- Cap
- Sunblock
- Toiletries (Soap, shampoo, deo etc.)
- Extra money
- Phone
- Alcohol/ Sanitizer
- Flashlight (I forgot this thing– the most important, lol)
- Walking stick
Foods I brought:
- Breakfast: Sandwich
- Lunch: Fried Pork and Chicken + Rice
- Lots of water!! Ideally at least 2 Liters
- Dinner: We just ate at a fast food restaurant when we stopped over at UP Town Center on the way home
What I wore:
- Long sleeves shirt underneath
- Baggy shirt
- Leggings
- Shoes (My shoes are not for hiking huhu)
- Cap
Itinerary:
12:00 am - Assembly time
12:30 am - Estimated time departure
03:30 am - Estimated time arrival at Brgy. Cayabu trail head. Register / secure guides
04:00 am - Start trekking
05:00 am - Estimated time arrival at “Mt. Cayabu”
05:45 am - Estimated time arrival at “Mt. Maynuba” viewpoint
06:30 am - Continue with loop hike
07:30 am - Pass through the eight waterfalls. Take a dip
09:30 am - Continue trekking back to trailhead
12:30 pm - Back at Brgy. Cayabu trail head
02:00 pm - Side trip to Pililia Windmills
03:00 pm - Head back to Pampanga
08:00 pm - Estimated time arrival at Pampanga
