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Mt. Binacayan (424 MASL) - Climb to the Clouds

Name: Mt. Binacayan Elevation: 424+ MASL Location: Montalban, Rizal Jump Off Point: Brgy. Wawa Montalban Difficulty: 2/9 Features: Limestone karst. Scenic of the Sierra Madre Range and Wawa River

Me and my sister was invited to join a trek organized by one of our friend to Mt. Binacayan. The mountain is one of the most hiked and a beginner-friendly mountain located in the province of Rizal. Mt. Binacayan can also be part of a trilogy along with Mt. Pamitinan and Mt. Hapunang Banoi.

How to go there?

Ride a UV Express in Cubao, beside Jolibee Farmers. Fare is Php 50. From there, ride a tricycle to Sitio Wawa and alight at the DENR Registration area. Fare is Php 60 good for up to 4pax. Register, secure guide and start the hike.

A quick history. The Mount Binacayan and Mount Pamintinan is a part of Philippines history and legend. One of the famous myth is about Bernardo Carpio a legend having a great strength, is trapped in between two great rocks in the mountain of Montalban (Now Rodriguez Rizal) separating it that resulted to the mountains of Binacayan and Pamitinan.

The first part of the climb is a chill trek until we reached the trail that consists mainly of limestone. It rained the night before we trek so the rocks are slippery. Good thing we bought our gloves.

We were able to catch a glimpse of the sea of clouds.

We continued to trek on this rocky assault. The climb is not that easy. This trail still made my knees ache.

From this “Rockies”, we continued the trek on this rough limestone formations. After 30 minutes we reached the viewing point.

There are a lot of peaks where we can take pictures.

Then after hours of hiking, we have successfully reached the summit of Mt Binacayan. It offers a panoramic view of Sierra Madre mountains. A hike-worthy climb indeed.

The summit of Mt. Bincayan is composed of limestones and sharp rocky ridges.

Expenses:

RT Fare Van Cubao-Eastwood - Php 100.00 RT Fare Tricycle Eastwood-Sitio Wawa - Php 60.00 for 4 people Registration Fee - Php 30.00 Guide Fee - Php 500 for a group of 5

Itinerary: 0330 Meet up at Cubao Terminal 0430 Departure bound to Montalban 0500 Arrival in Eastwood, ride a tricycle to Wawa DENR 0515 Arrival in DENR, 0530 Registration at DENR & barangay 0600 Start trek 0700 Arrival at Peak 1 0720 Arrival in Peak 2 0800 Arrival at Main Peak 0930 Start descend 1010 Arrival at Camp, refreshment 1050 Arrival at DENR, sign out 1235 Departure bound to Manila 0115 Bound to Manila