Why It’s Hard to Camp at Mt. Gulugud Baboy
We were a weird bunch; a Hispanic couple from the US, a hiking enthusiast with her towering Australian beau, a happy-go-lucky guy, a girl who loves going on weekend trips, a blonde entrepreneur who shares a striking resemblance with Beyonce, a couple in their mid 20s, a girl who went on the trip thinking that we were just going to the beach, and I who came with a tent heavier than me. We were not the next Survivors castaways (although I’m pretty sure we are capable of creating enough drama to last a full season), we were just a silly group of travelers who wanted to go camping at Mt. Gulugud’s Baboy. But the experience could have passed off as a Survivor challenge because it was tough. You think I’m referring to the climbing part? Nope, I mean the camping part.
You know those plans that started small and ended up in a completely different way? That’s how this trip came about. It was a late Christmas party celebration turned into a weekend trip. I took it upon myself to arrange it all because I’m a control freak like that (Nah, I just like organizing things in general, parties, get-togethers, travels, etc.). I successfully talked some of my friends into it including newfound friends, Gloria and Diego of Cafe con Leche Abroad.
Okay before we proceed, let me thank my sponsors, looloo for my camping gears, hahaha…
No seriously, I won these gears from looloo, except the Gobi Gear roll, which I won from another giveaway. You read it right, I won all these. You see, I was on a winning streak last year. Would you believe I won 7 raffles/contests? Hell yeah I did! So the Coleman 4-person tent, the Northface backpack, and that sleeping bag are part of my winnings from looloo because my review of Kalayaan Twin Falls was picked for the Travel Review category.
Anyway, back to regular programming, January 15, at around 10AM, the crew assembled at McDonalds, Taft-Buendia, a.k.a. that McDonalds branch beside the bus stations. Of course, to wish that everyone would be on time is like wishing the unicorns were true, so we weren’t able to start the trip until around 12:00 noon. We took a bus going to Bauan diversion, bus fare goes for PHP 125.
From Bauan Diversion there are two options to get to Philpan or the jump-off point:
- Jeep then tricycle
- Rent the jeep
If you are a big group like us, I suggest you take option number 2. The jeep drivers themselves would offer their service to you, so don’t hesitate to negotiate a fair deal. In  our case, we didn’t get the jeep all to ourselves, meaning there were other passengers on board. But there were so many of us, we practically occupied the entire jeep. The driver drove us all the way to Philpan and we only paid PHP 100 (USD 2.01) per person; I say that’s not a bad deal at all.
It took us an hour and a half to get to Philpan because of the heavy traffic. Somewhere along the road, the jeep stopped and I realized we reached our destination. One side of the road is lined with houses. We spotted a table where the mountaineer’s registration is; a log book lay opened on top of it. We wrote our names and paid PHP 35 (USD 0.70) each for the registration/eco fee.
The fun part of traveling with a group is that you’re not alone with the hustle, you get to joke with someone, you have other people to take your picture, there’s someone to help you carry your things, you also get free food because your companions tend to share theirs. The not-so-fun part is the delay, there is always someone you have to wait for, someone who is missing, someone who is late. As I mentioned earlier, our assembly time was 10 a.m. but we didn’t leave until 12:00 p.m. Even before we begin the trek, there’s been some cause of delay. We reached the jump-off point at 3:35 p.m. but we didn’t start climbing until 4:17 p.m.
The climb began on a 10 to 15 minute walk on a paved road. We no longer asked for a guide because the trail is fairly easy and the path is established. When I said easy I meant the trail is not too steep, but it doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t feel the strain on your legs, or it wouldn’t get your heart racing. We weren’t even on it for more than 10 minutes but we were already gasping for breath. I figured it was either we were physically out-of-shape or we just had an extra hard time due to our camping gears.
Soon we reached the point where the dirt trail begins. The sun was already getting ready to call it a day so we tried our best to climb fast.
Actually, not really. This is the first time I climbed a mountain where I had the most number of rests. It was a series of climbing, hyperventilating, drinking water, and stopping every chance we got. Now repeat that 10 times until fade. In my assessment though, Mt. Gulugud Baboy is the easiest climb that I’ve had so far. The trail is not as steep as that in Batad, the path is wide, and the soil is dry, there’s even fresh air to breathe unlike the almost windless Mt. Mabilog. Sure it was slippery in some parts, especially when there’s some loose soil, otherwise, it was not complicated compared with the mountains I have thus far, conquered. [Read: The Trek to Batad, Ifugao]
Since we loved stopping for breaths, I had the time to truly appreciate the view.
Finally, we reached the Mt. Gulugud peak, but the hustle was far from over. From there we had to continue our way to the Pinagbanderahan peak where we were going to set camp.
Up on Pinagbanderan, we were enveloped by a thick fog and greeted by a strong wind. As soon as everyone reached the peak, I encouraged them to set up the tents while there’s still light.
It was my first time to use my tent and I had no idea how to pitch it. As the others were busy pitching their own, I stood there shaking from the biting cold. The wind was too strong, everyone struggled to get the task done. Eventually, Jerny, JB, and Michael came over to give me a hand. Pretty soon, my tent is up and ready. Despite the coldness, it was warm inside my tent. I silently thanked the heavens and looloo for blessing me with this shelter. I shared my tent with Caresse.
Now for the fun part, dinner! Jerny brought a stove so we were able to cook some noodles. We didn’t have a cooking set, we just borrowed the pot from Ate Lisa, the woman who takes care of the registration down the mountain. We didn’t bring a spatula, so we used some twigs that we found in the area to stir the noodles with.
We huddled together, sat in a circle to cover the stove so the wind wouldn’t kill the fire. We lived in instant noodles, crackers, canned tuna, and mallows. Yes, mallows! This ain’t no camping without mallows. And where did we burn them mallows? In the fire of the stove!
It was rather uncomfortable because the wind was blowing so hard, I was freezing the entire time. But it is without the question, one of the most fun things I’ve ever done in my life.
I kept waking up to the sound of my tent being whipped by the howling wind. Somewhere in the middle of the night, I heard Caresse asking if it was raining because she could feel water mist on her face. I buried myself deeper inside my sleeping bag and answered,
“No, I don’t think it’s raining; it’s the fog.”
And I had those fragments of dreams I couldn’t control. In between dreams and reality, I almost believed there a was storm. I kept telling myself that the view in the morning would be worth it. Then I woke up to a chilly morning to the sound of Silver’s wake-up call. I forced myself up, unzipped the tent, and went outside. I was right, the view was worth it.
Even in the morning, the wind was blowing hard. We found some of our food, even our garbage, scattered about. My first thought is that the wind might have blown them off, but I heard some of my friends saying that the dogs might have gotten to them. I’m not so sure if the dogs could go all the way up there though when the wind is too intense, but yeah, who knows?
We were no longer alone at the peak; I spotted some early hikers busy taking pictures. I busied myself doing the same thing because the view is just amazing.
At 7:30, we started our way down. The time we spent for descent was of course, shorter than the time we spent for the climb. Nevertheless, I found it more challenging because during the ascent, JB carried my tent for me. When we climbed down I had to carry it all by myself. My tent was so heavy and the downward slope was so slippery it slowed my pace. I even scraped my knee when I lost my footing and skidded down the path.
I’ve already explained my aversion for scaling mountains so you’re probably wondering why I organized a climb when I could have just taken us to the beach — well I did get us to the beach on the same trip, click here for the story — but you see this is not just an ordinary climb where you climb, pretend you’re trying to find yourself (although god knows why you keep losing yourself), take selfies in the summit, then go back to the civilization like you’re suddenly better than everyone else. This trip is more than that; here you climb, pretend you’re trying to find yourself, take selfies in the summit, camp overnight, then next morning take some more selfies before you go back to the civilization. [Read: Conquering Mt. Mabilog]
Kidding aside, this trip involved camping and some of the most wonderful people I know, two factors that made a whole load of difference in my attitude toward the climb. I can go as far as saying that this is my most enjoyable mountain-climbing experience. Still, as the title of this post says, it’s quite challenging to camp at Mt. Gulugud Baboy because of the wind. Still, if you bring a sturdy tent and a group of fun and reliable people, camping there is very possible.
My first camping experience was crazy fun and I can’t wait to use my tent again on another camping trip. What about you, have you ever tried camping?
Itinerary
You may view or download my itinerary for Mt. Gulugud Baboy and Sumbrero Islands trip by clicking the image below ↓ .
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This article of yours is so exciting! I do have to ask though, if Mt. Gulugud Baboy is okay to hike if I’m bringing children(5 and 3 year olds) 🙂 I really want to scale some mountains, but I want to bring my family and kids to the trip, because when I tried hiking alone, I still felt sad even if the beauty of nature is around me… Then it dawned on me that I need to share this experience with my family, and it’s the same reason why I was sad. hahaha! Oh yeah, and if this is mountain is good for a day hike or would you really need to camp for the night? Thanks 🙂
Yes you can bring your children. In fact, we saw some kids climbing with their parents in the morning. Even students who were even in their uniforms were climbing there.
Oh I’ve wanted to camp here because it’s just a stone throw away from certain islands. However, I somehow ended up camping at the nearby Masasa Island instead, which is also a great experience. I’ve yet to try camping in an actual mountain though. It sounds so intimidating but I need to make it happen while I’m young and able!
It was such a unique experience, maybe because it was too windy for comfort haha… I’d love to check out Masasa Island next time. 🙂
Beautiful! I will sure take note of this place if I ever want to go hiking! It really takes some guts to go there but it is worth it!
I hope you get to Raffa. 🙂
Love your writing. I felt like I was right there waiting for the group to assemble! So glad you enjoyed your first camping trip, can’t wait to see what is next.
Thanks Elizabeth, that’s so sweet of you to say. 🙂
I have never thought about camping in the Philippines, but now I have to do it. That shot of your tents at sunrise is epic!
I hope you get to try it Corinne, it’s such an amazing experience. 🙂
Wow..super of you to win all this camping gear! The spirit of adventure may forever live within you. Love reading all your travel posts 🙂
Thanks Prerna!
That view is amazing! I would love to go back to the Philippines to explore the mountains!
I hope you get to do it Nicole. There are so many wonderful places to see here apart from the beaches. 🙂
Ok I have some things to say. First of all, wow, camping is for girls that are pretty cool. Well done. I don’t know if I could do this. Second, that girl Silver looks like a model on every picture, how does she do that? And third, I love the views, amazing pictures!!
Thanks Sabine! Silver is naturally gorgeous and now that you mentioned it, yes she does look like a model in all photos hahaha…
Love this! My bucketlist is going to implode from all you travel bloggers sharing these incredibly beautiful places with us! Thank you
You’re welcome Riley. 🙂
Hi extremely informative and educational post….really useful for traellers☺
Thanks Subha 🙂
Despite all the trouble of camping and the freezing cold and the wind, I find myself repeatedly still doing it. It becomes a story to tell afterwards. We had our most difficult camp in Kanlaon but nonetheless, we want to go back.
I haven’t been to Kanlaon, I’d love to check it out. And I agree with everything that you said Karla. Despite the challenges that we met for this camping trip, I still want to do it.
Wonderful photos! It looks like you had a great time! What a beautiful way to commune with nature.
Thank you Claire 🙂
Looks like you really had fun. =) I have friends who love to climb mountains but I decline whenever they invited me. I once told my friend that I might become his additional backpack! 😉
I know what you mean, Teresa. Mountain climbing is really not for everyone. It takes tons of patience hahaha… But if you are with a good company, it would make a lot of difference. 🙂
BEAUTIFUL! I hope I get an opportunity to hike with you guys! I had done this only once, Mt. Manabu and hopefully, could get back to doing it more often!
Sure Robert, you can join my group some time. I haven’t heard of Mt. Manabu, I’d sure check it out. 🙂
It’s really hard to set-up the tent when the wind is so strong. Space at the summit of Mt. Gulugud Baboy for campsite looks so limited. However challenging the climb was, the view was still stunning at the top.
While I was trying to set up the tent I kept thinking “This is effing ridiculous!” Good thing I had friends to help me, if not, I’d probably cry hahaha…
that view is gorgeous! i’ve been camping once in the gobi dessert in china and it was a brutal time once the sun went down. maybe i’ll be back up for another camping trip someday!
Sher
http://www.shershegoes.com
Hi Sher! Camping on a desert? Oh wow, that must have been real hard because of the heat!
Not an easy climb with all that gear, but what a view to wake up to!
Oh yes Kevin, tell me about it! My tent slowed me down.
Ahh these is really great!!! I haven’t been to Gulugod Baboy but I want to go here! 🙂
You should go and visit it Jhanz, Mt. Gulugud offers a magnificent view. 🙂
So windy and cold, but I’m sure it is indeed worth the experience! Just look at that view! Wow, I’d be speechless to see that! Setting up the tent while the wind was blowing strong is hard!! I tried that in, I believe Arizona (very close to Utah/Arizona border) and wow, we have to use a lot of rocks inside in the corners to hold it all down! I love camping 🙂 I really enjoy it but haven’t find a favorite spot yet, I’m sure I”ll have more camping opportunities to find a place where I’d fall in love with!
Thanks for sharing that Stacey. I am also waiting for the opportunity to camp in peace if you know what I mean hahaha…
Sounds like a great experience, and challenge!
I can’t believe you won so many raffles!lucky!
Yeah I know! I can’t believe it too! Hahaha…
I can still remember the cold breeze on that place! Our tent is nearly not enough to withstand the strong winds because that was very made up more for a beach. LOL! But thanks to that, awesome article it is!
That’s why you should get a Coleman tent (nag-plug? hahaha…)
I had to wait a little while to know why you used that title. Ohhh and then from that moment i knew sabi ko what the? Haha. Never tried hiking and camping. I know, i must be missing a lot of enjoyment. Hehe. I am too reklamador pag napapgod. Ill just settle with reading blogs like this. But oh. Good view huh! Ang ganda. Sobra. 🙂
Hi Aika! You may try it one time and if you find that it’s not for you then it’s all good, but you might like it, I have a feeling that you might hahaha…
Marjorie, I just want to say that your idea to add and itinerary and expenses at the end is fantastic. What a great way to wrap up a post.
One idea, you could add a USD value at the end to make it a bit more accessible for international readers.
Anyway, cool post! 🙂
Hi Dan, thanks for your suggestion. I’ve just updated the photo to reflect the USD value of our expenses for this trip. 🙂
Wow! I really miss spending overnight on a mountain. It has been years. I might take an inspiration from this post and plan a climb this summer. Thank you for this amazing post, I would surely to join your group. hehehe
Sure Carlo, you may join our travel group on Facebook called, Day Dreamers.
I heard Gulugud Baboy as a good hiking destination from a mountaineer friend too. I’m now even more curious. It looks so much fun especially with great company. Well done for conquering this one despite your aversion in scaling mountains.
Thanks Arni. Climbing mountains is growing on me hahaha…
Looks like fun and very much affordable ha? The best thing I like about camping/hiking is when you are with good friends.
I agree Neri. Good company always makes a trip one for the books. 🙂
OMYYYYYYY! What a breathe-taking view! I hope that one day I’ll be able to go camping on a mountain. The summer holidays are coming up and I’m so excited to start planning a trip! Do you think this is okay for a first time hiker or would you recommend an easier hike? Love to know what you think!
This mountain is recommended for beginners. You can definitely do this Johna. 🙂
Wow. nainggit naman ako at di ako nakasama dyan.
Yaan mo sa susunod. at may Pico pa tayo diba? hehe
What a very informative post about Gulugud Baboy. and the photos are beautiful! galing!
Thanks Jon, may Pico pa tayo, wag kang mawawala!
GULUGOD BABOY! Your blog is really great! I bet you really had fun. Sana masundan pa yan ng madami! 🙂 Will surely put this mountain on my list to climb 🙂
Thanks Ann! I am already planning to scale more mountains actually. Hope you can climb Mt. Gulugud too.
Camping is best done with great people. You look like a really fun bunch. And that view looks amazing. I won’t mind waking up to that even after a cold windy night.
-Gino of http://www.dropdeaddapper.com
The best thing about this camping trip is the people I’m with. The view is a bonus of course. 🙂
I remembered the last time i went on this kid of adventure.. It was an impromptu kind of thing and we were totally unprepared particularly not geared for the climb…. But we ended up enjoying it as well!
I was ill prepared on my first ever mountain climb too (that was like eons ago) but unlike you I didn’t really enjoy it haha…
In the beginning of the post, I thought it might not be worth all the trouble. Then I got to the pictures in the middle and the next morning and I knew it had to be a great experience! It’s so nice when a rugged, tough hike ends with amazing sights. Nothing more rewarding than witnessing natural beauty at its best!!
Yes, all that hard work and uncomfortable circumstances led to a beautiful reward so it was all good. 🙂
I climb some of mountain mt. Galugud baboy is one of my list to climb this year, thank you for sharing your experiences 🙂
Paolo | http://www.prlakwatsero.com
Sure thing Paolo. 🙂
All your photos are beautiful!! Hope you enjoy your camping!! Thank you for sharing xx
| http://dorothytorretijo.blogspot.com
Thanks Dorothy.
I never really got interested to climbing mountains despite the continuous trend of hiking. But honestly, this post just captured my interest probably because of the kind of company you had here. Having a fun company on this kind of adventure sets a difference with regards to experience.
♡ Louise | http://www.louisechelleblog.com
Now that you mentioned it, yes, I think there is now a trend for mountain climbing. I think it’s a good “trend,” it’s nice to see people finally traveling the Philippines and telling people about it. At least now the Filipinos are more willing to explore locally unlike in the past where traveling abroad is the only thing that is considered as “cool.”
Wow! I have never tried climbing a mountain.I have tried hiking in college but nothing special.Must be exhilieating huh? Btw I was also on a winning streak late last year and early this year.I won maybe 5 in total of contests and giveaways hehe. hope we keep our good luck running 🙂
You won 5 times? Wow that’s a lot too. Congratulations Madz! And yes, I hope we keep winning them raffles hahaha…
Marge!!! I always hear Mt. Gulugud and i hope I can try it one day. Pwede ba to sa beginner? Saka ung day hike lng hehe. Great post 🙂
Yes Arianne, this is ideal for beginners actually because the hike is not too difficult. Of course you can take a day hike. 🙂
A friend of mine suggested this place to me as this is an ideal mountain to climb for first time hikers! And then she also suggested me to have my jump off point at Philpan dive resort… I am really eager to have my first climb this year and I am choosing either Gulugod Baboy or Pico De Loro.. someone suggested Mt Batulao too! Thanks for sharing your experience!
By the way, is it always crowded here?
Nope, it is not crowded, at least when we climbed (that was a Saturday), there were no other hikers but us. The next morning there were other hikers on the peak already but still, the number is not that many considering the fact this is ranked as a 1/9 mountain.
I’m from Bauan, Batangas and its just a 20 minutes drive from my place to Philpan. From your bus ride i think that’s Bolbok Diversion road or commonly known as Batangas Diversion, and from there its a jeep ride that is most convenient for groups, not to mention the over traffic situation before you reach our municipality, Bauan! I call this the traffic capital of Batangas. Have u experienced that? Anyway, i love your adventure at Gulugud Baboy.. i’ve been planning a climb there with my cousins and i hope it’ll push through this summer. Quite ironic, but yes i haven’t been to places here near my home..hahaha and im glad that tourists are eyeing this part of our province! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Is that how it’s called? Batangas Diversion? Thanks for the info. Actually, I just read about it in a blog so I thought it’s called Bauan Diversion. Thanks for clarifying that up. Oh yes, we experienced the heavy traffic.
I’m glad you liked the post and goodluck on your own climb. I’m sure you will have fun. 🙂
Hi Marge, that was an awesome adventure, indeed. Is it always windy on Mt. Gulugud Baboy? What’s the best time to go there?
Hi Jem, yes, it is always windy on this mountain. Best time to go here is during summer, from March to April.
What a fantastic camp – I couldn’t have picked a better and more scenic spot. You can’t really do anything like that here in Canada, unless you get permission from the ministry of national resources to just set up on Crown land.
Hi Milosz! It is a fantastic camping spot indeed, just a little challenging because of the wind situation. I didn’t know you have to get permission to camp in Canada. Is it hard to secure a permit?
Did you by any chance have a way to measure wind speeds? Did it pick up in the evening hours?
Hi Milosz. Nope, we had no such gadget to measure the wind speed.
The article was well worth the wait amiga, very very informative! It was a complete pleasure going on this trip with you and everyone else, we will not forget this little adventure any time soon =) Would you mind if I download this article, to keep as a memory?
Hello amigo! How are you doing? No problem, go ahead and download it. 🙂