One of the best mountains to climb during summer season is Mt. Romelo. Why? Because of its trails that are mostly covered by trees and of course, the nearby seven majestic waterfalls. That's the reason why we have chosen Mt. Romelo for our next adventure.
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| Mt. Romelo |
Mt. Romelo is good to hike for all year-round. But on our experience, I think it is perfect during summer because of the rewarding coolness of the falls under the scorching weather. I always love to trek on a trail like in Mt. Romelo because of the trees around. It is very relaxing, scenic and peaceful, if you want to get connected with nature, you must be looking for a place like Mt. Romelo.
Going to Mt. Romelo
Mt. Romelo is located in Sinoloan, Laguna and its jump-off is in Brgy. Macatad. As the organizer for this climb, I decided to hire a van since there are 10 participants for this climb. It's very convenient to hire a vehicle as you will have a good rest before and after climb. We departed in Makati at around 6AM, but it's advisable to leave at around 5AM to avoid heavy traffic in Los Baños. There's another way going to Sinoloan from Manila via Manila East Road in Rizal, but according to our driver the traffic is much heavier.
Going to Sinoloan, Laguna is a little bit confusing, specifically locating the jump-off. Just follow the National Highway going to Sinoloan and Famy, Laguna. When you see the welcome arch of Famy, Laguna, next would be the crossing. The crossing has a monument with a Red Horse logo, then turn right. Go straight until you see the KI3 Restaurant which is few meters away from the jump-off. There are some guides who will approach you asking if you're looking for guideship. We decided to get a guide since there are reported issues of theft and hold-ups in Mt. Romelo.
We proceeded to the registration hall and payed P50 for registration fee then started to trek after. The initial part of the trail is river crossing. Since it's summer, the water is low so we've crossed the river without getting wet. The trail was not muddy though there's a lot of horse's poops. There are vendors of Ice Candies along the trail, the taste is superb.
After an hour, we have reached the summit. The view from the summit is not too scenic, maybe because the mountain has short elevation. We took some photos at the summit then we proceeded to Old Buruwisan falls. The original plan was to visit Buruwisan falls but according to our guide, the water has light flow. So then, he suggested the Old Buruwisan.
The trail going down to Old Buruwisan is quite difficult. It's almost a vertical ascent. You should hold tightly on the roots or trunks of the trees and on the improvised wooden ladders and handrails. The waterfall brought so much relief after the struggles going down. We had our lunch then dipped on the waterfall afterwards. The water in Old Buruwisan is very deep, so be careful.
At around 2pm, we proceeded to our next target, the Lanzones Falls.The trail going to Lanzones Falls is easy and not too far from the campsite. Before you reach the Lanzones Falls, you will see the Buruwisan Falls. The water in this falls is not deep but there are some deep holes at the right side. The water is very cool. Perfect for a relax dip after an exhausted trek. I much more like this one than Old Buruwisan in terms of water level. LOL!
After an hour stay in Lanzones Falls, we immediately went back in jump-off before the dark comes. We tidy up then went home. While heading home, we decided to have our dinner in Herb Republic in Los Baños. Their Chicken meal is very good.
ITINERARY
05:00 AM Meet Up Alphaland
06:00 AM ETD Alphaland
08:00 AM ETA Registration Hall (Register, Breakfast, Prepare)
09:00 AM Start Trek
11:30 AM ETA Campsite, Visit Buruwisan for Lunch.
11:00 AM Explore all the Falls
03:30 PM Start Descent
05:00 PM Back at the Jump-off, Tidy up at the Registration
05:30 PM Head back to Manila
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| KIA3 Restaurant |
Going to Sinoloan, Laguna is a little bit confusing, specifically locating the jump-off. Just follow the National Highway going to Sinoloan and Famy, Laguna. When you see the welcome arch of Famy, Laguna, next would be the crossing. The crossing has a monument with a Red Horse logo, then turn right. Go straight until you see the KI3 Restaurant which is few meters away from the jump-off. There are some guides who will approach you asking if you're looking for guideship. We decided to get a guide since there are reported issues of theft and hold-ups in Mt. Romelo.
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| Way to Registration Hall/Jump-off |
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| Registration Hall |
We proceeded to the registration hall and payed P50 for registration fee then started to trek after. The initial part of the trail is river crossing. Since it's summer, the water is low so we've crossed the river without getting wet. The trail was not muddy though there's a lot of horse's poops. There are vendors of Ice Candies along the trail, the taste is superb.
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| The Campsite |
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| Above the Buruwisan Falls |
After an hour, we have reached the summit. The view from the summit is not too scenic, maybe because the mountain has short elevation. We took some photos at the summit then we proceeded to Old Buruwisan falls. The original plan was to visit Buruwisan falls but according to our guide, the water has light flow. So then, he suggested the Old Buruwisan.
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| Shaded area near the summit of Mt. Romelo |
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| Kaye and Genesis at the summit of Mt. Romelo |
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| Anna Marcos at the summit of Mt. Romelo |
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| Old Buruwisan Falls |
The trail going down to Old Buruwisan is quite difficult. It's almost a vertical ascent. You should hold tightly on the roots or trunks of the trees and on the improvised wooden ladders and handrails. The waterfall brought so much relief after the struggles going down. We had our lunch then dipped on the waterfall afterwards. The water in Old Buruwisan is very deep, so be careful.
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| Old Buruwisan Falls. Photo taken by Abbie Giron |
At around 2pm, we proceeded to our next target, the Lanzones Falls.The trail going to Lanzones Falls is easy and not too far from the campsite. Before you reach the Lanzones Falls, you will see the Buruwisan Falls. The water in this falls is not deep but there are some deep holes at the right side. The water is very cool. Perfect for a relax dip after an exhausted trek. I much more like this one than Old Buruwisan in terms of water level. LOL!
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| Buruwisan Falls |
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| Lanzones Falls |
After an hour stay in Lanzones Falls, we immediately went back in jump-off before the dark comes. We tidy up then went home. While heading home, we decided to have our dinner in Herb Republic in Los Baños. Their Chicken meal is very good.
ITINERARY
05:00 AM Meet Up Alphaland
06:00 AM ETD Alphaland
08:00 AM ETA Registration Hall (Register, Breakfast, Prepare)
09:00 AM Start Trek
11:30 AM ETA Campsite, Visit Buruwisan for Lunch.
11:00 AM Explore all the Falls
03:30 PM Start Descent
05:00 PM Back at the Jump-off, Tidy up at the Registration
05:30 PM Head back to Manila
ACTUAL EXPENSES
Van - P5,000/10 = P500/pax
Registration - P50/pax
Guide - P600/group
Estimated Budget: P600 - P800
Photos By:
Aldrin Valentona
Abbie Giron
MT. ROMELO (249+)
Brgy. Macatad, Siniloan, Laguna
Difficulty: 2/9
May 23, 2015
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