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| Top: Kawayan Cove, private resort in Nasugbu. Bottom: Taal lake as seen in Tagaytay. |
As someone who lived in Las piñas most of my life, I've had my fair share of travel to these destinations. Some I've been to many times over, and some I've yet to explore. This growth in tourism continues to inspire people to take up travel hobbies like hiking, biking, and motorcycle riding. Personally, I find motorcycle riding to be the cheapest, quickest, and easiest way to see the top destinations of south Luzon, and I take every opportunity to go ride when I have time.
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| Yamaha Sniper 150, NMAX 155, and Honda Wave S-125 |
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| Kaybiang loop. Courtesy: strava.com |
Now, I've been on this route many times before, but the scenic views, the winding roads, and the pass through the famous Kaybiang tunnel, seems to make me want to visit every now and then.
For this ride, I have two of my friends, Ken and Pat as company. This is my motorcycle ride post series called, of views and gears.
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Route overview
The Kaybiang tunnel loop is close to our hometown in Las Piñas. Situated in the neighboring province of Cavite, it just takes 2-3 hours by car, lesser even if by a motorcycle. Our route will be through the centennial road in Kawit, Cavite. Passing through Noveleta, Rosario, Tanza, Naic, Ternate, and to Maragondon where the tunnel is located.
From Kaybiang tunnel, we are to continue to Nasugbu, Batangas and into Tagaytay where we will go back to Las piñas through the Emilio Aguinaldo highway.
To Maragondon and Ternate
We started the ride at around 8 am, from our meet up point in Las Piñas. Except for the streets of Binakayan in Bacoor, our way into Naic went uninterrupted. Like the Emilio Aguinaldo highway in the middle of Cavite, the Antero Soriano highway in Cavite's west portion also stretches many kilometers, eventually merging with governor's drive in Naic.
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| Naic town marker (9:15 AM) |
The Naic town marker is a point of interest for riders (especially for ones like us who didn't use waze or google maps), because the governor's drive continue in the left junction. The road in the right leads to Naic town proper.
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| Left turn leads to Governor's drive |
In these parts of Cavite, rice fields and an occasional view of the sea are common sights. Especially as we enter the rural barangays of Ternate. But it's at Maragondon that the scenic views began to start.
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| Maragondon town marker (9:24 AM) |
The roads in Maragondon serve as entry point into the Mt. Pico De Loro protected landscape. We began to ascend into winding roads that gave panoramic views of the surrounding mountain ranges. At a certain point, Corregidor Island can be seen from a distance. We were not able to pause and take photos of Corregidor because we were engaged with the ride. So, we stopped by the Puerto Azul marker instead.
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This part of the route, just before Kaybiang tunnel is my favorite whenever I'm on this part of Cavite. The protected landscape allows for a relaxing ride into the terrains of Mt. Pico De Loro. Though becoming more commercialized because of the many resorts in the area, the local government ensures that much is left for nature through proper regulation and preservation.
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| Stop over along Nasugbu-Ternate highway |
Along the same way, there can wild macaques, horses, and rare species of birds. The local government discourages travelers from interacting with them because they may increase in flocks and block the highway. When we passed by some, I didn't even took photos. Partly because I didn't want to disturb them, and partly because they may cause a commotion if we get close.
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| The Kaybiang Tunnel in Maragondon, Cavite |
The Kaybiang Tunnel
It's my fourth visit here, and there are crowds every time. I can't blame them since the place is an unusual sight for people living in the city. Plus, it's also a good backdrop for travel photos.
For people asking why Kaybiang Tunnel is popular even though there's not much to see in it, the reason is that reaching it is a milestone for riders and bikers. That's it. Aside from the travel opportunity, visiting it is a good souvenir to reminisce for people who love two-wheeled journeys.
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| The tunnel's construction circa 2009. Photo courtesy: Lost kamote facebook page |
A short history of the tunnel: It's construction started in 2009 and was finished in 2013. The tunnel allow for a faster travel into Nasugbu and Tagaytay by going through Mt. Pico De Loro, compared to the old route that goes into the municipalities of Magallanes and Bailen, Cavite.
As for the changes in the tunnel compared to my past visits, the first thing I noticed was the stairs leading to the tunnel's upper deck is now closed. The religious grotto in the same spot was also now obscured by overgrown trees. I also noticed a newly constructed viewing deck in the former vacant spot at the back end of the tunnel.
Its a first for me to get here by motorcycle, so like many riders, my friends and I queued to get our photos taken. There's live traffic to watch out but vendors in the area can assist in the photo op in exchange for buying the pasalubongs that they sell.
Passing through the tunnel, it is common for riders to blare horns because the subterrain amplifies it. Not to mention the local's superstition that it wards off bad atmosphere. These are just some rider antics that may seem irrational to some, but makes motorcycle riding enjoyable nonetheless.
From Nasugbu to Tagaytay
A few kilometer from the back end of the tunnel lies the border into Nasugbu, Batangas. In this route, the common sights are the beaches along Nasugbu bay, the famous ones being the Pico de loro resort, Punta fuego, and Kawayan cove. There are also medium scaled resorts aside from these upscale settlements.
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| At Kawayan Cove marker (11:34 AM) |
Just before Lian, Batangas, there is a rotunda. Continuing straight will lead to Calatagan while a turn left will lead to our ride route to Tuy. There is another rotunda for us to look out once we get to Tuy. From there, another left turn will lead to the Tagaytay-Nasugbu highway.
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| Courtesy: google maps |
The Tagaytay-Nasugbu highway is flanked by two mountains, Mt. Talamitam and Mt. Batulao. In their vicinity, there are a lot of resorts, events places, and airbnb lodgings. Most notable are the recently opened camper and cabin lodging and the sanctuary Batulao.
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| Interior of cabin and camper lodge. Courtesy: camper and cabin's instagram |
We are in Tagaytay by 1 PM. Our initial plan is to have lunch in the Mahogany market but decided to dine in a restaurant in the ridge instead.
The weather turned dim as noon went on, and it eventually drizzled. We decided to let the it pass by prolonging our stay in Tagaytay by visiting the newly opened Starbucks Hiraya.
Final sidetrips to Starbucks Hiraya and Hacienda outlet
Though crowded, I can't deny that Hiraya is one of the best Starbucks I've been to. What sealed the deal for me was the property's back panel window that perfectly frames taal volcano. There's also the al fresco area that gives a perfect panoramic view of the taal lake.
It was past 4:30 PM when the weather cleared. We got back on the road and took a turn at the Emilio Aguinaldo highway. As a final side trip, we agreed to stop by Hacienda designer outlet in Silang to check out a newly opened Nike outlet.
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| The Nike outlet in Acienda (7:30 PM) |
We were back in Las Piñas by 8:30 PM. Which meant that our day ride lasted for 12 hours and 30 minutes. This includes all our activities from our lunch, sight seeing, and various stop overs.
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Ride summary
The Kaybiang tunnel loop is great route, perfect for riders seeking to get practice, or to those who simply want to travel the provinces of Cavite and Batangas. There aren't much technical segments and it's easily traced with the aid of town markers and rotundas. I highly recommend it as a first long ride for beginner riders.
The views, the roadway, and the overall experience is a great foundation to inspire more rides not only here in the south, but to other scenic spots in our country that awaits all travelers and riders.
P.S. Don't pass the chance to take a photo in front of the Kaybiang tunnel!
Total ride time: 12 hours and 30 minutes
Odometer before the ride: 12, 448 KM
Odometer after the ride: 12, 635 KM
Total KM: 187 KM
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