In the summer of 2025, I went on a hike to two mountains. One of them was in March at Mt. Sembrano in Rizal and the other was done a month later in April at Mt. Pico De Loro in Cavite.
 |
| 2025: 1st and 2nd quarter hikes. |
This first part of the long due travelogues about the hikes will cover my experience and thoughts on summiting Mt. Pico De Loro.
 |
| Taken from Mt. Pico De Loro's campsite. |
As a mountain that I have wanted to climb since I started my hike journey, I expected nothing less of its beauty but didn't underestimate the challenges that it posed either.
This long anticipated hike is made even more compelling because I'm joined by my sister who's yet to conquer her mother mountain at the time.
 |
| My sister hiking her first mountain. |
My urging and description of Mt. Pico De Loro and its moderate challenge made her convinced that it is worthy of being her first peak.
 |
| The beak-shaped summit of Mt. Pico De Loro. |
With her determination in place and my commitment to help her, we both set our eyes on conquering the beak-shaped mountain.
Mt. Pico De Loro: The Parrot-Beak Shaped Mountain
You may have wondered about the pre-occupation I have with Mt. Pico De Loro. This is because I, too, initially considered it as my first mountain.
I was enthralled by it. I read about the mountain on every post I saw when I was just starting to hike. Its imposing and unique silhouette is on the gallery of famous Philippine hike destinations.
 |
| Mt. Pico De Loro's Monolith as featured in Daily Inquirer. |
Its strange and rocky peak, it seemed to me, was an ideal summit-a proper rock peak, as I like to describe it in contrast to hill-like mountain tops such as those in Mt. Talamitam or Mt. Sembrano.
Scheduling and preparations, however, made me climb Mt. Batulao instead as my first mountain back in 2023.
6 peaks later, I find myself at the trail head of Mt. Pico De Loro.
 |
| The hike begins. Mt. Pico De Loro's new jump-off point in Ternate, Cavite. |
The new official Jump-off point of the mountain is located at a DENR post in Ternate, Cavite.
The organization's outpost suggest that the mountain and its trails are well-kept. Effort has been put into its caretaking that the new trail is so well-trodden and well-equipped with ropes that the hike is made much easier.
 |
| One of the several DENR signposts along the trail. |
Mt. Pico De Loro famously underwent a 7 year closure prior to accepting hikers again in 2023.
The mountain's fame came at a cost. Unmanaged influx of hikers desecrated the mountain by leaving litters and vandalizing the peak's monolith. This was before the DENR made the necessary actions to stop the onslaught.
The mountain's 7 years of healing is made immediately apparent in the rich forest at the early parts of the trail.
 |
| A forested part of the New Mt. Pico De Loro trail. |
There were tall trees and their sprawling roots. Distinct bird cries echoed throughout. There were also occasional sightings of rare plants and insects.
In terms of elevation, the forest part includes ascent though generally, it feels like we were just walking on leveled trails. The technical segments, our guide commented, is reserved on the latter parts of the trail, especially at the summit push.
To Mt. Pico De Loro's Campsite and Viewdeck
The forested trail stretches on until a view deck. Here, we got our first sight of Mt. Pico De Loro's famous parrot beak summit alongside the nearby mountain ranges.
 |
| Mt. Pico De Loro's summit as seen from the viewdeck. |
Mt. Pico De Loro is part of the Mts. Palay-Palay-Mataas-na-Gulod protected landscape (MPPMNGPL). A 3,973 hectare protected area consisting of rainforests and mountains spanning areas of Cavite and Batangas.
I've hiked the nearby Mt. Marami in 2023 for my second mountain and back then, I remember seeing the distant and imposing Mt. Pico De Loro from its 633 MASL peak.
Now that I'm in Mt. Pico De Loro's view deck, it took me a while to realize that actually, 5 mountains that I've previously hiked can be seen from afar.
 |
| Other mountains in Cavite and Batangas as seen from the view deck. |
In one panoramic view, I was able to see Mt. Marami, Mt. Lantik, Mt. Talamitam, and Mt. Apayang (Nasugbu Trilogy), and Mt. Batulao.
A detail I was also keen about during the hike is litter. Fortunately, there weren't any in the parts of the trail.
Most of the damages and heaps of trash were formerly located in the campsite, which is another overlooking cliff 15 minutes away from the summit.
 |
| Mt. Pico De Loro's peak as seen from the campsite. |
When we arrived, there were trash to be seen. Only remnants of the food stall previously stationed there remained.
We were now just a few minutes away from claiming the mountain's summit but that remaining stretch proved to be a slight challenge, especially to my sister.
Mt. Pico Loro's Parrot Beak Summit and Monolith
The remaining path to the summit included a final stretch of 60 to 70 degree assault within another forest. While not that threatening because the cliffs are covered by lush trees, the elevation and steepness of some segments posed a challenge.
 |
| Other hikers leading before us during the last stretch of the assault. |
To cover for this, the management installed ropes in the difficult parts of the assault. There were segments that needed the use of both hands to get through. If there's no ropes, the tree trunks covered as hand rails.
In order to manage the ascent, I let my sister took her time to control fatigue and avoid mishaps.
The end of the ascent lied in a small leveled trail just below the summit proper, which is also a small rest area before the peak.
 |
| Looking up from the rest stop below the summit. |
The most distinct development the DENR made to Mt. Pico De Loro is a 145 steps staircase that leads to the summit. Complete with rails, it made the last parts of the trail ironically the easiest.
 |
| At the start of the stairway leading to the summit. |
Hikers have mixed thoughts about this development. Previously, those aiming for the peak would have to brave their way into this steepest part of the mountain.
There were the slippery dry soil that required balance, the strong winds, and the heat of noon as adversaries. They were natural challenges that hikers had to face before claiming the peak.
 |
| A scene at Mt. Pico De Loro's summit, circa 2016. Credits: hiketomountains.com |
With the stair's construction, some hikers thought that Mt. Pico De Loro has been stripped of these natural challenges.
Climbing the stairs to the summit was, indeed, a help especially to those new to hiking like my sister. Though artificial, I share the sentiment of its necessity because, as our guide shared, the soil to the summit was eroded prior to the mountain's closure.
.jpg) |
| Finally claiming Mt. Pico De Loro's summit. |
We reached the summit at the 2 and a half hour point of our journey. In the heat of noon, we basked in the magnificent 360 degree view of the whole Batangas and Cavite protected landscape, the beaches of Ternate and Nasugbu, and parts of Manila bay.
 |
| The Monolith a.k.a. the lower part of the parrot's beak. |
Adjacent to the peak is the monolith that appears as the summit's lower beak. It was previously part of the trail but is now off-limits due to potential cracks and vandalism.
I recognize its closure is for the mountain's and hikers' benefit. It looks vulnerable when I look at it from the summit and I am also sure I wouldn't run the risk of letting my sister scale it.
 |
| A photo op with our hike group at the summit. |
Stay in Mt. Pico De Loro's peak is limited to 15-20 minutes. There weren't a lot of hikers besides our group and it would, indeed, be a hindrance to come upon other hikers while we are making our way down, especially at the forest assault.
Bidding a final look at the scenery, we scaled down the peak. I reminded my sister on the way down of the hike maxim that "reaching the peak is only a halfway point," and that the other half of the hike includes the way down.
This reminder did not seemed to faze her as she carefully braved her way down the steep assault and the forest stretch before finally completing the hike back at the jump-off point.
 |
| My sister at the jump-off point after claiming her first mountain. |
Our group spent 2 and a half hours on the descent, the same time it took for us to reach the summit, before the hike finally concluded.
Conclusion
It was, indeed, a point of celebration that my sister claimed her first mountain. She was brave and disciplined in her first hike. I'm awaiting the other mountains she'll eventually peak and I am sure that she'll conquer the summits she'll put her mind on.
 |
| Mt. Pico De Loro's summit marker. |
As for me, I'm just glad I got to summit Mt. Pico De Loro and finally cross it off my hike list.
 |
| Mt. Pico De Loro, conquered. |
* * *
Hike classification
Mt. Pico De Loro (New trail)
Province: Ternate, Cavite and Nasugbu, Batangas
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 3/9, Trail class 1-3
Features: Monolith, forests, scenic views of Cavite and Batangas
Days required/Hours to summit: 1 day/2-5 hours
Event booked with Sanpunta Travel & Tours on April 19, 2025.
* * *
Comments
Post a Comment