Biyaherong Pusit: Mt. Maranat Day Hike + Falls (With my fellow Poz Brothers) Part 1

First Day Hike with Blood brothers
4-18-2015

My passion in trekking / mountain hiking started last 2012 when I wasn't a Poz yet. My former officemates asked me to join on a Day Hike in Mt. Maculot located in Batangas. And since then, I have fallen in love with nature and promised to myself to go back and climb frequently (maybe twice or trice a year).

This year, I have planned to hike again, but this time, I'm no longer joining my former officemates. I have invited some fellow poz brothers to join me and help me organize a day hike. We choose to climb Mt. Maranat which is strategically located just a few hours in the Metro. Specifically, Maranat lies between Rodriguez, Rizal and Bulacan.

Some Facts every Hikers must know:

Height: 2,708 ft / 826m ASL
It ranks 52nd highest mountain in Central Luzon and 751st highest mountain in The Philippines.

Mount Maranat is a 2,708 ft / 826 m mountain peak in Central Luzon, Philippines - See more at: http://peakery.com/mount-maranat-philippines-2/#sthash.rA9bhXzQ.dpuf2,708 ft / 826m ASL

Mount Maranat is a 2,708 ft / 826 m mountain peak in Central Luzon, Philippines - See more at: http://peakery.com/mount-maranat-philippines-2/#sthash.rA9bhXzQ.dpuf

Neighbooring Mountains: Mount Holong Ipu, Mount Oriod, Mount Inuman, Mount Siam Bundoc, Mount Balagbag, and Rizal Peak
(source: peakery.com)
Trail Difficulty: 4.10 (Beginner)
Possible for Day Hike: Yes
Jump Off: Rodriguez Rizal
Accd'g to some blogs, Maranat is actually the name of the falls.
Guide Requirements: Optional but recommended for first timers.

Our Journey:

Me and my fellow Poz decided to meet up at 0500 however due to unexpected traffic in EDSA, I was a bit late and arrived at 0545. I asked them to have their breakfast first.

At around 0600, we left Jollibee Cubao and take the bus going to Tungko (full details of group's itinerary here).

An hour later we arrived at Tungko Terminal. Since no one from the group is familiar with the place, we asked the locals where's the jeepney going to Licao-Licao (our 2nd destination).

Licao Licao Terminal Station is located at the back side of the market

Licao-Licao Terminal

We saw 2 hikers who were also heading to Licao-Licao. The guy with the Red Rain Cover bag.

Travel time from Tungko to Licao-Licao is around 45mins to 1 hour.

At around 0800, we reached Licao-Licao terminal station. There's a couple of store where you can buy things you will need (like water, food etc). The 2 hikers also approached us if we can join them on their hike. We agreed to them since all of us were first timers.

At Licao-Licao station, there are Pink Tricycle that you can choose to ride going to the jump-off. We choose the take the tricycle going to the jump-off.

Travel time from Licao-Licao to Sitio Balagbag is around 30 mins.
Be ready for a rough and rocky ride

We were able to reach Sitio Balagbag at around 0830, where you need to register before trekking..Here you can freshen up, prepare things for your hike. There's also a restroom available if you need to pee.

Registration fee is 10 php
This is your Jump off point.

The Mountain and The Trail

We started our ascend at around 0830.The first few kms was a bit easy but as you go along, it became more and more challenging.

If you compare Maranat to other mountains, where one must ascend to reach the summit / destination, this is a bit different. You will expect to ascend and descend a few times before reaching the campsite/majestic falls.

The trail consist of rough rocky and some concrete road. As you ascend, you will see some locals living in the vicinity of the mountain.

There are some trails which are confusing. In fact, since we didn't hire guides, we actually lost 3 times before we reach the campsite lol. The trail, which is occasionally steep during rainy days, can be muddy and slippery. Since it's summer, the trail is dusty and some mini falls we've passed by were dry.

At around 1100, we were able to reach our 1st stop over. The famous ate Julma's store or what hikers call "Mini Stop".

The famous Mini Stop of Maranat

Ate Julmas Famous Kakanin

As we continue to ascend Maranat, we also saw a mini Kubo or some hikers call it "Nursery". Since the weather is really hot, we need to make a stop over.

The Nursery (Our 2nd stop over)

On our way to the campsite, we also saw Mt Arayat on the left side.

Mt Arayat and Sierra Madre Mountain Range

It was around 1200 when we reached the famous river. We decided to take our lunch before heading to the campsite.

Lunch time

The River Crossing:

One of the challenging/exciting part of the trek is the river crossing. You can either cross through boulders or just by passing through a knee-waist deep river. Since the current wasn't that strong, we decided to pass the river.

Crossing the river through boulders

Knee - waist deep river

Another way of crossing the river is through the zip line. However, due to some unknown reason, the locals cut the rope.

And finally, we reached the campsite at around 1300. We've met Mang Nestor who greeted us and also the owner of a small house near the campsite. We took a 30 minute rest before we decided to go to Maranat Falls.