Mount Ayngat – The Unexpected Mountain of Tanay, Rizal
I have personally loved climbing mountains and every ascent never fails to amuse me. For this year, so far, I have climbed three peaks and all of it were exciting. As my 13th mountain overall, Mount Ayngat is a surprise mountain with generous views of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. Standing just over 600 meters above sea level, this mountain is worth the hike.
Read also: Mounts Cayabu and Maynoba: Your Adventure Twin Hike
Mount Ayngat and Asmican Falls Traverse
We started the hike at around 0330 H of a Sunday. Our guides told us that the traverse would be an immediate ascent and that there will be portions where it would be muddy and rocky. As I am quite adept with the coldness of Baguio, the cold never bothered me anyway. The trail was so warm even in the wee hours of the morning but as we went higher, the mountain breeze greeted us. The ascent to the summit of Mount Ayngat was hard especially when we were nearing the peak. Luckily there were guide trails and our guides assisted us. Mount Ayngat is now becoming a mountain to traverse in Rizal province as it is near Mount Cayabu and Mount Maynoba. They in fact have same registration areas (that opens at around 0300 H). Just tell them that you will be climbing Mount Ayngat.
Our climb lasted for around 1 hour and 30 minutes as the pacing of our group was much faster than the others. We have reached the summit at around 0500 H and just waited for the sun to rise in the distant mountain range. Unfortunately, we have not witnessed the ‘sea of clouds‘ as the clouds were very high that time.
After which, each group were given the change to have a photo taken in the summit marker. We were approximately 15 groups of 5 (or even more) and we were only given 30 seconds per person to have a photo. Yes! They literally have a timer! If you want to experience Mount Ayngat even more, you can pitch your tents in the summit and have an overnight stay. Then at the descent, it took us more than an hour to reach Asmican Falls at the foot of the mountain.
Suggested Itinerary
|
0000 – 0030 H |
Meet up at McDo Eton Centris (Near TriNoMa) |
|
0100 H |
ETD to Barangay Cayabu (Tanay, Rizal) |
|
0300 H |
ETA in Barangay Cayabu |
|
0330 H |
Start trekking |
|
0500 – 0730 H |
ETA Summit; Viewpoint and Rock Formation photo ops; Breakfast |
|
0730 – 0830 H |
Trekking going to Asmican Falls |
|
0830 – 0845 H |
Asmikan Falls |
|
0845 – 0930 H |
Hike Bike to Jump off Point |
|
0930 – 1030 H |
Wash Up / Brunch |
|
1030 – 1230 H |
Travel Time going back to Manila |
|
1230 H |
ETA Manila |
Possible Expenses
| Climb Guide Fee | PhP 500 / guide – take note that guide-hiker ratio is 1:5 |
| Entrance Fee | PhP 50 / person |
| Overnight Fee / Rate | PhP 1250 – bring own tent |
*transportation and food expenses depends on your group
*If there are any changes in any part of this blog, feel free to e-mail me for me to change it!
We’re born to travel!
About Aldrick 'chiki' Agpaoa
