Mt. Daraitan – is one of the famous and well-known mountains on the community of mountaineering which is situated in the heart of Sierra Madre in Tanay, Rizal. It has a stunning view from the summit and a picturesque view of the Sierra Madre range. It has a lot to offer like limestone formation, caves, natural pools and rivers. This is the 2nd mountain I had climbed so far.
Major jumpoff: Brgy. Daraitan (village center), Tanay
Minor jumpoff: Sitio Cablao Brgy. Pagsangahan, General Nakar
LLA: 14°36′48.5′′N 121°26′19.5′′ E, 739 MASL (+600)
Days required / Hours to summit: 1 day / 2.5-4 hours
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 4/9, Trail class 1-3
Features: Tropical forest, limestone formations, river trek
– pinoymountaineer
THE JOURNEY
February 9, 2019 – Just as usual Saturday, I woke up early in the morning and do my office work before heading to the MT. Daraitan. After office hours, we went to Cubao around 6:00 PM due to our call time is 9:30 PM. We arrived at Cubao around 8:00 pm and bought some groceries for the hike.
9: 30 pm we were already at the departure area and took our dinner in chowking near LRT2 Cubao Station while waiting for the service van and others to arrive. We departed from Gateway Cubao around 10:30 PM (pinoy time 😀 ) and headed to Tanay, Rizal. I was excited and can’t wait to conquered this another mountain. It was a long ride and I fell asleep in the van due to tiredness and when I woke up we were already in Daraitan Brgy Hall.
February 10, 2019 – We arrived at Daraitan Brgy Hall around 1:00 AM. There were vendors in the area where you can order “lugaw” or hot coffee to wake you up. Registration was done at the Brgy hall (I don’t know how much it cost, it is already included in our payment.) And of course, the important part before we begin our journey was the ORIENTATION.
Supposed to be our trek would start at 3:00 AM but we made it earlier around 2:40 AM. When we started our journey my sweat already rushed down on my skin so I decided to take off my jacket, I saw nothing but the rocks and a lot of rocks on our way to the summit. I highly advised bringing a headlamp not just a flashlight. Kailangan mo talagang kumapit besh kung ayaw mong mahulog pababa, matirik ang daan at bato-bato pa. Many times we took rest for a while to regain our breath. I did not expect it would be a hard climb though I am used to it. I grasped everything that I could reach in order for me to keep moving forward. Laking tulong talaga ng mga sanga ng puno, baging at bato para makarating ako sa summit. All credits to the mother nature.
THE MOUNT DARAITAN
Around 5: 25 AM we were already at the summit waiting for the sun to rise. When it was finally bright and shine we begun taking pictures in the area (nakapila po pala ang pagpipicture dito kaya the earlier the better).
Finally, we made it to the TOP. #Mt. Daraitan Summit
We spent 1 – hour taking instagramable pictures in the summit. After taking so many selfies, groupies and candid photos, we decided to start our descent at around 7: 00 AM going to the Heart Peak since Valentines Day was fast approaching and it was perfect timing to fall in love with mother nature. But before that, we took our breakfast first at the 3rd station.
The back view! Accidentally found this location at Station 3 for more photo ops.
THE HEART PEAK
There’s something with the nature that you can’t resist from, just like climbing to the summit or peak even though I know it is tiresome and I will go back to the normal life in the city with a broken heart , I mean broken knee but I keep climbing, again and again, I keep chasing mountains like I am addictive to it. Since it is a LOVE Month we did not let the moment to pass by without going to the HEART PEAK.
The climb was all worth it, Mt. Daraitan did not disappoint me due to its amazing and scenic views. Our adventure did not end here, around 9:00 AM we headed to TINIPAK River after other instagramable photos we took.
Going down from the peak we met a lot of climbers going to the summit. Lucky for us we were been there before the crowd. We took rest for a while and had a chit-chat with the locals. There were ice candy vendors that we met along the way, so kung na uuhaw ka bili ka na ng ice candy. Masarap and pampa sexy daw sabi ng batang vendor.. hahahah
THE TINIPAK RIVER
11:00 AM when we reached the store at the Tinipak River. When we were at Tinipak River I can’t help my self but appreciate everything that looks very beautiful in my eyes. I felt like I was lost in the paradise surrounded by huge limestone, rock formations, and gigantic rocks. I wondered how it made and where on earth it came from. And the river was so tempting and inviting that I can’t resist not to swim.
As of this writing going to the CAVE is closed to the public due to safety reason. We did not know when it will be open again. Anyway, we still enjoyed the cold water as it comes from melted ice in the river. We really enjoyed swimming and refreshed our selves after a drawn-out journey.
Around 3:30 PM, from Tinipak River, we headed to the tricycle terminal located at the other side of the river which I remembered we walked for another 30-40 minutes. From the terminal, we traveled for about 15 minutes and we arrived at the village around 4:00 PM. We took our shower there for PHP 20:00 per head.
Overall experienced was undoubtedly enjoyed and satisfied. Nakakapagod pero masaya!!! It is very recommended for the beginner who wants to experience and extra adventure near Manila.
