Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines

RIZAL [Mt. Binicayan]

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Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — Carrying my tripod while scrambling to get to the top was definitely worth it so I could capture and freeze this very priceless moment in this photograph.

🇵🇭MT. BINICAYAN ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭

✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Mt. Binicayan, Rizal:

⏺ Ride a public FX from Jollibee Farmers Plaza, Cubao to Rodriguez/Montalban (travel time: 1 – 2 hours).

⏺ Hire a tricycle that will take you to Sitio Wawa.

⏺ Register and secure guide/s.

⏰⏳ SAMPLE DAY HIKE ITINERARY:

3:00 AM ETD for Montalban

4:30 AM ETD for Wawa

5:00 AM Commence trek

7:00 AM ETA summit

10:00 AM Start descent

12:00 PM Lunch at Wawa Dam

3:00 PM Wash up

4:00 PM ETD for Montalban town proper

4:30 PM ETD for Manila

💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo traveler): Php 1,000 – Php 1,300

***Expenses may vary depending on personal consumption of food and other necessities. If traveling alone, you will solely shoulder the guide fees.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — I first went to Sitio Wawa in 2013 when I visited Pamitinan Cave. Back then, the peaks that make up the famous Montalban Trilogy were not yet a mainstream hiking destination. Visitors usually flock to Wawa Dam to swim or have family picnics.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — I revisited Sitio Wawa together with my friends but just like my first trip here, we toured inside Pamitinan Cave then swam at Wawa Dam.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — Fast forward to 2016, I decided to hike Mt. Binicayan alone. It’s not really a solo climb since getting a guide here is mandatory. It was a weekday and my hiking buddies are only available during weekends.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — I left for the town of Rodriguez by dawn and arrived at the registration area of Sitio Wawa by 5:00 AM. Because I was alone, I had to solely shoulder the guide fee. My guide and I commenced our trek by 5:30 AM.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — We reached the peak in less than an hour then returned to the jump-off before 8:00 AM. I actually never wanted to talk about this hike anymore because of the mishaps I encountered. So I’m just gonna leave it at that with this photo taken that day.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — By December of the same year, my friend asked me if I got any upcoming climbs before the year ended. I quickly thought of having a revenge hike here at Mt. Binicayan.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — Just like my previous climb to this mountain that year, my friend and I left for Sitio Wawa by dawn.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — I noticed a number of mountaineers already prepping by the registration area. I already contacted our guide beforehand so we just waited for him at the jump-off.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — It was still dark when we began our trek. The tiring assault was perfect to fire up our still-sleepy bodies that cold morning.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — Since it was December and the northeast monsoon was at its peak, there’s a high possibility of getting rained on or seeing a sea of clouds at the summit. I was hoping for the latter.

📜✏️ Tips/Reminders:

📌The hike to the summit takes about 1.5 – 2 hours depending on your pace.

📌Bring enough hydration as there are no available water sources along the trail.

📌Wear gloves since the rocks throughout the trail are sharp.

📌Be extra careful with your handholds/footholds as you will mostly be rock scrambling without safety gears.

📌You may include Wawa Dam in your itinerary upon descent.

📌If you’re a seasoned mountaineer, you may opt to do a day hike trilogy of Mt. Binicayan, Mt. Hapunang Banoi and Mt. Pamitinan.

📌Another variation of the name Binicayan when you read other blogs online is Binacayan.

📌Always check the weather first before scaling these mountains. Expect rain during monsoon season.

📌You may opt to join organized hiking events online.

📌Always observe the LNT principles.

☎️ Contact:

📌Tour Guide: Kuya Arnel Zata (09076004641)

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — Scrambling Mt. Binicayan’s exhausting trail was unquestionably worth it as this epic view welcomed us at the top.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — We were so lucky that the weather cooperated that day because thunderstorms are also common during monsoon season.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — I have always loved watching the sunrise on top of mountains while witnessing the sunset by the beach.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — One of the things that I love about this mountain is the available spaces for photo ops upon reaching its peak. It was not yet crowded during our pictorial but hikers started arriving after we spent some time at the top. I was already expecting this to happen so I asked my guide to bring us to the spots only he and other local guides know. That’s why there are instances when people ask me where these shots were taken even though they have already climbed Mt. Binicayan.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — We waited until the sun was finally out and decided to transfer to this area at the summit.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — It was a tiring feat for us as we needed to go to the other side to get photos like this but this portion of Mt. Binicayan offers a nice view of the lush vegetation of this side of Montalban.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — We agreed to descend by the time we already got enough photos. Our guide took us to the trail being used by hikers who opt to do the trilogy.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — This trail is way more technical and harder but if you’re an experienced hiker, getting down this mountain will be much faster if you take this route.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — Judging from the looks of these huge sharp rocks, Mt. Binicayan is like a huge karst formation protruding from the earth. Due to the cold season causing moist temperature, the rocks were wet and slippery.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — We could have proceeded to Mt. Pamitinan or Mt. Hapunang Banoi after hiking Mt. Binicayan but both peaks were already full of hikers at the moment. I was not in the mood to fall in line and wait for my turn to have my photos taken at the summit under the scorching heat of the sun.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — We washed up when we reached the jump-off then bid goodbye to Sitio Wawa. There’s always a next time to scale the other mountains in this municipality.

Mt. Binicayan, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines — Riley stood on a wall.
Riley had a great fall.
All his chums and all his friends
Couldn’t put Riley together again.

****For other destinations in Rizal and CALABARZON, you may visit this link.

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