Mt. Batulao

BACKGROUND 
According to the villagers the name “Batulao” is came from the sun sets right between the two peaks of the mountain, creating an image of rocks surrounding a disc of red light. In Tagalog, this event of “Bato sa Ilao” (Illuminated Rocks) from which derived the term “Batulao”, however, this scenario only happens every last week of the year. The beauty and characteristic of batulao is good enough to make it as mountaineering destinations of nearby cities and provinces.

Destination	Mt. Batulao  811+ MASL (also known as "Twin Peaks")
Trail	Old trail via New trail or Vice-versa
Location	Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines
Coordinate	14° 2' 27 N 120° 48' 4 E
Nature of Climb	Minor climb, Difficulty 4/9, Trail class 3 with 60-70 degrees assault
Jump-Off Point	Evercrest Golf Course, Nasugbu, Batangas

SUGGESTED ITINERARY 

Day 1
09:30 AM Assembly time at Crow Bus Lines terminal in EDSA-Taft, Pasay City
10:00 AM ETD Crow Bus Lines terminal
01:00 PM ETA Evercrest Golf Course, Nasugbu, Batangas (Lunch Time)
02:00 PM Start trek
04:30 PM ETA at Campsite(Old Trail -Registration)
05:15 PM Set camp
06:00 PM Prepare dinner
07:00 PM Dinner and Socials
11:00 PM Lights off

Day 2
05:00 AM Wake-up call
05:30 AM Breakfast
06:00 AM Break Camp
06:30 AM Assault summit
07:00 AM ETA Summit Picture taking
08:00 AM Start descend via New trail (Registration)
10:00 AM ETA Evercrest
11:00 AM Shower, Lunch
01:30 PM Side Trip (Anywhere!)

THINGS TO BRING
1 set Trekking clothes
1 set Clothes for going home
1-3 Liters of water for trail water
1.5 Liters of water for the group
1 Snack, candy, chocolate, banana & other trail foods
1 set Foods for dinner and breakfast
1 roll Tissue paper 1 Rain gear
1 set Personal First Aid Kit
1 Head lamp or flashlight 1 Sets of sandals (for just in case)
1 Plastic for water proofing on the bag

SPECIAL CONCERNS

Mt. Batulao is accessible throughout the year, during rainy season; some portion of the trails could be severely muddy especially in trail where horses are passing. However, it is advisable to wear clothes according to your comfort because of the humid in the area. During summer or dry season; wear rash guard or long-sleeved shirts to protect your skin from cogon grass and sun glasses for sun’s UV rays. Also consider the garments you will use that easily stain with dust. Apply insect repellant lotion to your skin especially at night to protect you for insects bite.

Guides are available, wait for hikers by the highway; you can secure their services for a reasonable price of 300php/day as of year 2011(recommended by pilipinasmountain.blogspot.com) For saving time of trekking, you can ride a tricycle from the highway to the end of the road about 20minutes trip that can costs 100php/ride maximum of 3-4 persons. Also, you can buy food and water along trail like fresh coconut and halo-halo.

Water source throughout the trails are not accessible but if you have guide they can access it around 30 minutes away for you on either trails. For day hikes, 1.5-2 L of water is advised.

For old trail at Camp One, water source is available but is not safe to drink. 20php registration fee is collected; the same fee is collected at the new trail and if you want to experience two different trails up and down, you must pay 20php on both sides.

Mobile phone signal is present throughout the climb.