Mt. Mantalingajan Traverse
Brgy. Ransang, Rizal to Brgy. Malis, Brooke’s Point, Palawan
February 18-21, 2013
The better part of me wants to stay modest and self-deprecating about this but damn, this is the proudest moment of my mountaineering life. For the first time since I started climbing, I finally earned the full confidence to call myself a mountaineer. So please indulge me while I shamelessly brag and shout from the rooftops: We traversed Mt. Mantalingajan! And we did it in four days!
On the summit of Mt. Mantalingajan with my two most reliable climbing buddies, Jet and Fred.
The Manta Trav is one of the most, if not THE most, difficult climb in the country. Mt. Mantalingajan, the highest peak in Palawan, straddles five towns in the southern part of the province. Traversing it requires climbing numerous peaks on the mountain range, and trekking on barely established and very dangerous trails that were probably not designed for human use.
I’m still at a loss on how to describe the terrain, particularly the traverse route, in a way that would accurately convey how hellishly brutal they were. To give you a rough idea, here are some of my feverish rants during the climb:
Ang magsasabing may mas mahirap pa sa Manta Trav, sasapakin ko!
Leche, minor climb ang G2 (Guiting-Guiting) kumpara dito.
Konti na lang, iiyak na talaga ako… (I was really on the brink of tears while saying this.)
Wala na akong kaluluwa. I’m a walking automaton.
Hinding hinding hindi na ako uulit ng traverse, kahit bayaran pa ako.
But Mt. Mantalingajan was our ultimate dream climb and we were willing to go through hell to achieve it.
Relatively easy first day, walking on a log.
Clambering over fallen trees was also a regular feature of the first and second day of the climb.
Rocky terrain going to Pulanggok and Tuka-Pungdan peaks on the second day.
More rock-climbing on the summit assault. We thought this was tough considering we didn’t even bring our backpacks. It was child’s play compared to what we went through on the traverse trail on the third and fourth day. We had no more photos of our trek by then. We were on pure survival mode. Believe me when I say the term buwis-buhay is not an exaggeration when describing that wretched trail.
Believe it or not, Jet, Fred and I managed to accomplish an amazing feat on this climb. According to our guide and a local mountaineer in Palawan, we are the sixth group so far to do the traverse and the first to finish it in four days.
We are not the fastest, the strongest or the most experienced of mountaineers. You won’t be impressed when you see us hike. My pace is slow and steady, my sense of balance is pitiful so I often end up falling on my ass, and I instinctively scream for my mother when faced with a daunting trail. While we won’t win accolades for speed and strength, we made sure to make up for it in endurance, patience, obsessive pre-climb preparation, strict adherence to the itinerary, time discipline and teamwork.
We did not set out to make history or break records when we planned this climb. We aimed for a five-day itinerary, which a couple of groups have already done, and made contingency plans in case we had to extend up to six days. The four-day itinerary was a casual idea we toyed with during the pre-climb meeting but didn’t take seriously. It was only on the second day of the trek that we realized we could actually achieve it. Our pacing was good, our morale was up, and we were hitting the targeted campsites earlier than scheduled.
We had to contend with a lot of maddening obstacles though. There were heavy rains a few weeks before the climb so numerous parts of the trail were made even tougher by fallen trees and landslides. On the third day of our climb, Tropical Depression Crising hit southern Palawan. We had to do the summit assault and the traverse to Brooke’s Point, which were the most torturous parts of the climb, amidst continuous rains and strong winds. There was no clearing whatsoever on the summit. To top it all off, the two reliable water sources, Paray-Paray and Tabud River, inexplicably dried up despite the rains. It was like some cosmic force was on a mission to make our climb even tougher than it already is.
Early morning trek to the summit on the third day. The terrain was similar to Guiting-Guiting but about 10 times harder. There was almost no discernible trail and the rocks were very slippery because of the rain. The balancing act was also made tougher by the strong typhoon winds.
Waterless water source in Paray-Paray, the campsite nearest to the summit.
If it’s any consolation, the Paray-Paray water source has great views.
Despite all the misfortunes we had to deal with, we finished the traverse safely and well ahead of our itinerary. Most importantly, the three of us remained great friends. When we started out on this, we had one overarching goal: walang siraan ng pagkakaibigan (there will be no end-of-friendship). The sheer exhaustion and stress of the climb can take a heavy toll on people and relationships. There were squabbles and conflicts along the way but we got over it and just laughed at our silliness over rounds of beer afterwards.
I have Jet and Fred to thank for bearing with me whenever I got cranky and ill-tempered while stressing over the pre-climb prep. These guys have the patience and tolerance their mothers would be proud of. They respected and trusted my decisions as team leader and were very helpful and cooperative in all aspects of the climb. I couldn’t have asked for better climbing buddies.
Fourth and final day of the climb. Jet and Fred with our guides, Binoy and Tatay Dinio, on Kawang-Kawang peak.
I’m so proud of this climb and I’m so proud of our group not just because we traversed Mantalingajan in four days. Records are fine for bragging rights and talking shit on Facebook but not for much else. I’m proud because of how we achieved this climb: we worked as a team, we had a game plan and we executed it well, and, despite all the miseries we went through, we were having the time of our lives.
And by having the time of our lives, I meant we totally camwhored to our hearts’ content.
I’ll write a more detailed account of our Manta traverse in the coming days but for now, I’ll sit back and enjoy the surreal moment when we finally made our dream climb come true.
Photo credit: All photos are by Jet Reyes, except for the ones where he’s actually in the picture (obviously).
Related articles
- Mantalingajan Traverse: Prologue (nagbabasangpinoy.wordpress.com)
- Mantalingajan Traverse: Day One (nagbabasangpinoy.wordpress.com)
- Mantalingajan Traverse: Day Two (nagbabasangpinoy.wordpress.com)
- Mantalingajan Traverse: Day Three (nagbabasangpinoy.wordpress.com)
- Mantalingajan Traverse: Day Four (nagbabasangpinoy.wordpress.com)
- Flora and Fauna of Mt. Mantalingajan (nagbabasangpinoy.wordpress.com)
ambilis!!!!!!!!!!!!! wahahaha euphoric pa rin ako mainly dahil nakita ko yung synchronized pic namin ni Binoy sa may puno wahahaha (walks away humming…”and when the daylight comes, I’ll have to go but tonight I’m gonna hold you so close”)
Syiempre, ganun na ako ka-excited ipagsigawan ang epic climb natin. Hahaha! That was the cutest pic out of all our camwhore photos. Napapangiti talaga ako pag tinitingnan ko. Waaah nami-miss ko na sila tuloy!
And that song is currently playing on repeat as I type this. Actually since kahapon pa. Hehe. “Cause in the daylight, we’ll be on our own but tonight I need to hold you so close…”
may coclimber ako sa Apo (sir Jevs) na naexcite sa mountains ng Palawan dahil sa FB status ko na gusto niyang irevise ang Sep 25-30 tourist IT niya to at least include a hike. Bilang mahirap kung Manta ang pangarapin, nagyaya ng Cleopatra. Hahaha sabi ko tingnan ko pero why not di ba? matagal tagal pa naman hehehe Yayain sina Mayo! Tara!
Pwede! Wala pa tayong 24 hours sa Manila, nagpaplano na namang bumalik ng Palawan? Sinong adik? Hahaha! Di bale na ang Coron at El Nido, climb na lang ng climb!
yes, let’s comb through the sosyal sounding Palawan mountains! Thumbpeak, Beaufort, Bloomfields, Victoria, Cleopatra…Salakot! Hahaha Pati yung Million birds cave na rin! Waaaah! Sino pa ang may Palawan fever?!?
Huh! tara na e set na yan!!!
I have a better idea: Let’s move to Palawan! Ubos lahat ‘yan! Hahaha. (Maghunos-dili tayo, guys. Puro nakanganga pa mga trekking shoes natin. Hehe.)
Congratulations! You did it, yey! Mantalingajan traverse is so not for sissies.
Thanks! I always thought I was a sissy but after Manta trav, feeling ko matapang na ako. Hahaha! Saktong sakto yung sabi ni Sir Naldy: mag-eevolve ka as a mountaineer sa Manta.
Na-upgrade talaga ang konsepto namin ng pag-akyat at difficulty level ng climbs after Manta.
Thanks so much for all your help and for all the info you guys shared.
No prob
Just planning the climb already took a lot of guts, give yourself a pat in the back 
It feels great when you surprise yourself with what you can actually do, right? After Manta, I said I was going to stop hiking for a while, but instead I felt stronger, braver, unstoppable. Kaya yun, akyat uli! hahaha
Exactly. I don’t know how to describe what I was (and still am) feeling after the climb but it’s amazing. Sabi rin namin we’re going to take a climb hiatus after Manta but as the comment thread above indicates, nag-aadik na naman kami. Hehe. Akyat uli!
So true po mam. Congrats din po sa inyo nina sir Naldy for your traverse! I understand how huge a deal it is now that we’ve completed one as well
Thank you! Congrats din Sir to you and the whole team! I said I was going to be tough but I was wiping tears when we got to the summit. I should have reserved those tears for the traverse side, hahahaha, coz then it would have made better sense.
We actually felt the same! When we got to the summit, we were already quite overwhelmed with the whole climb pero in retrospect, I could say that leading up to peak were probably the easiest parts. The trav side was insane! Never again hahaha back trail na lang siguro
Yey Congrats!
Battle Hardened ka na.
Thanks! Di pa rin ako makapaniwala. It feels so surreal! Parang too good to be true!
Sabi ko sa you pwede 4 days eh.
….. But not anyone can do it. 
…I mean kaya 4 days.
Wehehe. Tatlo lang din kasi kami kaya mas madaling i-regulate ang pacing.
Naiyak na naman ako as I read this article… Di ko alam kung anong ginawa ng Manta climb na eto bakit nagiging emo ako…
wahahahaha eh gud lak naman ano kayang ikukuwento ni Binoy sa mga aakyat pa tungkol sating nag-iyakan sa peak di ba? hahaha
Hahaha! “Yung sina Kuya Fred, nag-iyakan pagdating ng summit!” *with rising intonation pa ang pagkakasabi*
Hahaha… uu nga.. Pero naiintindihan na ni Binoy yon mga naganap sa peak…nakaka emo lang talaga pag naalala ko ang climb natin… hirap ipaliwanag ang mga nararamdaman ko… congrats na lang sa atin…
Ang corny natin, guys. Hahaha! (hums “so what we go out, that’s how it’s supposed to be… living young and wild and free…”) Gumawa na tayong playlist ng mga LSS sa Manta trav.
Iyakan sa summit, iyakan ulit dito? Tayo na ang tunay na emo. Hehe. Tara, post-climb na!
pwedeng kumita muna? ok lang ba guys? wahahahaha
Hahaha! Mag-ayos muna ng buhay. Maglaba, ganun.
hahaha… yan ang tinatawag na manta fever di pa nag su-subside…:)
Congratulations sa inyong tatlo. Kung alam nyo lang ang worry ko….hehehe. Glad you had fun…HOLY CRAP talaga :p
Thanks Karen! I did my best to make sure your brother would not be devoured by a snake.
huwaw! what can i say? congratulations sa inyong lahat! ang lupeeeetttt!!!!
Thanks Judy!
phew. What a great read and inspiring motivation. Every time I read your blog I lust to be outdoors more. Congrats on your record breaking climb!
Thank you! I’m happy and humbled that this blog inspires you somehow. Now go and get on with your own outdoor adventures!
Welcome back sirs/madams! Congratulations on your successful climb. Inspiring camaraderie indeed. *salut* o7
Thank you, Sir!
congrats, tin! a fulfilling experience, indeed… every mountaineer dreams of the same.
Thanks Tupe! Sana maakyat mo rin ang Manta Trav. Exhilarating once-in-a-lifetime experience! At once lang talaga for me kasi di na ako uulit, baka ikamatay ko na. Hahaha. Backtrail na lang ako sa Manta next time.
hmmm, that fear challenges me more… alam mo naman ako, a little suicidal. haha. hope when i do it, it’s gonna be fun. wala sanang ulan…
Basta di mo ako kasama or kasabay ng sched sa climb, walang ulan yan. Alam mo naman ako, may sumpa. Haha! *flashback ng Kalatungan at Bulusan*
ANG GALING NMN PO! CONGRATS ALWAYS KEEP SAFE!
Thanks, Ghelay!
Ang galing!!! Congrats!!! See you soon for the celebration!!!
Thanks Des! We accept free booze and food in exchange for Manta Trav stories. Pang-laman tiyan na namin ‘to. Hahaha! Miss ko na kayo!!! Climb na ulit tayo!!!
salamat Des!!! Pati sa concern habang nasa trek kami. Meant a lot
Congrats, Mam Tin!
Thanks, Karina!
sir congrats po sa climb nyo sa manta.. galing!
Salamat, Poi! Hindi po pala ako “sir” kahit nagmumukha na akong lalake.
hintayin ko ung iba mo pang kwento nitong manta traverse nyo….pati yung descent. may alam ako umakyat ng manta, pag baba nya sa bayan, hindi na nya kayang lumakad, sinakay na sya sa kalabaw (lalaki pa un ha!) hahaha!
Well, I can understand. Sobrang hirap talaga ng trail sa Manta. I remember when we got to the highway, I was so infuriated that we had to walk some more to get to the house we’d be staying in for the night. Kung may kalabaw lang rin nun, sumakay na rin ako. Haha. I’d applaud anyone who even dares to take on a Manta climb, sumakay pa man ng kalabaw.
@Mam Judy, me ganun po bang nangyari.
Sa amin naman po, wala naman sinakay sa kalabaw kaso ung dinaanan namin pababa ng Malis, Brookespoint ay parang daanan ng kalabaw sa sobrang dulas… hahaha!
kilala ko yun wahahaha
Still not over Manta so I made chicken adobo for dinner. And yes, I fried the chicken first.
para di malansa! makapgluto nga rin hehe
Exactly! Di kagaya nung adobo sa San Jose terminal. Dapat sinabihan natin si Ate ng fail-proof way of cooking lansa-free adobo. Haha!
waaa…… my team will climb Manta this second quarter… thanks mam tin for this…..hahahaha… parang nanginginig na ako for Manta ah
Wow best of luck on your climb sir! Traverse din ba? Sulit yun! I hope you have better weather than we did.
Tsaka sana di na tuyo mga watersource. Otherwise, baka magdala kayo ng isang Orocan ng tubig mula Kabugan. Hahaha.
huwaw! Sobrang nakakabilib. Congrats!!!!
I’m a fan. hihi
Thanks Rhea! I’m very flattered. Hehe
congrats on your ascend!
Thank you!
wow! 4days traverse! grabe bilis nyo mam, considering the weather, a question, any other water source? besides the two water source area? i am planning to set a climb on that mountain also, after hearing the story of my friend and after reading your article…
Mga local guides po ang nakakaalam ng mga iba pang water sources. Sila na rin ang kumuha ng tubig when the Paray-Paray water source dried up kasi yung isang water source ay mahirap din ang trail. It took them almost three hours to get back to the campsite at pacing na nila yun. Kaya crucial din to reach Paray-Paray early ’cause it’d be dangerous even for the guides to trek at night going to the water source.
Nung third day, nagsalok na kami ng tubig-ulan (as in itsurang survival mode na talaga). May “divine providence” moment din nung nagkaroon ng konting tubig unexpectedly sa isang patay na ilog (malamang dahil na rin sa ulan).
We were meticulous with our meal plan. Kinonsider namin ang availability of water sources sa pag-set ng mga ulam. And we cooked rice two meals in advance habang may tubig pa, tapos sealed na agad para di mapanis. We also brought lightweight, ready-to-eat food for emergency. Malupitang water discipline na rin sa trail. Good thing malamig sa gubat dahil bumabagyo kaya di kami masyadong malakas sa tubig.
I couldn’t stress this enough and I’m sure you already know this but stringent logistical, physical, mental, (pati na emotional) preparation is really needed for a Manta climb, particularly the traverse.
Nganga ako sa’yo ate Talamitam-Matandang Gubat pa lang cramps city na ko.
Mag-ipon ka ng potassium at sodium sa katawan sir. Kain ng maraming saging before the climb. O kaya baon ka ng energy drink e.g. Propel, Gatorade. Or mas murang option ay hydrite, yep yung pang-diarrhea, may potassium at sodium yun. P8 lang per pack sa generics pharmacy. Lahat yun baon namin sa Manta. Di kami nagka-cramps, kahit yung isang kasama namin na suki ng cramps. Hehe.
Sir, samahan mo na rin pag inom ng maraming cobra para di na tatalab ung cramps at kagat ng King Cobra dun sa traverse trail kung sakali may makasalubong ka…. hahahaha
joke lang po.. hehe
Lakas ng trip mo! Pero sige, pwede ka nang mag-joke ng ganyan now that the climb is over and Jet is safe in their snake-free house. Hehehe.
Dude, I need my tent back, pati na ang trapal at ang cute na yellow-green knife. Hehe. Can we meet sometime this weekend? May phone ka na?
OK na madam, inayos ko na po tent mo sa isang lagayan niya pati poles at pegs…Hmmm.. mukhang may akyat eto ah, pwede bang sumama, nangangati na paa ko… hehehe..message me na lang here…
Thanks thanks! Gusto mong dumayo sa malayong bayan ng SM Fairview on Sunday? Let’s meet there with Jet.
I’m also gonna get my other stuff from him. Ang saya ng walang baggage allowance, nagkalat ang gamit. Haha!
Meron kaso sabit lang din ako eh, can’t invite.
Gusto ko nga sana mag-aya eh para may tagabitbit ng tent. Hehehe.
BUT, Dante and his friends are planning to do a Maktrav next week ata. And they’re not familiar with the Sipit trail. Which means… it’s your time to shine! Diba certified Maktrav guide ka na sa kakabalik mo dun? Hehe! Forwarded you an email from a friend of Dante asking about the Sipit trail. Sinagot na rin ni Jet pero if gusto mo silang samahan, email mo na lang…
pero in all seriousness nakakaliyo yung Cobra di ba? nag-cobra ka ba nun Fred? And yes, I’m ignoring the fact na nagjojoke ka tungkol sa ahas hahaha pasalamat talaga sa Diyos at nakisama sila (or rather hindi sila nakisama sa atin hehe)
Yup Jet… naka apat na Cobra ako nun! one before my flight to Palawan, another at Charing terminal, another one at Narra stopover at lastly sa Rizal ung after dinner natin dun… Wala kasi me maayos na tulog for 3days before sa climb kaya ganun ako kabagal sa 1st two days at ganun ako kalakas humilik nung first 2nights… hehehe
Si Tatay Dinio kasi nag kwento sa’kin nun, kaya daw ayaw niya mag night trek papuntang Lapung campsite kasi minsan, nakasalubong daw niya si King Cobra dun kaya sabi niya delikado din….
Ang lakas ng hilik ay innate talent, wag isisi sa puyat at Cobra. Haha!
Suicide ang mag-night trek ng Paray-Paray to Lapong. Trail to hell ang daanang yun. I still get goosebumps every time naaalala ko. Creepy!
sige, ibigay mo na lahat ng tips mo tin, kasama na ang mga babala! hahaha! para ung mga aakyat siguraduhin nilang may sapat silang gamit at TIBAY NG LOOB at LAKAS ng KATAWAN…kundi nakakahiya sila sayo! hahaha! (dyowk lang mga kabayan!)
I can only share the lessons I learned (the hard way) while on the trail. Compared to mountaineers who have been doing this for years, newbie pa rin ako. Hehe.
Anong oras kitaan, san banda dun sa SM Fairwiew? Pwede bang dito na lang sa malapit sa teritoryo ko! hehe Ngayon linngo na yung akyat ng friend ni Dante eh!
Ay okay, nung nagtext kasi sya sabi nya next week pa raw. Kayo na lang mag-usap. Hehe. Pag diyan sa teritoryo mo, ililibre mo kami ng pamasahe. Haha! Dun na lang, for a change. Ikaw naman lumuwas sa probinsiya ng QC.
Anong oras po madam at saan banda dun sa SM Farview??? Paki message me na lang sa twitter madam!…
Demanding lang??? Maraming question marks talaga???
Yeah, I’ll send you a DM or I’ll ask Jet to send you a message on FB (my Twitter account has gone bonkers for some reason). Okay??? Magluto ka na nga ng corned beef mamayang madaling araw! Hahaha.
Hahahaha… sayang! di ko naluto yung menu ko na nilasing ng manok…ipapatikim ko sana sa inyo..hehe.. sa bhay na nila Jet tayo?
Uh, not really. Mangunguha lang talaga ako ng gamit. Haha! Pero kung magdadala ka ng nilasing na manok (at panlasing na rin sa tao), then we might as well crash someone’s house.
ang galing naman. congrats mam! cheers!
Salamat Sir!
tip lang para di mapanis ang kanin- bago isalang, lagyan ng konting suka (half teaspoon) ..di naman malalasahan ang suka pag naluto na. guaranteed yan na di mapapanis maghapon kahit the next day pa
Thanks Judy! Will try that next time. Fortunately, wala namang napanis na kanin sa mga sinaing namin. May konting hilaw (patuka-sa-manok style of cooking) lang minsan. Hehe.
congrats sirs and mam…planning to do it next year..hope you can give me a sample itinenary of your climb and kung saan ang much better na exit point! =)
Thanks Cris! I’m posting a day-to-day account of the climb at naka-indicate na rin ang mga oras (actual itinerary na kumbaga). You can draw your IT from there.
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