(01/02/2016) – Overlooking view of the City from Mount Babag
Mount Babag is a name not really common or known to everyone. It is a name coined by most mountaineers so let me follow their lead and call it that way. The highest point in Barangay Babag where the RCPI and other communication and radio towers were located, is one of the most common trekking destination for most outdoor enthusiasts in Cebu, hence the name Mount Babag was used nowadays.
Trail Class: 1-2 (750 MASL)
Difficulty : 3/9
Trekking to Mount Babag has been one of the most convenient activity to outdoor enthusiasts like us. I had been trekking to Mount Babag multiple times already, be it day trek, overnight and even night trek. I really love trekking Mount Babag and I believed that no matter how many times you had a chance to summit a mountain, the experience you will get in each one of them is unique and incomparable. It is not how many times you had been there but what matters most is “how you got there” and who is/are with you. At the end of the day, it’s not how fast or how easy you got there, but it’s the climb experience that matters most 🙂 as what Dan Millman had said, “the Journey is what brings us happiness not the destination”.
This time around, I had another set of outdoor enthusiasts who share the same soul as me – the love of adventure. These amazing people is on the hype of starting the year with an outdoor activity and so do I. We agreed to have an almost impromptu climb – meaning no long preparations ahead. The gang came to an agreement the day before – that was the first day of the year for 2016 and from there, everything was settled and finalized the night before the climb. Anything is possible when there is a strong will and compassion anyway.
Here are my reasons why Trekking to Mount Babag is worth repeating for.
1. Location.
Mount Babag is within the Cebu City vicinity. The place is very near to the city and is very accessible. It can be accessed via Napo and Guadalupe as the starting point.
How to get there?
From Guadalupe Church, one can ride a motorbike going to Napo basketball court / chapel. Barangay Napo is the jump off point to Mount Babag. The fare from Guadalupe Church to Napo is 15-20 pesos per pax (30-40 pesos per motorbike).
2. The Trail.
The trail is neither easy nor so difficult but it’s a little steep, just enough challenge to keep your sweats flowing and your heart pumping when starting to ascent on around 60-70 degree slope trail. Multiple mini breaks can’t be avoided especially on these trails since the air will get thinner as you go through the bushes not to mention the scorching heat of the sun depending what time of the day you’re trekking. Be careful though during rainy seasons coz the trail will be very slippery as it can get and you really need to free your hands to balance your way on the steep and narrow trails. (Entry Point: Barangay Napo, Exit Point: Mountain View)
3. Feasible for Night or Day Treks.
Due to it’s accessibility, anyone can have a day trek or night trek at Mount Babag. We just did both in our previous treks. The trek from the jump off to the peak with minor stops will just take around 2 – 3 hours depending on your pacing. So if you’re planning to have a night trek, you can just start at the jump off at around 6PM or later. We did start our night trek last time quarter to 6PM and arrived at camp site at Chalet Hills 40 minutes past 9 in the evening with dinner stop in between.
4. Camp Site.
There is no camp site near Mount Babag, but we had tried camping near the towers in our previous treks since we’re just few at that time. We just asked permission on the resident there and camp on a small vacant lot next to their home. The night view there is simply captivating and the city lights were just mesmerizing and an eye candy to photography enthusiasts. The night campers who trekked passing through Mount Babag had to walk though a rough road and later on a paved one to the camp site at Chalet Hills for about an hour or so.
Chalet Hills has been known to many, it will be crowded during the weekends and extremely crowded during long weekends. So plan ahead when planning to have a night trek and you plan to camp at chalet Hills after coz you might not have enough space to camp. There are a lot of campers there not just outdoor enthusiasts but some groups who want to have a dose of nature and wanted to spend their night in the mountains. Others will just go there and have their little party.
5. Water Source.
Yes, one reason why I loved Mount Babag as a trekking destination is the availability of the water source. You heard it it right, just below the camp site, there is a water source. And to add more to that, along the way right after passing through Mount Babag, there are a lot of small stores who sell cold beverages. You can also buy some snacks if you had forgotten your trail foods. Also, at the foot of Chalet Hills (camp site), there is a small store where you can buy cold drinks, snacks, and even alcoholic drinks if you need to.
These are just few of my reasons but of course there are countless reasons why trekking to this mountain is worth repeating for, especially when shared with these equally amazing and fun to be with adventure hungry buddies.
How about you? Have you been trekking to Babag? How was your experience? What are your reasons for a repeat trek if you had a chance? Do tell your story by leaving a comment.
