Hiking is an immersive way to get a glimpse of the beautiful natural landscape this world has to offer. If you’re up for that, you should add Mt. Daraitan to your list!

Mt. Daraitan is a popular hiking destination in the Philippines, which boasts a stunning view of the Sierra Madre range, rolling grasslands, caves, majestic waterfalls, and according to many, one of the country’s cleanest and free-flowing rivers, the Tinipak River.

There’s a reason why hundreds of hikers brave the trails every day, and I found out it’s because the beauty and glory of this place will leave you suuuuper speechless! *no exaggeration* 

Here’s a comprehensive guide of our Mt. Daraitan Day Hike which I hope would be useful for you too!

With details on: getting around, budget, and necessities

• YOURSELF. You should be mentally and physically prepared to hike. While the difficulty level for Mt. Daraitan is intermediate (it’s a 4/10), it would be great if you can squeeze in a conditioning routine with cardio and/or strength-building exercises days before the scheduled hike.
• MOSQUITO REPELLENT LOTION. In my experience, mosquitoes aren’t prevalent in Mt. Daraitan. But be sure to bring a mosquito repellent lotion ‘cos it’s always better to be safe than sorry!
• POWER BANK/CHARGER. This activity will consume not just your energy, but your gadgets’ batteries as well. A power bank will come in handy so you can charge anytime! There aren’t any electrical outlets too, but bring your charger just in case.
• CLOTHES. There are 2 sets you need to prepare: hiking clothes that double as swimming clothes (You can just take off your top, and leave your sports bra and leggings on after hiking OR you can bring your swimwear if you feel like it); and a bath towel & fresh set of clothes to change into (feel free to go full fashooown lol).
• SHOES. Get a comfy & trusty pair of hiking sandals!
• WATERPROOF CASE/BAG. This is for extra protection, especially if you’re going to use your gadget/s when you swim. If you have waterproof gadgets, good for you 😛
• TOILETRIES. Don’t forget your deodorant, lotion, toothbrush and toothpaste, tissue, feminine wash, sunscreen, make-up, shampoo, conditioner, soap, comb, napkins/tampons, powder, cologne, etc. You don’t need to lose your freshness, girl!
• MONEY & CARD. We were a group of 4 so expenses were pretty much okay. To be safe, bring at least P2,000 + your debit/credit card so you can withdraw cash when needed.
• UMBRELLA. It might rain, okay?
• MT. DARAITAN GUIDE. It doesn’t matter if it’s a comprehensive guide posted on Facebook or this particular guide *ehem.* You need to have a screenshot of it (and you also need to review it the night before) just so you know what to expect and how to get around. You don’t want to look like a lost kid, do you?

Last thing, don’t pack too much. Just bring what you need so you don’t have a hard time climbing up or down.

You’ll ka-ching💰 out on the following:

TOTAL EXPENSES (PER PERSON – GROUP OF 4): P1,057 

If you take into account your expenses from and to Shaw-Crossing, let’s say the new total expenses would be: P1,200.

Notes:

• The rate from Jollibee Tanay to Barangay Daraitan is only P500, but we got charged higher by the Tutok Boys + we were too beat with sleep drunkenness to even argue about the P600 rate. Anyway, at least we didn’t have to take a jeep to Sampaloc anymore.
• The raft ride was P10 on the way home because it was raining cats and dogs that time and the water level was rising fast.
• You can save on breakfast and lunch by bringing packed meals. *Remember to bring your trash with you. Leave only footprints!
• You may refer to the Tourism Fees below:

ALSO READ: Our Flying Trapeze Experience

The adventure began the moment we stepped foot inside the tricycle. I honestly thought the trip from Jollibee Tanay to Barangay Daraitan would be like a normal tricycle ride, but it felt so much like being in a rollercoaster. It was long, chilly, and reeeaally bumpy! If there’s one advice I could give you, it’s to sit in the sidecar and not behind the driver.

After the 1-hr tricycle ride, we reached Barangay Daraitan and there we were told to finish whatever business we needed to finish since there won’t be any restroom nor water source in the mountain.

When we registered and paid the eco-tourism fees at the Barangay Hall, we were quickly assigned a tour guide (his name is Kuya Alexis and he’s super cool!), and given a short orientation for the mountain climbing activity. It was around 7:40 am at the time and Kuya Alexis said it would’ve been better if we got there earlier since most climbers would start at 4 am so they can catch the sea of clouds.

The climb quickly revealed its challenging nature as we struggled to scale an almost vertical wall of sharp, jagged rocks. You’d be out of breath many times, so you need to be honest with the tour guide if or when you feel you can’t take it anymore.

There are 3 stations in the trail you can look forward to. The 1st station is an indicator that you’ve completed 25% of the mountain climbing activity; the 2nd station means you are halfway there, and the last station means you’re 10 to 15 minutes away from the peak.

Aaaand I don’t mean to scare off hikers, but we also encountered a snake shortly before reaching the summit. Kuya Alexis saw it and took care of it. We just didn’t tell my friends right away to avoid anyone from panicking.

To be honest, this is one of the things we weren’t prepared about. It’s a good thing the snake was non-poisonous! Trivia: non-poisonous snakes far outnumber the poisonous ones in the Philippines.

If you ever happen to be in the same scenario, you better keep your cool and leave it alone. It’s also better if you can do some research before you climb so you can mitigate human-wildlife conflict and keep everyone safe. After all, the outdoors are the snakes’ turf, right?

At exactly 11 am, we reached the summit of Mt. Daraitan, and boy, it was SO STUNNING everyone got the “heart eyes” on their faces. ♥ The trek was quite challenging since it was already the rainy season; the rocks too slippery and muddy, but the rewarding view made the 3-hour hike worthwhile. 

I just can’t stress how truly beautiful the view from the summit is. Before posing for photos, I’d always take my time to admire the stunner in front of me and thank the Universe for giving us glimpses of the divine.

Here’s another set of photos in another limestone rock formation:

After enjoying our time and taking lots of photos at the summit, we started our descent to the Heart Peak. The Heart Peak is a new attraction and a picture-perfect spot in Mt. Daraitan! It will give you an amazing view of Mt. Mamara and Tinipak River.

There’s another spot we’re supposed to go to after the Heart Peak, but we scrapped it out of our itinerary since we wanted to take a bath in the river. We later found out it was a good idea because it started raining hard.

If hiking up to the summit took us 3 hours, we made it to Tinipak River in an hour and a half. I guess we were too excited to let the river’s coolness soothe our tired legs!

ALSO READ: Unplugging in Nature (NoLimits KFB Farm in Alitagtag, Batangas)

This was our actual itinerary for the Mt. Daraitan + Tinipak River Day Hike. You may tweak it as you wish.

0500 EDSA-Shaw to Jollibee Tanay (UV)
0610 Arrival at Jollibee Tanay
0615 Jollibee Tanay to Barangay Daraitan (TRICYCLE)
0715 Arrival at Barangay Daraitan
0720 Buy snacks/biscuits/water + restroom break before crossing the river to head to the Barangay Hall
0740 Arrival at Barangay Hall (after 1 raft + 1 tricycle ride)
0745 Pay Registration and Eco-Tourism fees and take a brief orientation
0800 Start the trek up to Mt. Daraitan
1100 Arrival at the summit
1215 Start descent to Heart Peak
1340 Arrival at the Heart Peak
1400 Start descent to Tinipak River
1510 Arrival at Tinipak River + Rest
1530 Swimming
1615 Walk back to area with vehicles. Take tricycle to the changing area
1630 Arrival at the changing area + freshen up
1700 Take tricycle to Barangay Daraitan (then +1 raft ride)
1715 Barangay Daraitan to Jollibee Tanay (TRICYCLE)
1900 Arrival at Jollibee Tanay/ Late lunch + Dinner + Rest
2000 Jollibee Tanay to Shaw Crossing (JEEP)
2210 Arrival at Crossing

Overall, our hike to Mt. Daraitan was a tiring but fun activity I’d love to do again. Seeing the beautiful greens of nature has always been my therapy. But to see “everything” from the top of a mountain? D-I-V-I-N-E.