Mt. Bulusan

MT. BULUSAN

Mt. Bulusan, or Bulusan Volcano, in Sorsogon, rises to 1565 MASL and is one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines. Recent eruptions in 2006, 2007, 2010, and 2011 intermittently closed the mountain for several years, until it reopened in June 2012. In that same month, PinoyMountaineer.com and team visited the volcano, and the stunning beauty of Mt. Bulusan was revealed to us.

These features and views make Bulusan Volcano easily one of the most beautiful climbs in the Philippines, not to mention that biodiversity that has the potential to attract birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts. Considering that it is also one of the most active volcanoes in the country, hikers interested on this mountain should climb it soon, before it erupts again! The impressive local organization of trained and very friendly guides, caretakers, and even an EMT officer gives me no hesitation to recommend Bulusan as a must-try hiking destination in the Philippines!

Bulusan volcanic complex is located at the southern extremity of the Bicol arc in the south-east of Luzon. It consists of the active cone of Mt. Bulusan, 11 km wide Irosin caldera, and older dissected volcanic centres that include the Gate Mountains at the

southern tip of the peninsula and Mt. Bintacan to the west.

At the summit, however, with favorable weather conditions, the view is absolutely breathtaking. The crater, traditionally known as the "Blackbird Lake" is a gaping void surrounded by fragile rocky ridges where sulfuric steam continues to emanate from; and on the other side, Lake Aguingay looks very tranquil under the shadow of Sharp Peak. Beyond Bulusan's realm, the towns of Sorsogon can be seen and on a blessed day, the distant perfect cone of Mayon Volcano can be spotted.

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Basilica of the Nuestra Senora de Penafrancia

BASILICA OF THE NUESTRA SENORA DE PENAFRANCIA

The Basilica Minore del Peñafrancia is located at the outskirts of Naga City. The “Our Lady of Peñafrancia” is the Patroness of the entire Bicol Region and because the number of devotees continues to grow and multiply, a new and bigger church was built to house the Lady.

The concept for the building came from Archbishop Pedro P. Santos in 1960. Construction began on April 18, 1976, but was delayed for a number of years due to finance problems and was not completed until September 1981.

The Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peña de Francia serves as the home of the revered Our Lady of Peñafrancia, and is one of the important landmarks of one of Bicol's foremost cities.

This beautiful church in Naga City is steeped in a beautiful story and a rich history. The Peñafrancia Basilica Minore houses an image of the Virgin Mary that was sculpted in 1710. It was commissioned by Dominican priest Miguel Robles de Covarrubias who, as stories have it, was personally blessed by the Virgin and was witness to some of her miracles.

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Sunken Cemetery

SUNKEN CEMETERY

Located in Bonbon, Catarman a huge cross marker has been installed by the Provincial government to mark the community cemetery that sunk during the 1871 volcanic holocaust. Years ago, gravestones were visible during low tide. Today, it is an interesting diving site.

From a distance, one can see how lonely and solemn the place is. Entombed below the Cross are the lives lost to the history the people had been through, and place in itself already gave birth to the residents’ culture, history and tourism.

Today, all that remains of old Catarman are the ruins of an ancient Spanish San Roque church, a convent and a bell tower. 

Remnants of the structures and gravestones of the cemetery were still seen during low tide until 1948 when Mount Vulcan erupted for the fourth time, which buried the area deeper by 20 feet. In 1982, a large cross was built on the solidified lava to mark this old gravesite.

It's a cross, but believe me the main attraction for me was our guide. :)

There was a cemetery underneath and it sank because of an earthquake brought about by the explosion of Mt. Hibok-Hibok. It would have been better if we were able to go scuba diving to appreciate the sunken cemetery better. 

The new cross was just built for attraction/marker purposes (I believe it was built late 1990s). It is a great opportunity for picture-taking. Especially with the great expertise of our boatman/camera man/creative director. He knows a lot of photo tricks and great expressions that will surely put a smile on your face. 

We came around noon. They say it would have been better to come around sunset for a more magnificent picture. Anyways, it was nice.

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White Water Rafting

WHITE WATER RAFTING

It is the gateway of the northern Mindanao. This Philippine city resembled something close to a picturesque, rural town just a few years back. In recent days though, Cagayan de Oro – or CDO, as most of the other Pinoys are wont to call it – has experienced a rather startling makeover, pushing the bar between a rural-urban hybrids, where downtown certainly looks the part while the suburbs are the most secluded gated subdivisions one could ever try trekking to.

KAGAY is Cagayan de Oro’s premiere whitewater rafting outfitter. They use State Of The Art Rafts (SOTAR) and equipment and offer rafting trips ranging from the beginner’s course – which covers class 1-2 rapids – to advance courses, which cover the more difficult class 3-4 rapids. And these trips are offered throughout the year. 

It’s guaranteed to be safe, no matter what the time of year: with our experienced and able river guides that had been trained both by the prestigious International Rafting Federation (IRF) in rafting techniques and safety, and by the Philippine National Red Cross in first-aid and CPR, rest assured that your experience will be so safe and enjoyable that you’ll want to keep on coming back for more!

Whitewater rafting has never been this good.  With KAGAY, you will always have the best whitewater rafting experiences this side of the globe. So make your reservations now!

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Mt. Kitanglad

MT. KITANGLAD

The name “kitanglad” is a combination of Visayan words “kita” (to see) and “tanglad” (lemon grass), taken from a legend, which says that lemon grass was the only thing visible on top of the mountain as a great flood once submerged Bukidnon.

MKRNP was declared a protected area through Republic Act 8978, known as the Mt. Kitanglad Range Protected Area Act of 2000. It is also acknowledged not only as one of the country’s Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) but also an Important Bird Area (IBA) as it is a known nesting place of the majestic and threatened Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi). 

The MKRNP has about a dozen peaks, with the main ones being Mt. Imbayao, Mt. Kaatoan, Mt. Nangkabulos, Mt. Dulang-Dulang and Mt. Kitanglad. Five of its highest peaks (Mts. Kitanglad, Lumuluyaw, Maagnaw, Tuminungan, and Dulang-Dulang) have an average elevation of 2,718.2 meters. 

The park also serves as a natural habitat for several endemic mammals such as the endangered golden crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus) and Mindanao moon rat (Podogymnura truei); the vulnerable Philippine brown deer (Cervus mariannus), Philippine tailless roundleaf bat (Coelops hirsutus), Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans), Philippine pygmy fruit bat (Haplonycteris fischeri), Phil. warty pig (Sus philippinensis) and Mindanao tree shrew (Urogale everetti); and the conservation-dependent Philippine tarsier (Tarsius syrichta).

Aside from the Philippine Eagle, other endemic birds that find shelter in the MKRNP are the threatened Blue-capped kingfisher (Actenoides hombroni), Mindanao bleeding heart pigeon (Gallicolumba criniger), and Red-eared parrot finch (Erythrura coloria). Others are the Philippine hanging parakeet (Loriculus philippinensis); Philippine pygmy woodpecker (Dendrocops maculates); Grey-hooded sunbird (Aethopygia primigenius); mountain shrike (Lanius validostris). 

The range straddles parts of Malaybalay City and the municipalities of Baungon, Talakag, Lantapan, Impasugong, Sumilao, Libona, and Manolo Fortich. It is the ancestral domain of the Talaandig, Higaonon and Bukidnon ethnolinguistic groups. It also provides irrigation, power generation and domestic water for Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental, as well as a catchment area for Cagayan, Tagoloan and Pulangui.

Tourism sites within the MKRNP include the Cinchona Forest Reserve, which allows the observation of the Philippine Eagle; the Lalawan, Lungobon and Lusok Falls; and Mt. Kitanglad itself, the country’s fourth highest peak that is also an inactive volcano which accounts for several hot springs in the area.

Human activities such as high value crop plantations; kaingin (slash-and-burn farming); small-scale logging; establishment of buildings and roads for telecommunications; gathering of non-timber forest products; tourism; hunting; fishing; and grazing threaten the conservation of MKRNP.

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Rodeo Filipino Festival

RODEO FILIPINO FESTIVAL

Try and plan your visit to coincide with one of Masbate’s captivating festivities. Rodeo Filipino (every April) is second to none and features young cowboys proving their prowess riding wild steers and wrestling with fearsome bulls. It has a real ‘wild west’ atmosphere complete with open air barbecue feasting and lots of lively traditional music. Even more of an eye opener is the annual Corn Festival at San Ramon. This is a wild celebration best remembered for dance displays on glowing embers and fearless visitors are encouraged to take part.

The festival has stamped Masbate’s identity as the cattle center of the Philippines, and Masbate City’s fame as the rodeo capital. The province’s expanses of gently rolling hills are perfect for cattle ranching, and Masbateños have been honed by the decades to be exceptional riders and herders.

A typical Rodeo Masbateño festival kicks off with a grand horse parade, the longest of its kind staged in the country and probably in the whole of Asia. Such a parade would see hundreds of horses ridden by professionals and students alike strut down the city streets.

When we say professional, we mean world-class: homegrown talents have participated in international rodeo festivals such as in Las Vegas.

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Mayon Volcano

MAYON VOLCANO, ALBAY

Mayon Volcano (Tagalog: Bulkang Mayon, Central Bikol: Bulkan Mayon), also known as Mount Mayon, is an active volcano in the province of Albay, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Renowned as the "perfect cone" because of its almost symmetric conical shape, the mountain was declared a national park and a protected landscape on July 20, 1938, the first in the country. It was reclassified a Natural Park and renamed Mayon Volcano Natural Park in the year 2000. 

Classified as a stratovolcano (a volcano made up of layers of lava alternating with cinder and ash) Mount Mayon or Mayon Volcano is very much active and is located in the in the Bicol Region, in the province of Albay, on Luzon Island, Philippines.

Located just fifteen kilometers from Albay’s busy city of Legazpi, Mount Mayon is famous for it perfect inverted cone shaped appearance which is instantly recognizable because it is probably the most photographed volcano in the country.

Mount Mayon’s most devastating eruption happened on the 1st of February 1814. Though lava flowed, it did not flow as much as it did in 1766. The volcano instead belched black ash and ultimately bombarded the town of Cagsawa with tephra (dust and ashes) and eventually buried it. Only the town church’s belfry tower was left on the surface. All vegetation in the area was burned and waterways were predictably damaged. 

Areas nearby were also damaged by the eruption as ash accumulated to a depth of 9 meters.

Over two thousand residents of Albay locals died in what is believed to be the most deadly eruption in the history of Mount Mayon.

The longest recorded uninterrupted eruption of Mayon Volcano happened on June 23, 1897 and it lasted for 7 continuous days of fire raining, seemingly, from the heavens. The village of Bacacay was buried under tons of lava which flowed and buried the town and rose to height of nearly fifty feet.

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