Mount Apo Natural Park

Mount Apo reaches 2,954 metres and is the highest point in the country, a broad volcanic massif on the boundary of Davao del Sur, Davao City and Cotabato. It is climbed on several routes over three or four days. The Kidapawan approach passes hot springs and a lake before the hard ground; Kapatagan is shorter and steeper. Higher up the forest turns mossy and stunted, sulphur vents stain the rock yellow and steam through it, and the last section to the summit is a long boulder field where you use your hands. Lake Venado, a shallow lake on a shelf below the peak, is the classic camp. Numbers are capped and every climb goes with registered guides.

History

Apo is a title of respect meaning "revered elder" in the languages of the surrounding Lumad peoples, short for Apo Sandawa, "Grandfather Sandawa", the spirit of the mountain, honoured as an ancestor by the Manobo and Kalagan peoples of its foothills. At 2,954 metres it is the highest peak in the Philippines (Wikipedia, Mount Apo).

Highlights

• The summit boulder field - the final scramble over loose volcanic rock to the highest point.
• The sulphur vents - yellow-stained rock steaming near the upper slopes.
• Lake Venado - the shallow lake on a shelf below the peak, used as the main high camp.
• The mossy forest - stunted moss-covered trees on the middle section of every route.

When to go

March to May is the driest and the standard climbing season, and it is also when the quotas fill. The mountain closes periodically for rehabilitation after fires or heavy use, sometimes for months, so confirm that your chosen route is open before you travel. Permits, a medical certificate and an accredited guide are arranged through the local tourism office, not on arrival.

Good to know

This is a serious multi-day trek, not a viewpoint. The boulder section is exhausting and hard on ankles, the camps are cold and often wet, and there is no shelter above the treeline. Quotas mean you may not get the date you want. Rain turns the trails to deep mud and the summit is frequently in cloud with nothing to see at all.

Nearby

Davao City is the base, with the Philippine Eagle Center and Eden in the same uplands.

Key facts