Mount Batulao

Batulao is the trail that taught Manila to hike. From the Evercrest junction below Tagaytay, two routes - the old and the new - climb through farm plots and cogon grass onto a ridge of rolling green slopes broken by a series of rocky peaklets numbered by hikers as they go, with the summit at 693 metres. The name is usually explained as bato sa ilaw, illuminated rocks, for the December sunrise that lights the two main peaks. Nothing about it is technical, but the exposure is total: there is almost no shade on the ridge, the sun arrives hard by eight in the morning, and the classic plan is to start before dawn, catch the sea of cloud in the valleys and be off the tops by mid-morning. The reward is the view - Nasugbu's hills, the coast toward Batangas and, on clear days, Taal's caldera rim. Campers stay on the saddles overnight for sunrise. Guides and registration are handled at the barangay, and weekends see hundreds of hikers on the ridge, which is either sociable or the reason to come on a Tuesday.

What you'll find

• The grass ridge - open rolling slopes and peaklets.
• The dawn cloud - valleys filled white below.
• The summit view - Nasugbu, the coast and Taal's rim.
• The farm approach - plots and stalls on the lower trail.

When to go

November to April for dry ground; start at 4 or 5 am to beat the sun. Weekends are crowded; weekdays can be near-empty.

Things to know

There is no shade and no water source on the ridge - carry two litres per person. Trails turn to slick mud after rain. Registration and guides are required and the fee is per group.

Nearby

Tagaytay's Taal viewpoints are half an hour up the road; Nasugbu's beaches lie down the other side.

Key facts