Mount Iraya

Iraya rises above Basco to just over a thousand metres, a dormant volcano whose last confirmed eruption was many centuries ago and whose upper slopes carry dense, dripping cloud forest - a different Batanes from the wind-scoured pastures below. The climb takes most of a day: a steady ascent from the farm edges into forest thick with ferns, moss and endemic birds, muddy underfoot in almost any season, then a scramble through low crooked trees to a summit that is often socked in. On the rare clear mornings the reward is the whole of Batan laid out - Basco and its lighthouse, the pasture ridges, the boulder coast, Sabtang across the strait and the channel running north toward Itbayat. Guides are required, both because the trail is faint above the farms and because the weather turns fast. Most visitors to Batanes never climb it, which is precisely the appeal for those who do.

What you actually see

• The cloud forest - mossy, fern-dense upper slopes.
• The summit view - Batan, Sabtang and the channel on clear days.
• The endemic birds - Batanes' forest species along the trail.
• The cone itself - the volcano that shapes every island view.

When to go

March to May for the best chance of a clear summit; the climb is wet in any month and unadvisable in the typhoon season. Start at dawn.

Honest expectations

Mud, leeches in wet spells and a summit that clouds over most days - manage expectations. Guides are mandatory and know the weather signs. Batanes flights themselves cancel routinely.

Nearby

Basco's lighthouse, Vayang Rolling Hills and Valugan Boulder Beach sit at the mountain's foot.