Mount Mantalingahan

Mantalingahan rises to 2,086 metres at the southern end of Palawan, the high point of the Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape, declared in 2009 over some 120,000 hectares of the range - one of the most biologically significant protected areas in the country, now on the UNESCO tentative list, holding forest from lowland through montane to the stunted mossy zone near the summit, with species found nowhere else. It is also the watershed for much of southern Palawan, which is the reason it was declared. Climbing it is a serious undertaking: three to five days through leech-heavy forest and steep rooted ground, with river crossings, camps without facilities and weather that turns fast, arranged through local guides from the Pala'wan communities whose ancestral lands the mountain sits on. Very few people do it in a year. For most visitors the range is something seen from the coastal road rather than walked.

What's there

• The mossy summit zone - stunted, lichen-hung forest near the top.
• The forest belts - lowland to montane on the way up.
• The southern Palawan view - both coasts from the ridge.
• The river camps - crossings and campsites on the route.

When to go

February to May is the driest window. Outside it the trails are dangerous and rivers rise quickly. Permits and guides must be arranged well ahead.

What to expect

This is an expedition, not a day hike - multi-day, self-supported camping, leeches, no facilities and no rescue nearby. Guides from local communities are mandatory. Access is granted, not assumed.

Nearby

Brooke's Point and Rizal are the access towns; Palawan's southern coast and Balabac lie beyond.

Key facts