A spur of the moment decision led me and my brother to Mt. Binicayan in Rodriguez, Rizal during the Holy Week. It was a Black Saturday. By then, most people have already travelled out of town to take advantage of the long weekend. The city is quiet except near the churches that devotees visit.
Kuya Roger, our guide is very professional, warm and chatty. On our way up, he kept sharing bits of info. about the plants we saw, mostly about which ones we could eat, our kind of topic! As we passed a bamboo, he shared how to cook rice using bamboo trunks.
We reached the summit in a very relaxed pace of 2.5 hours. Faster hikers could have easily done it in 1.5 hours. Going down wasn't any quicker as the trail was steep and full of sharp rocks but we had a very nice reward after. To cap off our hike, we stopped at a sari-sari store selling fresh fruit shakes. I got guyabano shake, a great way to end a hot hike. :)
Located in Sitio Wawa, this area has been my go to place for a quick hike. It can easily be reached from Manila, whether you're bringing a car or taking public transport (See info below). Adding to its appeal is the variety of small mountains you can hike - a mix of hard and easy trails. Just note that you won't be allowed to hike up without a guide unless you live in Wawa but you can easily get a guide at the registration area. No advance arrangements is required.
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| Mt. Binicayan in Rodriguez, Rizal |
We arrived in Sitio Wawa at past 7:30 AM. As it was summer, the sun was already throwing daggers of sunshine. As we got out of the parking lot, we witnessed the holiday crowd heading to a nearby attraction, Wawa Dam.
We registered twice, first at the Barangay hall then, just a few feet away, at the DENR office. From here, we walked towards a very steep concrete road to the trailhead. Thankfully, the mountain we visited didn't have a lot of visitors that day. Aside from one group, we didn't see anyone else on the trail. I was sweating and out of breath in seconds! Later on, we learned that we could have taken a tricycle instead. As I haven't really used my legs that much, it wasn't a good warm-up for me. I nearly vomited! LOL
Kuya Roger, our guide is very professional, warm and chatty. On our way up, he kept sharing bits of info. about the plants we saw, mostly about which ones we could eat, our kind of topic! As we passed a bamboo, he shared how to cook rice using bamboo trunks.
Hiking Information:
Registration Fees - Barangay (20 Pesos/head) + DENR Fee (50 Pesos/head)
Guide Fee - 500 Pesos for every 1-5 people
How to get to Sitio Wawa, Rodriguez, Rizal
By public transpo
From Cubao-Antipolo UV Express Terminal - Farmers Plaza, take a van going to Montalban (formely Rodriguez) then ask the driver to let you off near Wawa. Then, take a tricycle to Sitio Wawa. Get off at the DENR office to register. This is a common route so it's not hard to find a tricycle driver who knows where to drop you off.
If taking the van, you'll be waiting for the entire van to fill-up (may take up to 30 minutes) so take that into consideration when planning your itinerary.
By private vehicle
Parking Area is just a few feet away, down the road.