Osmeña Peak Trek Adventure

Eight of my friends set off to conquer Osmeña Peak, the highest point in the elevated province of Dalaguete. The picturesque, breathtaking Highlands has become famous for it's mountain ranges and has been trending on social media. We have to see for ourselves if there's any truth in this claim and so we put on our trekking outfits and leave home for an adventure to the Wild.

The original plan was to depart at dawn break on Sunday but after a good discussion and combined inputs, we decided it is wise to leave Saturday afternoon. My good friend, Ate Lou was kind enough to let us stay overnight at their ancestral house in Carcar. We couldn't be any happier! :D

April 11. Satuday, 6pm. 

We took a ferry boat ride from Mactan island to Pier 3. We paid 15 for the regular fare and terminal fee. If you are from the island, you might want to take this great alternative to avoid traffic and of course, shorten the travel.  

Stopover at Emall. We spent a good 30 minutes to pick up everything we needed for the trek. By 8 o'clock we were already on board and comfortably seated for our trip to Carcar. They collected 35 pesos for each person for the fare. I rarely travel South so I was really excited for this new experience! :D

In this picture (L to R): Ate Lou, myself, my sister Jheine and Gab.

The trip took almost 2 hours including the short walk to Ate Lou's place. Everyone was exhausted but it was overshadowed by the torrent of excitement for tomorrow's adventure. Yay!

April 12, Sunday 4:00 am.

Everyone hardly got any sleep, I can tell but no one complained. We departed before the world stirs to wakefulness. We got into the first bus that would take us to Dalaguete for 60 pesos. The ride seemed to take years! I was close to drowsing off and forgetting the world when the bus pulled to a stop and the driver announced that we were already at our destination. Finally!!

The instance we got off the bus, we were mobbed by a group of "habal-habal" drivers trying to take us to jump-off point. For those who didn't know, habal-habal is a term used locally for hired motorbikes used to take people to places especially in the mountain. It is very common in provinces. 

The rest of the gang: (L-R) Jheine, Kent, Gab, Myself, Jacky

The rest of the gang: (L-R) Will, Jheine, Kent, Gab, Lou, Jacky

We didn't waste any more time. Habal-habal can take 2-3 passengers each for 100 pesos per person so I rode with my sister Jheine, Will with Kent, Gab, Jacky and Andi (not in the picture) and Ate Lou and Marc ( not in the picture). The uphill ride was totally amazing. The views were so scenic, I thought it couldn't be real. The mountain fog was still hanging low and I can feel my eyes water from it's coolness. We passed on narrow roads just beside the mountain table and on our left was a cliff! The hazy atmosphere added to the dreamlike picture of the sleeping wilderness. I have to breathe in and close my eyes. It's not enough to capture this magnificent in photo, I need to safely keep it in memory. 

Thanks to kuya driver for letting us delay the ride. :D

Foggy morning in Mantalungon, Dalaguete.

Jump-off point. We arrived after 30 minutes of stop and start. This is where we begin to literally climb on foot. It was a surprise to see quite a lot of trekkers like us. Before we're allowed to climb, we need to get our names listed. I have no idea what was it for, probably it was just a record of visitors. Surprisingly, no one collected an entrance fee but we were asked to take a guide, we agreed, of course! 

Jump-off point with the fog  waving hello in the background.

We began to climb at slow pace, adjusting ourselves to the rough course that's leading us uphill. There is no paved roads this time, the rocks were sharp on its edges I am certain it could slice through our skin with just a brush if we were careless. Our guide, a little child not more than 10, told us that it would only take us 30 minutes to get to the peak if we were to match his pace, which I have to say was rather fast. Well, it will be an insult to nature to not capture its beauty.  And so we took our own sweet time bonding with the sleeping wilderness. Can you blame us for taking clicking the shutter everytime?

Can you tell how cold we were in this picture? 

The guide warned us to keep up as the fog was rolling in and will  prevent us from seeing the path. We moved up and reached the peak of the mountain just in time for the fog to closed in. Now we're stranded.  

The complete cast. 

Fearless Jacky on top of the rock.

After waiting for several moment, the fog cleared up leaving us truly astounded and completely stunned. It was the prettiest thing I have seen in all my life. The rocks competed with each other with its immense height and rugged features. Its imposing formation speaks of arrogance and proud beauty of the Southern highlands.

For all nature lover like myself, I would very much recommend for you to take a chance to get out of the city or the beach and consider making your way up to Osmeña Peak. You'll never be disappointed.