Another popular mountain in Nasugbu, Batangas is Mt. Talamitam. With a height of 630+ masl, Mt. Talamitam has the same terrain as that of Mt. Batulao, except that it is smaller. 

It was on the morning of December the 31st that I suddenly decided to climb Mt. Talamitam. It was the last day of the year and I was going through some difficult stuff. I wanted to clear my mind and I figured that nature is the best remedy. Mt. Talamitam was my best bet because it's easily accessible from Metro Manila and I could easily climb it and go back just in time to spend New Year's Eve at home.

I arrived at past 1pm at the jump-off. I quickly registered and got myself a guide. We started on a rough road going downhill and leading to the trail head which was marked by a bamboo bridge over Talamitam River. 

The trail head leads to a distinct dirt path surrounded by lush greenery of bushes, shrubs, and trees. The elevation was varying from steep uphills to gradual ones to flats. The trail would then lead to a path of large roots, making it a bit technical, followed by more dirt paths.
The climb continued on to a vast grassland where cows and horses grazed. At this point, there was no tree coverage so I was fully exposed to the sun and wind. From the grassland, one could get a full view of the Mt. Talamitam summit. A few minutes of trekking and I found myself approaching a winding trail of dirt and rocks leading up to the summit. This time, the trail was surrounded by tall grasses.

After one last stretch of uphill, I found myself on the summit. The view was spectacular. And what made it even better was a rainbow greeting me, as if welcoming me to the top.

From the summit, one could see the neighboring mountain, Mt. Apayang. I could have done a twin hike that day if I wasn't in hurry to catch the afternoon trip going back to Manila. Another sighting from the summit of Mt. Talamitam is Mt. Batulao, which is my second favorite mountain. I had the summit all to myself that day and I savored the view for as much as I could. At that moment, I was in my happy place.

Mt. Apayang

Mt. Batulao from a distance

Going back to the jump-off, we simply had to take the same trail. The hike took me a total of two hours and ten minutes, with an hour and ten minutes on the ascent and roughly an hour on the descent. The guide timed it and he said that I was the fastest that he guided through the trail. I would have loved to take a dip in Talamitam River had I not been in a hurry. But that's just one more reason to come back. 

Travel Notes:
How to get there:
  • By public transportation: Board the bus going to Nasugbu, Batangas from DLTB Bus Terminal in Buendia and tell the conductor to drop you off at Sitio Bayabasan, where you will see the registration area just along the highway.
  • Via private vehicle: From Metro Manila, drive to Tagaytay via SLEX, going through Greenfield exit. Then proceed through the Tagaytay-Nasugbu road until you reach KM83. 
Expenses: 
  • bus fare - Php111 (from DLTB terminal in Buendia, x2 for roundtrip)
  • registration - Php20 per person
  • guide - Php300
Mt. Talamitam was my sixth summit in 2016, and it was a great way to cap off the year. 2016 was quite an adventure and 2017 is looking to beat that. Here's to more trails and summits! :)