A Quickie Hike to Mt. Batulao

by lakwatserong tatay

After our halfday activity at Amansinaya Mountain Resort plus Trekking to Ambon-Ambon Waterfalls. We decided to have additional trekking activity that day.....^_^.
Since were driving along Nasugbu road, after having lunch in one of the carinderia's we decided to have a quickie dayhike at Mt. Batulao via New Trail v.v.....^_^.

Mt. Batulao at far....^_^

The sun that time was as it best.....grrrr....sobra init...i think it was almost 2pm in the afternoon....^_^

my 1st photo opps...^_^

The 1st time i've been here was wayback 2004 and then after 9 years, it was totally different, of course were using the new trail. So, i promise to myself that i'll be back here to try the Batulao Traverse and do back reminiscing, as far as i remember the trail that we our using that time maybe is the old trail....^_^. However on this trek of ours we decided to choose the new trail that looks jagged teeth if your afar starting climbing Mt. Batulao.

1st Peak of New Trail...

One thing that i love with this new trail of Mt. Batulao is there so many kubo's that has refreshments...^_^ A wide range of beverages...from Softdrink, Halo-halo and Buko juice...^_^

co-xplorers...johari & carlo @ one of the kubo's

We had so much fun with taking photo opps in every peaks and surroundings because all of my cotrippers are 1st timer with Mt. Batulao...not noticing the time and weather condition that time...change to darker clouds and in few minutes...rain drops...however luckily is does not take long....^_^.

carlo, coy & melvin @ peak 3

Mt. Batulao New Trail....

Melvin @ Peak 5

One significant thing with Mt. Batulao trail, it also famous for trail bikers...that lucky for us group that time. We encountered some mountain bike bikers....were so envy with them because we wanted all to try that, but sadly not all of us have trail bikes..

kainggit kayo mga mam & sir...^_^

me @ peak 6

Were just like kids running in an upward and downward slopes....not noticing the danger within because left or right of the trail is mostly cliffs that cause severe scenarios...^_^

johari & melvin advances...

coy @ peak 7

As far as i remember when we reach the Peak 8 there's another registration fee which is about php 20, given us warning that do not go up because of the tragic incident that happen few months ago...that was maybe the lady mountaineer from rizal, if im not mistaken....

i just hope when we return this kubo house already fix...^_^

Were really getting near as we reach peak 11, along the way one of my co-tripper...coy, did not join us up to summit due to leg cramps....he just decided to go back up to peak 8 to have a very well rest, while 4 of us, johari, carlo, melvin and i, push thru to our goal to reach it summit...^_^

carlo & johari @ peak 11

were getting near....^_^

Backtrail of Mt. Batulao from summit

In few minutes we've reach the summit, there are some hikers still having their photo opps session, likewise with us, we've just rest for a while and then next was photo opps too........^_^

X-plorerboyz @ Mt. Batulao Summit

Lakwatserong Tatay @ Mt. Batulao Summit

So after staying at summit for almost 30 minutes, we trek down as fast as we can to reach one of the 1st kubo's to have power refreshment of halo-halo...^_^

@ rest mode....^_^

kawawa naman c doggie...mukhang napagtripan pah..

my photo opps with ate...thanks po sa masarap na halohalo!

We finish the trek for almost 4hrs including all of the rest, photo opps and halo-halo breaks....It was quite tiring halfday trek...due to time constraint, we wanted to reach the jump off before the sunset....And were really happy to made back just in time....^_^

one last shot...Mt. Batulao...

I promise to myself that hopefully before the year ends, we will go back to this mountain and even include other mountains in Nasugbu...or maybe try the famous mountain routes...called as Nasugbu Trilogy....which compose of Mt. Palay-palay (pico de loro) Traverse, Mt. Talamitam and Mt. Batulao Traverse....o diba malupit na year ender climb toh....^_^

Next stop... Mt. Ugo Traverse (Kayapa, Nueva Viscaya to Itogon, Benguet)...^_^

Ambon-ambon Waterfalls

by lakwatserong tatay

So after reaching Amansinaya Mountain Resort, we're on excited mode already seeing the falls from their infinity pool at Patio Filipino. After we coordinated our voucher, the attendant tells us what we would want to do first since their is an early schedule of trekking to falls, we grabbed it and hurriedly changed to swimming/trekking attire....^_^

A shuttle service brought us to the jump off and meet their our guide. I'm not sure if is it a local or one of their staffs, but one thing i'm very sure of, it is not allowed to go to the waterfalls if you have no permission of the resort. The place is a privately owned by Las Hasciendas Estates.

trek starts here...

According to our guide, the trek will took about 30-45 minutes, it depends to your group. Luckily for our group that time we just have only one girl which is a couple and we 5 xplorers...^_^

tree less trek....

We cross one steel bridge....of course we did not miss to have photo opps....^_^.

We've cross several streams, passed some houses of the locals....below is one of the modern nipa houses along the trail to Ambon-Ambon Falls.

When you reach this part of the trail, you will already hear the rush of the waters and closely getting near to it. However it took us quite awhile in this part because we just love the place and took some photo opps session there....^_^

we have some photo opps with this sun ray

After walking for almost 30 minutes we had the glance of the upper part of Ambon-Ambon Waterfalls afar.

Ambon-Ambon Falls...

And then.....we've reached the place. It has a quite big campsite area, where you could choose to stay overnight. I think 7-8 tents could fit and there also small parts where 1-2 tents can be set. However upon seeing the falls, the upper part of the falls is maybe unreachable because of the huge boulders. Maybe with proper rappelling gears it will reachable or with help of the local guides, maybe there's a trail where you could go to the upper part....^_^

Two layered Ambon-Ambon Falls

So we stayed for almost an hour, swim and have some photo opps session with the falls and boulders.

the x-plorerboyz....^_^ thanks caloy!!!

this rock look like a face? am i right?

So after having fun...we bid goodbye to the place....and have our few last photo opps...of course a group shot and souvenir shot of mine would not be missed out......^_^

xplorerboyz with the lovely couple...^_^

lakwatserong tatay @ Ambon-Ambon Falls

After our trek adventures we proceed to their Pugadlawin Adventure Camp, that i have previously posted and after lunchtime we hurriedly go to Nasugbu, Batangas for our next trekking adventure....Mt. Batulao v.v. New Trail). 

Some Tips & Trivia: 

Ambon-ambon Waterfalls is located within Las Haciendas, Laurel Batangas. A two-teared cascading waterfalls with roughly 60 mtrs high. If you will visit this place, take a time to visit another waterfalls names as "Malagasgas Falls" and another attraction is Simbahang Bato - a chapel built in a shallow cave which locals been using as a place to worship. After being to this places, it is better to tied it up with an another trek to Taal Volcano which relatively near the area. And lastly, did you know that, there are two more waterfalls named as "Ambon-Ambon Falls". Luckily i've visited the other one which is in Panguil River Eco Park, at Panguil Laguna and the other one is can be seen in Bagac, Bataan, which i'm hoping i could visit in the future.

Next stop: A Quickie ascend and descend via New Trail of Mt. Batulao.

Our Amansinaya Mountain Resort Daytour Experience

by lakwatserong tatay

It's been quite a while since my last post was published and it was also a backlog trip of mine...^_^....whew... up until now, i have so many travel backlog posts. I just wish i could still do it to update this blogsite....^_^. So, last night, i was able to go to a internet shop and managed to still few hours of mine to check my fb fanpage, fb account, emails and of course this blogsite of mine. So i will start with this trip early this year, where one of my cotrippers manage to get a promo voucher for Amansinaya Mountain Resort Daytour plus Trek to Ambon-Ambon Waterfalls. However, we decided to cut our stay & activities with Amansinaya and add to our day activity with a quickie dayhike to Mt. Batulao (v.v. new trail). So let me start with my story now.....^_^

now entering Amansinaya

Good thing with my co-xplorers, there's always available transportation for our group. Thanks to Coy...so we meet early in the morning in MRT Ayala station going to Laurel, Batangas, where Amansinaya Mountain Resort is situated. The plan for the day is 1st to trek to Ambon-Ambon Waterfalls, then do the activities in Pugadlawin Adventure Camp (Mudslide, Rappelling and Zipline) and of course try their infinity pool in Patio Filipino and after lunch, we will do a dayhike trek to Mt. Batulao..

Entrance to Patio Filipino

We arrive quite early at the resort, and because of that we wait for the employee in charge with promo deals arrangement. So what did i do....of course....photo opps mode...^_^

Souvenir shop @ the Lobby

Patio Filipino is not quite big space for the diners of the resort, however upon seeing the infinity pool, makes us all excited to go for a morning dip...but we choose to do that on the later part of our stay. After engaging with the different activities on our daytour stay. Below are the views around Amansinaya Mountain Resorts's infinity pool, open nipa hut and the lush greenery surrounding and Ambon-ambon Waterfalls.

The Infinity Pool with backdrop of Lush Green Mountain

Lush Greenery Scenery within the Pool

There's the Ambon-ambon falls, our 1st activity for the day.....^_^

one of the open nipa huts...thanks to our sponsors...^_^

Fast forward, when we get back coming from our trek to Ambon-ambon falls (i'll be doing a separate post for Ambon-Ambon falls), we proceed to their Pugadlawin Adventure Camp, where Rappeling, Mudslide and Zipline activity is available, thanks for the great deal we have...we got this all for free and repeat it all you can...^_^..

1st stop Rappeling...

1st stop was rappelling, only 4 of us tried this tiring activity, melvin, johari and caloy and me, in fact yours truly wasn't able to reach the top...due to a muscle cramps...(palusot lang daw sabi ng mga loko) ^_^

getting our gears ready...^_^

carlo & me...^_^

johari & melvin...

2nd stop....ziplining...all of us tried this, not just once, twice, but actually couple of times....^_^

it's me while ziplining...

And last, but not definitely the last activity on Amansinaya....the mudslide....at first where thinking where is the mud...we realize it after getting the other end of this slide.....^_^

the mudslide...^_^

As far as i remember we stayed for this activity for more than 30 minutes, we really enjoyed it..and tried it for couple of times. Even though it was quite tiring going up and going down the slides takes just few minutes. This activity was worth a try....^_^

yahoooooo......

And before we end our stay with Amansinaya Mountain Resort, of course we will not missed to take a dip with their infinity pool....photo opps all the way......go...go....xploreboyz......

jumpshot mode....

chillax mode....^_^

tv hosts mode....^_^

next stop is Ambon-ambon Waterfalls and Dayhike to Mt. Batulao (v.v. New Trail)

lakwatserong tatay @ Amansinaya

How to get to Amansinaya Mountain Resort:

via Private Transportation: we choose to take the Tagaytay and Ligaya Road route and take the Talisay-Laurel road and after seeing the Laurel Municipal Hall, just ask few of locals how to get to Amansinaya Mountain Resort.

via Commuting: Take a Batangas (Lipa-Tanauan route), take off to Tanauan bus stop and ride a tricycle going to Laurel Jeepney Terminal which is near the Public Market and McDonalds. Inform the driver to drop you off to Laurel Municipal Halls and from there take a tricycle going inside the resort.

For more information:

Amansinaya Mountain Resort
Brgy. San Gabriel, Laurel, Batangas
website: http://www.amansinayaresorts.com.ph/update/
email: info@amansinayaresorts.com.ph