Hiking up Mt. Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin

Those who have been to Camiguin often rave about its stunning white-sand beaches, freshwater springs, and sweet lanzones. But there’s a lot more to love in this tiny island province. For motorcycle riders and bikers, doing an island loop on two wheels is a real treat. The food scene is surprisingly good and varied. For mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts, the island’s volcanoes, particularly Mt. Hibok-Hibok, offer a challenging but rewarding hiking destination.

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Climb Camiguin 2019

Last summer as part of the Climb Camiguin mountain tourism campaign, I had the chance to hike up this amazing mountain whose interior forests are considered one of the country’s most biodiverse areas. In fact, Mt. Timpoong-Hibok-Hibok Natural Monument is one of the only 8 ASEAN Heritage Parks in the Philippines. It’s considered a protected area because of its unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness, and outstanding values.

The 2,227.62-hectare (5,504.6-acre) protected area stretches along the central and western interior of Camiguin, encompassing Mt. Timpoong, the highest peak at 1,500 masl and Mt. Hibok-Hibok, the largest volcano at 1,200 masl.

Though Camiguin is small in size, it’s rich in biodiversity and endemic species. The mountains provide a premier eco-tourism destination that complements the island’s beaches.

It was an honor to join the inaugural hike along with top mountaineers Dr. Gideon Lasco of Pinoy Mountaineer and Carina Dayondon, the first Filipina to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountain peaks in each of the seven continents.

The hiking party also included photographers Rhonson Ng and Julius Paner, travel bloggers me and Celine, nature advocates and international vloggers Kyle “Kulas” Jennerman of Becoming Filipino, Finn Snow and the Fighter Boys, to test out the newly established trail.

While the hiking trails were closed to the public soon after due to El Niño as a preemptive measure to protect the mountains during the dry months, it’s great to know that the trails are open once again to hikers and outdoor enthusiasts for the 2020 climbing season.

The most established trail to Mt. Hibok-Hibok starts at Ardent Hot Springs, a popular swimming spot among locals with man-made natural pools. The new Itum Trail, established by expedition leader Nilo Lazarito, offers a more challenging and scenic alternative. The trail now starts at Sitio Itum in Barangay Baylao with the base camp at the heart of the Timpoong and Hibok-Hibok ASEAN Heritage Park.

While most of the members stayed overnight at a resort in Mambajao, Celine and I decided to camp out in the area the night before, setting up a tent on a sloped grassy area right outside the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Office in Barangay Itum facing the mountain. The cool breeze rocked our tent throughout the night. I remember how amazingly clear the stars were in the night sky before falling asleep. By 3am, we were rolling out of our sleeping bags and getting ready for the early morning trek.

After a light breakfast, orientation and group tree-planting activity, we made our way up with the rest of the team on the pleasant hike. What I like most about the hike is how cool it was the whole time. Most of the time, we were walking under a thick forest cover and canopy of trees instead of open fields. The trail transitioned from deciduous to a mossy forest at around 900 meters above sea level.

I’ve hiked through various mountains passing through open or dry grasslands, with views of denuded mountainsides, and many others trails littered with rubbish left behind by irresponsible hikers. In other mountains, people living in communities along the slopes have constructed gates along trails with “toll gates” to impose entrance fees to hikers. The whole trail of Mt. Hibok-Hibok was just so natural and lush in comparison. Some tree tunnels looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie.

Because our group was fairly large, the hiking part was a little slow, with bottlenecks in some portions of the trail. This gave us more time to chat with companions while waiting.

Our conversations turned to memorable hikes, travels around the country and the world, mishaps while hiking, and even love life. I was fascinated by the stories of Gideon and Carina, and the challenges of scaling the Seven Summits. I was a bit starstruck at first hiking among mountaineering idols, but they were both very friendly and down-to-earth.

Aside from the fun conversation, I was amazed by the trail itself. Camiguin’s mountain landscape is so well-preserved, with a rich variety of flora and fauna. Just in one trail, you can encounter tree tunnels of mossy forests, volcanic mountain peaks, springs, and waterfalls. If you’re lucky, you may encounter creatures endemic to the island.

Birdwatchers in our group were having a field day, as Mt. Timpoong-Hibok-Hibok Natural Monument is home to birds such as the Camiguin hawk owl, Camiguin hanging parrot, yellowish bulbul, and golden-yellow white-eye. The forest is also home to mammals such as the Camiguin forest rat and forest mouse and amphibians such as the Camiguin narrow-mouthed frog.

At 1,100 meters, we passed through a pandan forest and red ferns. We were told that medicinal trees such as the kalingag (Cinnamomum mercadoi) and duguan (Myristica philippensis) thrive on the island. The rest of the trail involved some vertical climbing up roots and a steep ascent on rocky slopes to reach the minor peak of Mount Hibok-Hibok.

Nearing the peak, we encountered more pygmy forests with wildflowers and endemic pitcher plants. The summit view was the crown of Mount Hibok-Hibok with stunning panoramic views of the ocean, lush forests below and the White Island sandbar in the distance. The view from the mountain peak was just surreal.

I have to say the trail to Mt. Hibok-Hibok is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved mountain trails I’ve ever hiked through in the country. I admit that some hikers (myself included) tend to get fixated on reaching the top, often ignoring everything else about the hike.

But there’s really so much more to a mountain than getting a victory shot at the summit. Sometimes, the hike itself is the reward.

NOTE: The Climb Camiguin mountain tourism campaign was made possible by Gov. Romualdo, the Camiguin provincial tourism office led by Candice Borromeo-Dael, DOT Region 10 Regional Director May Salvana-Uncuhan and Potpot Pinili of Travel Trilogy.

Climb Camiguin 2020

Mt. Hibok-Hibok is open again for the 2020 climbing season! It was great to be part of Climb Camiguin Year 2 along with a few travel blogger friends. While this year’s hike was muddier and felt more challenging than my first time hiking here, it’s always nice spending time up in the mountains, especially one as beautiful and magical as Mt. Hibok-Hibok. For those interested to hike here, I’m sharing some updated travel tips and information.

Location

Mt. Hibok-Hibok is located on the island of Camiguin in Northern Mindanao in the Philippines. The jump-off point for the Itum trail is the DENR Office in Barangay Itum, Mambajao.

What to wear

Wear comfortable clothes suitable for hiking like cargo pants, dri-fit shirts and leggings. Long pants that cover your legs and high socks are recommended instead of shorts because of thick grass, mud, and the possibility of leeches. A light windbreaker or arm sleeves can be useful in some sections especially the base camp and summit, but you don’t need it for the whole hike, because you’ll be sweating from the exertion.

Wear sturdy hiking shoes with good traction suitable for rugged and muddy terrain. Do not wear slippers, sandals or casual shoes. If it rained before the hike, expect trails to be really muddy and slippery. Bring extra clothes and a pair of slippers to change into after the hike if you want. There are restrooms and a shower area at the base camp where you can change clothes.

What to bring

Windbreaker or rain protection (it can get chilly in the morning and while on the summit, but most of the trail is forested)
Headware or bandana
Water (prescribed is 3L per person for the day hike but it depends on you). There is no water source along the trail.
Packed food
Trail Food and snacks
Camera
Gloves would be useful because a lot of the plants and trees have spikes
Trekking poles (very handy for descent)
Extra clothes/slippers (you can leave extra items at the jump-off)

Volcano adventure package rates

Single: P1,500
Double: P900 each
Triple: P700 each
Quadruple: P600 each
Inclusions: environmental permit & services of a local mountain guide
Climbing season: March 3 to May 31, 2020

Travel tips and useful information

There are 3 possible ways to hike up to Mt. Hibok-Hibok’s summit: via Ardent Hot Spring, a traverse from Yumbing to Ardent, or the new Itum Trail.
Mt. Hibok-Hibok’s Itum trail is ideal for more experienced hikers rather than beginners or newbie hikers because of the trail difficulty and steep rope sections.
Total hike is about 6-9 hours depending on your pace. Average hikers take about 3-4 hours going to the summit, 3-4 hours going down, extra 1 hour for the crater lake, extra time for rest, meals and photo stops.
This is a bit challenging and rewarding for a day hike. For a more leisurely trip, I’d suggest tackling this as an overnight camping trip or traverse via a different trail instead of a day trip. It’s possible to camp overnight at the crater lake.
It’s very difficult to take out an SLR from a backpack in most parts of the trail because you need both your hands while hiking. If you want to take photos, it’s better to use more compact cameras or smart phones instead.
It’s possible to take drone shots from the summit, but it can sometimes get very windy. According to tour guides, the mountain has claimed drones (and smartphones) before.
Aside from Mt. Hibok-Hibok, Camiguin is home to at least 14 identified volcanoes including Mt. Timpoong, Old Vulcan, Mt. Uhay, Mt. Ilihan, Mt. Guinsiliban, Mt. Mambajao and Mt. Tres Marias.