Conquering Mt. Talamitam 630+MASL

December 26, 2012

Our climb to Talamitam is actually a side trip and is unexpected. Talamitam is just about 12 kilometers away from Batulao as we were actually at Mt. Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas for the second time and the main purpose was to give away donations to the youth of Mt. Batulao. As it happened, then December 26 became a twin day-hike climbing both Batulao and Talamitam.




Mt. Talamitam is a beauty. Towering exquisitely and can be seen from Tagaytay City and Nasugbu. It is located north of Batulao and is at the middle of Nasugbu town in Batangas. The difficulty is almost similar to that of Maculot except that is does not have the same view of the Rockies that overpowers Taal Lake instead its view is beautiful in its own way by giving you a picturesque view from its summit with a panorama of Mt. Batulao at the south and Mt. Pico De Loro  and the rest of Cavite at its north.

Panorama showing Batulao at South

Panorama from the Summit showing Pico De Loro far north

The trail will greet you with the river which locals call as Layon Bilog and crossing with via a concrete and a bamboo bridge. The bamboo bridge is not so stable but it was still able to accommodate my weight.

Bamboo Bridge by the river

Then an area covered with foliage will give you a hundred meter trail ascent before you will be able to reach a vast grazing area at 400+ MASL.

Foliage

Grazing Area

By 480+ MASL you will then be challenged with a hundred meter more of constant 60-70 degree ascent which will remind you of climbing Mt. Maculot.

The trail to the summit is generally dry and hot so be prepared when climbing this mountain. However when we went there it was all in good timing. There was a typhoon at Visayas and Nasugbu, Batangas is having occasional rains, no sunlight, yet clouds are still high enough so the summit is clear. The only issue we had when we climbed there is that it is too windy, about 40-60km/h of winds. And it is so cold!

As most of the trail is a grazing area, there is no definite trail. You can go in any directions from this area towards the final assault. And if in case you get lost going back down, all you need to do is to follow the the river bank to get back to where you should be.

Campgrounds near the summit is not available due to no tree coverage however there is a campsite near the registration area.

Gloria, our guide.

The named Bruce "brusko". Will follow you fervently until summit until you get back.

There is a drawback though. Having a guide on this short trail (~4km trail) is strictly required and costs P300. The reason when I asked them is that if someone suffers a heatstroke, at least someone could help which is for me is a bit questionable because they don't even carry a first-aid kit. P20/pax entrance fee is also required. P35/pax if overnight.

Conquered Talamitam!

Note: Noisy due to windy environment caused by the nearby typhoon.

Mt. Talamitam is the 8th mountain I have climbed.

Talamitam Trail as plotted on Google Earth

Mt. Talamitam Elevation Graph

The data gathered in this Mt. Talamitam climb has been contributed to the +OpenStreetMap Philippines  project for free use of mountaineers who plan to climb this mountain with GPS assistance.


Map 
Openstreetmap Philippines Map (link)
Schadow1 Expeditions Contributions (link)
How to use for your Navigation System (link)

View Larger Map

Contact Person: Gloria 09289458351