Tarak Ridge, which is part of the Mount Mariveles and it is a popular spot for hiking and camping activities. Besides this, there are another two peaks in Mount Mariveles which have been explored by the local mountaineering community, including Pantingan or Banayan Peak, and Mariveles Ridge.
I came to know about this place from a friend, Brian which I met in Baler surfing trip. Since he is an active hiker, I asked him if I could join him on his next hiking trip.
He suggested a hiking trip to Tarak Ridge, where he already been there for eight times. I was curious about this place and decided to join this adventurous trip on one of the weekends. And this would be 2 days 1-night trekking trip.
On the 27th of October 2018 @330am, we gathered at McDonald which was right next to Pasay MRT last station. We took the morning bus ( from there you could either take Genesis or Bataan Express bus) to Bataan and the whole bus journey took about 3 hours.
The bus stopped at Brgy. Alas-asin, Mariveles LLA which is the jump-off point to Tarak Ridge. It was 7 am in the early morning and we began trekking after having our breakfast and grocery shopping.
Each of us carrying a backpack which filled with tons of food and drinks.
Jump-Off PointThe first part of the trekking was not that difficult and mostly the road was flat and there was one part which required downclimbing.
We took 4 hours to arrive Papaya River Campsite, which allowed ourselves to have some free time, lunch and swimming activities. We rested at Papaya River for an hour before resuming our trek up to the summit campsite.
The second part to the summit was rather challenging as compared to the beginning part. Furthermore, we were carrying the backpack and tent thus it was not as easy as compared to the normal day trekking trip.
Brian left me behind since my pace was not as fast as his. XD… He managed to reach the summit campsite within 2 hours and it took me 3 hours to arrive at the summit campsite.
We have decided to choose a more quiet campsite and started to walk and explore around the area. Of course, taking many nice pictures too.
Since Brian used to hike and camping a lot, he was volunteered to prepare the dinner for us.
It has been many years since my last camping activities.
After dinner time, we started to enjoy the stars in the night sky and sharing life experiences. It was a wonderful night indeed. Not forget to mention we had a great social drinking session before fell asleep on the cozy mountain.
The next morning, we woke up at 545am to enjoy the sunrise view.
The view was amazing and since I refused to go up to another peak, we just stayed there and enjoyed the current view.
After taking tons of nice pictures, we headed back to the campsite and prepared for breakfast. Then, started to break camp.
We began to trek down to Papaya River at 9 am and it took us 1 hour to arrive at the riverside. I took a nap there and when I was awake, Brian had already started preparing lunch for us:
It was 1 pm when we started to trek again. I have fastened my speed this time since I could not wait to be back to the jump-off point and to enjoy a nice shower.
It’s only taken 2 hours to arrive at the starting point.
Brian bought the Red horse liquor drink to celebrate the completion of our trekking trip.
After taking the dinner, we took the bus heading back to Metro Manila. That’s the story of my 2 days 1-night adventurous trekking trip. Overall I enjoyed the trip very much. It is always good to be back to nature and enjoy the fresh air on top of the mountain. I enjoyed the time when there was no access to the internet and purely enjoying the nice scenery.
Normally after hiking, it refreshed my mind and I have more strength to overcome the obstacles in the real world. That is the reason why I like outdoor activities including hiking. And thanks to my friend, Brian who is a talented guy (check out his biography and his company website) who took care of me throughout the whole journey. Till next time.
If you are interested to hike Tarak Ridge, below is the itinerary planned by Brian for your reference:
DAY 01
0300 Assembly at Mc Donald Pasay MRT Station(last station of MRT)
0330 ETD Manila to Bataan (Genesis or Bataan Express bus)
0630 ETA Brgy. Alas-asin / Registration
0700 Begin Trek
1100 ETA Papaya River Campsite / Rest / Cook lunch
1200 Lunch / Free Time / Swimming
1330 Resume trek
1630 ETA Ridge Campsite / Set-up camp / Explore / Cook dinner
1630 Sunset viewing / Prepare dinner
1800 Dinner / Socials
2100 Lights out
DAY 02
0500 Wake-up call / sunrise view at Tarak Ridge
0600 Breakfast
0700 Trek to summit
0900 ETA Summit
0900 Begin trek to campsite
0945 ETA campsite / break camp
1100 ETD campsite
1230 Papaya River / Lunch
1330 Resume trek
1630 ETA jump-off point / clean-up / log-out
1730 ETD Brgy. Alas-asin / Dinner
2100 ETA Manila
WHAT TO WEAR:
Dri-Fit Shirts
Leggings / Jogging pants / Compression Pants
Socks
Trekking Shoes or Sandals
Cameras
Powerbank
Headlight
Water at least 2 liters or good enough for 2 days
Tent
Hygiene kit
EXPENSES (In Peso):
Bus Manila to Alas asin – 200 – 400
Registration – 50
Food Allowance – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner/Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (200 to 300)
Shower Fee after hike: 50 (estimated fee only)
—————–
Total estimated cost = P800
