Team Stranger Danger aims to promote nature awareness and the beauty of nature through the heights of mountains of the Philipines and soon the world.
Speaker/Facilitator for Outdoor Education
A RONIN.
OUR ADVVENTURES TO THE MOUNTAINS OF LUZON
Mt. Manalmon + Mt. Gola + Sidetrip
Are you planning to climb mountains this year but don’t know where to start? Are you looking for a weekend adventure that involves spelunking, trekking and swimming? There is a place called Sitio Madlum in Brgy. Sibul, San Miguel, Bulacan that offers these types of outdoor activities. One of the attractions in the place is the Mt. Manalmon + Mt. Gola Twin Day Hike which is perfect for beginners. It’s just a minor climb,196 MASL with 2/9 level of difficulty.
MT. MANALMON
San Miguel, Bulacan
Major jump-off: Sitio Madlum, Brgy. Sibul, San Miguel
LLA: 15°15.11’N; 121°1.22′ E; 196 MASL
Days required / Hours to summit: Half-day / 1 hour
Specs: Minor climb, Difficulty 2/9, Trail class 1-2
How to Get There?
From Metro Manila, take a bus either Five Star, Baliwag or ES Transport in Cubao Terminal bound for Gapan/San Miguel. Travel time is about 2-3 hours with fare of Php117. Your drop-off point is at Brgy. Sibul, Kamias. You can ask the driver or conductor if you don’t know the place. From the drop-off point, take a tricycle going to Sitio Madlum for Php240/way with travel time of approximately 45 minutes. The tricycle can accommodate maximum of four (4) passengers.
If you’re planning to stay overnight, the only mode of accommodation in the place is camping. There are available campsites in the area. There’s also a campsite at Mt. Manalmon near the summit. You can bring your own tent.
What are the Activities to Do?
Mt. Manalmon + Mt. Gola Twin Day Hike
Mt. Manalmon summit 
Most of the people who visited the place tried this activity. If it’s your first time doing this kind of outdoor adventure – better try only either of the two. However, if you think you’re fit enough to do the twin day hike, I suggest try Mt. Manalmon first then Mt. Gola. Both mountains are easy to climb. In fact, they are tagged as 2/9 level of difficulty. It’s just a minor climb suitable for beginners. The climb is about an hour to Mt. Manalmon and another 45 minutes to Mt. Gola.
Spelunking (Bayukbok Caves 1 & 2, Madlum Cave)
If you’re a fan of spelunking adventure, the Bayukbok Cave 2 is open for your exploration. Currently, Cave 1 is closed by DENR for safety precautions. Our guide says, DENR need to explore the cave to determine how safe it is for the public. Some says it is the most exciting and difficult one, where you can experience rappeling when you enter the cave, and there’s also called the music room. Too bad, we did not experience it, we will surely come back once it is open for public exploration
Monkey Bridge Crossing
You have to cross the monkey bridge to complete the experience. Aside from it’s very accessible because it’s located near the registration area, it’s also FREE! I suggest to try this in the morning before you go trekking and spelunking as tourists line up here in the afternoon.
Swimming in Madlum River
The river is very relaxing and the water is so cold. Perfect for relaxation after your tiring trek and spelunking activities. There are also rafts there available for public use.
Mt. Manalmon + Mt. Gola + Sidetrip Itinerary
You can do all the activities in just one day. Below is the itinerary, for your reference.
05:30AM – Assembly at Cubao Terminal (either Five Star, Baliwag or ES Transport)
06:00AM – ETD to Brgy. Sibul, Kamias, San Miguel, Bulacan
09:00AM – ETA in Brgy. Sibul, Kamias, San Miguel, Bulacan
09:40AM – ETA in Sitio Madlum
10:00AM – Cross Monkey Bridge
10:30AM – Start Trek to Mt. Manalmon
11:30AM – Arrive at the Mt. Manalmon Summit
11:45AM – Lunch
12:30PM – Start Trek to Mt. Gola
01:15PM – Arrive at the Mt. Gola Summit
01:45PM – Descend to Regestration Area
02:30PM – Arrive at Registration Area
03:00PM – Spelunking at Bayukbok Cave
04:30PM – Swimming in Madlum River
05:30PM – Wash up, Prepare to go Home
06:00PM – ETD to Brgy. Sibul, Kamias, San Miguel, Bulacan
06:45PM – ETA in Brgy. Sibul, Kamias, San Miguel, Bulacan
09:45PM – ETA in Metro Manila
The Experience
Upon arriving at the place, we looked for our contact person whom we had our reservation. Once reservation is confirmed, we proceeded to the registration area where we were asked to pay for Php 10/person. Once set, we were assigned to a tourist guide that accompanied us throughout the hike, to whom we paid the Php 300/climb.
We took a moment of silence and pray for our safety first before the climb. It’s already 10:30am when we started to ascend so scorching heat of the sun was expected. We passed by at Madlum Cave where the popular TV series “Mulawin” have filmed. We were also amazed by the rock formations and beautiful landscapes as we continue to ascend up to the summit.
At the summit, we were surprised by the wonderful scenery. It’s truly worth it! From the top of Mt. Manalmon, we were able to view the Mt. Arayat from afar. Mt. Gola, known as Mt. Manalmon’s twin mountain is just meters away
Team Stranger Danger 